Butler rink upsets Olympian

NEW?GLASGOW, N.S. There wasnt a bunch of hype surrounding Donna Butlers rink from Cornwall, P.E.I., at the Sobeys Slam.

After all, the team needed a regional qualifier just to reach the main draw, and was pitted against top seed and Olympic bronze-medallist Shannon Kleibrink in the first game Thursday.

She flew in under the radar, but after that noon contest at the Bluenose Curling Club, Bulter wont sneak up on anybody else this week.

Wow, you beat the right team and everyone wants to talk to you, Butler exclaimed following a 6-3 win over her favoured opponent. Were really excited jto play these teams and now its even better.

Butlers rink, which also features Marie Molyneaux, Melissa Andrews, and Carolyn Coulson, finished third at last years provincial championship compared to Kleibrinks 10-1 record and finals appearance at the national championship.

Based on those resumes, the odds were definitely stacked like a bag of potatoes, but Butlers rink and a clutch three-spot in the eighth and final end argued differently.

However, Butler lost 6-3 to Albertas Crystal?Webster in her second game.

Still, 1-1 isnt bad after the first day, and better than most expected for the team.

Not Butler, though although she said it was probably her biggest win as a skip, she didnt leave the Island to lose, either.

We came here to win the whole thing, same as everyone else, Butler said. In my opinion, (the Kleibrink game) was a really well-played game by both teams. We made our shots.

Her next match is today at noon against Carrie Lindner of Ontario (1-1).

We arent fooling ourselves, Butler said. There are no easy teams to beat here. Every game is tough. But we take it shot by shot, end by end, and well see where we end up.

The P.E.I. entry in the event, the Suzanne Birt rink from Charlottetown, is also 1-1 going into todays play.

Birt and her rink of Shelly Bradley, Leslie MacDougall and Stefanie Clark lost their opener 5-3 to Amber Holland of Regina but rebounded with a 7-6 win over Janet McGhee of Ontario.

(The New Glasgow Daily News; more at www.sobeysslam.ca)