Jackson rink advances to ‘Northwesterns’

Derek Jackson scored two in the eighth end Sunday to snap a 5-5 tie against Don DeBenedet in the final game of the Zone Seven tankard in Stratton.
Jackson’s 7-5 victory earned his rink the second and last berth to the Northwestern men’s playdowns Jan. 23-25 in Longlac.
Trailing 4-3 going into the fifth, Jackson scored one and then stole another in the sixth for a 5-4 lead. DeBenedet got that one back in the seventh to tie it at 5-5 before Jackson scored his deuce in the eighth to regain the lead for good.
Having to defeat Jackson twice in the A-B final, DeBenedet forced the final game with a 9-5 victory in their first encounter, scoring four in the seventh end.
Jackson cruised through the ‘A’-side, nipping Curtis Sheloff 7-6 in an extra end, and beating Maury Nielson 10-3 and Bryan Bonot 7-3.
He then beat Sheloff again (this time 7-3), forcing DeBenedet to beat him twice to advance to Longlac.
DeBenedet opened with a 5-4 loss to Bonot (who reached the Northern Ontario playdowns here last February) but fought back to beat Dennis Wroblewsky 10-8 and Nielson 7-3.
He then beat Bonot 8-3 in their second matchup.
Jackson’s rink includes Dale Jackson (third), Dave Hughes (second), Lorne Jackson (lead), and Peter LeDrew (fifth).
Eight teams competed in the double-knockout event for the right to join Tim Nordin of Fort Frances at the “Northwesterns.”
Nordin advanced to Longlac by nipping DeBenedet 7-6 in the final of the first Zone Seven tankard here last month.