MONTREAL -- Rachel Homan started defence of her Scotties Tournament of Hearts title in style. Wayne Gretzky Coyotes Jersey . Homan and her Team Canada (1-0) rink from Ottawa scored four in the eighth end for an 8-3 victory over Manitobas Chelsea Carey (0-1) on Saturday night at the Maurice Richard Arena. "The team played really well in front of me," said Homan, the winner last year in Kingston, Ont. "It was a tough battle. It was 4-3 and then one big end kind of ended it. My team just really had it today." It was a nervy but successful start for Val Sweetings Alberta rink. The Sweeting team (2-0) with lead Rachel Pidherny, second Dana Ferguson and third Joanne Courtney scored three points in the ninth end for a comeback 7-5 victory over 20-year-old newcomer Sarah Koltun (0-1) of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in the opening draw. In the evening, Sweeting took the early lead, wasted it, and then scored two in an extra end for an 8-6 win over 22-year-old Kesa van Osch of British Columbia (1-1). Heather Strong (2-0) of Newfoundland used the shot of the day to edge the home team, Quebecs Allison Ross (0-2), 5-4 with a raised angle takeout on the final shot. Stefanie Lawton (1-0) of Saskatchewan downed Allison Flaxeys Ontario rink (0-1) 8-6. Koltun looked ready for an upset when she stole a point for a 4-1 lead in the fifth end to throw a scare into 26-year-old Sweeting, a youngster herself in only her second Scotties. "They were outplaying us for sure," said Sweeting. "We set up some good ends and she made some good draws to save them, but we stayed patient and had an opportunity in the ninth and took advantage. "Im happy to get out of that one with a win, but we definitely have to sharpen up. We knew we couldnt take them lightly. Its their first time here and they have nothing to lose." A miss by Koltun with her first stone in the ninth set up the decisive steal by Alberta. Sweetings rink kept the house clear in the 10th and left no chance for the Whitehorse skip to force an extra end. Koltun is the youngest skip ever to play in the Scotties and is the first to skip at the Canadian junior and Scotties championships in the same year. She went 5-4 at the juniors two weeks ago in Liverpool, N.S. with two of her three teammates at the Scotties. She skipped a record seven times at national junior championships and is considered among the rising talents in the sport. But she may have let one get away in her debut. "We were in control at the beginning and it was just that one bad end, but its our first game at our first Scotties so well take what we can from it," said Koltun. "We are happy to be here, but we want to contend and be competitive and I think we showed that in this first game by putting up a really strong fight." Quebecs Allison Ross had a disappointing start as she failed to score until she picked up one point in the eighth end. After scoring, Ross conceded a 6-1 victory to New Brunswicks Andrea Crawford. The Quebec side from Montreal curled only 64 per cent as a group, lowest of the day. She found her draw weight in her evening match against Strong, which had the crowd of 1,825 roaring, but fell short when the Newfoundland skip pulled off her winning takeout. "I was reading the ice better," said Ross. "Its a disappointing loss, but Heather made an amazing shot. You want to leave the other team a hard shot, and she made it." Strong had won the Hot Shots competition -- a pre-tournament skills exhibition -- on Saturday morning and it may have helped her against Quebec. "A lot of the (Hot Shots) are indicative of what you face in game, so I referred back to that a lot," she said. "I felt good when I threw it, but I was coming off missing the one right before it, so I was a little torn. "We were exhausted. It was late back home. There were the opening ceremonies, we were in the Hot Shots right through. It was a long day, so to pull off that second win was awesome." Strong had won her first match as she took a 6-2 lead after six ends, then had to hold off a charge from Nova Scotias Heather Smith (0-1) for an 8-5 victory. Van Osch needed an extra end to defeat Kim Dolans Prince Edward Island rink 7-4. The 22-year-old from Victoria admitted to feeling nervous in her debut match, but settled down as it went on against the veteran Dolan, who is in her 10th Scotties. Van Osch said she hasnt set any goals for the tournament. "Were a first-year team," she said. "It was a bonus just to make it to the Scotties this year. Were taking things as they come, game by game." There are three draws scheduled for Sunday, including Team Canada against both Ontario and Quebec. 23:04ET 01-02-14 Keith Tkachuk Coyotes Jersey . Now, he might be their hottest pitcher. Lobstein earned up his first major league victory Sunday night, allowing one run in 5 2-3 innings in the Tigers 6-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Darcy Kuemper Coyotes Jersey . The 23-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., defeated Germanys Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday in the fourth round of the Sony Open in just 89 minutes. http://www.officialcoyotesfanstore.com/authentic-jeremy-roenick-coyotes-jersey/ . -- The Denver Broncos locked up a shutdown cornerback, only his name wasnt Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants have agreed to terms keeping linebacker Jon Beason on the roster. A person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press that the veteran entering his eighth NFL season will return to the Giants. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. Beason was acquired from Carolina last October for a seventh-round pick after he lost his job. He played well for New York, which had been weak in the middle of its defence. The 29-year-old Beason was a first-round draft pick of the Panthers in 2007 and made the All-Pro team in 2008. New York also re-signed placekicker Josh Brown and safety Stevie Brown, and officially signed guard Geoff Schwartz, running back Rashad Jennings and centre J.D. Walton. New York also waived linebacker Marcus Dowtin on Wednesday. Josh Brown set a franchise record in 2013 by making 17 consecutive field goals in his first season with the Giants. He hit 23 of 26 field goal attempts, a percentage of 88.5 that is third highest in Giants history. Brown also made all 31 extra points for 100 points. At Philadelphia, Brown scored all of the Giants points in a 15-7 victory on field goals of 40, 44, 33, 46 and 27 yards. He was the first Giant to kick three field goals of 40 yards or longer in a game since 1991, when Matt Bahr did it. A 12-year veteran, Brown previously played for the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams. Stevie Brown missed last season with a knee injury after a strong 2012 campaign. He tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in a preseason game against the Jets and underwwent surgery two weeks later. Thomas Steen Jersey. In his first season with the Giants in 2012, Brown had 11 starts at strong safety and led the team and tied for second in the NFL with eight interceptions. Browns eight interceptions were the most by a Giant since Willie Williams had 10 in 1968 and his 307 interception return yards broke the former Giants single-season record of 251, set by Hall of Famer Emlen Tunnell in 1949 and matched by Dick Lynch in 1963. Brown twice intercepted two passes in a game. Stevie Brown played in 23 games with Oakland and Indianapolis before joining the Giants. The deals with Schwartz and Jennings address the Giants two biggest needs. Schwartz has played with Carolina, Minnesota and the Chiefs, and joins the Giants after they waived-injured centre David Baas, who missed most of last season with neck and knee injuries. With Chris Snee returning for an 11th season, Schwartz would fill the hole at left guard, and that would allow Kevin Boothe to play centre if he can be re-signed. Justin Pugh will be the right tackle and Will Beatty will return at left tackle, if he can get over the broken leg he sustained in the final game of the regular season. Walton could challenge Boothe for the centres job, and if he claimed it the Giants would have depth at guard, too. The running back situation was iffy because of the uncertainty involving former first-round pick David Wilson. He had surgery for a neck injury and his future is a question mark. Jennings rushed for 733 yards in 15 games with Oakland, and played well against the Giants, gaining 88 yards on 20 carries. ' ' '