REGINA -- Canada's Kelly Scott, the two-time defending Canadian women's curling champion, got off to a shaky start here on the opening draw of the 2008 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Scott was beaten 9-5 by Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh in a game that saw Middaugh steal three ends and a total of five points from a Canada team that seemed to lack the ruthless efficiency that helped win them their two national titles.

“We kind of had to go to school out there today to see what the ice was giving us,” Scott said afterward.

“(There were) too many freebies with the way I was finishing off my shots...I don’t like to give those away.”

With Ontario lying three in the fourth end, Scott needed just to stick an open hit to take her one and get out of the end. But Scott rolled out on the hit, handing Middaugh a steal of two and a 5-2 lead.

Scott stormed back with a three of her own the next end to tie the game heading into the fifth end break, but it was all Middaugh after that, taking a deuce in the seventh end and then stealing two more in the ninth end to seal the deal.

In other games, Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones defeated PEI’s Suzanne Gaudet 8-2; Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche defeated Saskatchewan’s Michelle Englot 9-6; and Nova Scotia’s Mary Anne Arsenault defeated New Brunswick’s Sylvie Robichaud 8-4.

Earlier Saturday, Manitoba second Jill Officer won the Ford Hot Shots skills competition. Officer defeated PEI's Robyn MacPhee 22-15 in the final to capture the first place prize of a two-year lease on a Ford Fusion SEL V6. The lease is valued at $15,240.

MacPhee settled for $2,000 in second place money, while Scott earned $1,000 for finishing third.

It's the 14th year in a row Ford has staged the Hot Shots, which involves curlers delivering a series of six skill-testing shots -- hit and stay, draw the button, draw the port, the raise, hit and roll and double takeout.

Curlers are graded on a scale of 0 to 5 based on how well they execute each shot. The maximum scores is 30.

The Scotties resumes Saturday evening when Manitoba takes on New Brunswick, Northwest Territories/Yukon plays Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta takes on BC and PEI plays Nova Scotia.

-30-