Jennifer Jones makes lineup change at second for next season

Jennifer Jones in action at the Meridian Canadian Open on Jan. 18, 2018, in Camrose, Alta. (Anil Mungal)

Recently crowned Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Jennifer Jones has shuffled her team’s lineup for next season.

Jones announced Friday that second Jill Officer will be taking a step back from competitive curling but will stay on as an alternate player.

Jocelyn Peterman is taking over for Officer at second on the Winnipeg club that also features third Kaitlyn Lawes and lead Dawn McEwen.

“I’ve known for a while I would not play another quadrennial, so this was a decision I’ve been considering for quite some time, and I finalized my decision before the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, that regardless of the outcome I was stepping back,” Officer said in a team media release. “I’ve had an absolutely amazing ride with this team, and we’ve shared so many amazing experiences, on and off the ice, so it wasn’t an easy decision, but at this point in time, it’s the right decision.”

The 42-year-old Officer has played 23 seasons with Jones winning their record-tying sixth Canadian women’s championship together last month. Officer also captured the 2014 Olympic gold medal and nine Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles alongside Jones.

Officer will remain at second for now as they prepare to represent Canada next month at the world championship in North Bay, Ont.

“Jill has been such a wonderful teammate for so many years, and her contributions to our team go well beyond what she does on the ice,” Jones said in the statement. “She’s a special friend, a special teammate, so it was difficult to fill her position. But I know Jocelyn Peterman has an amazing skill-set and experience, and I expect that she will be able to fit in well.”

Peterman skipped Alberta to the Canadian junior championship in 2012. The 24-year-old from Calgary won the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and 2018 Meridian Canadian Open playing second for Chelsea Carey.

“I’m both thrilled and humbled by this opportunity,” Peterman added in the statement. “I had so many great years curling with Chelsea, and learned so much with that team. I’m looking forward to learning more with Team Jones, but I know I have big shoes to fill. I have admired Jill so much as a player, and I look forward to having her with us in a supporting role and being able to draw on her knowledge and experience.”

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.