View source for Molli Ward

{{short description|Canadian curler}}
{{Infobox curler
| name = Molli Ward
| image =
| image_size =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|12|10}}
| birth_place = [[Sackville, New Brunswick|Sackville]], [[New Brunswick]]
| Curling club = [[Sackville Curling Club|Sackville CC]], <br> [[Sackville, New Brunswick|Sackville, NB]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/8765/teams/40166/team_athletes/40166-second-48217|title=Molli Ward Profile|website=Curling Canada|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref>
| Skip = [[Melissa Adams]]
| Third = [[Jaclyn Crandall]]
| Second = '''Molli Ward'''
| Lead = [[Kendra Lister]]
| Alternate = [[Kayla Russell]]
| Member Association = {{NB}}
| Hearts appearances = 1 ({{STOH|2024}})
| Top CCA ranking = 47th ([[2023–24 curling season|2023–24]])
| medaltemplates =
}}
'''Molli Ward''' (born December 10, 1999) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[Curling|curler]] from [[Sackville, New Brunswick|Sackville]], [[New Brunswick]].<ref name="Media Guide">{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/files/2024/02/2024-Scotties-Tournament-of-Hearts-media-guide-VER4.pdf|title=2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Media Guide|website=Curling Canada|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> She currently plays [[Second (curling)|second]] on Team [[Melissa Adams]].
==Career==
Throughout her junior career, Ward played second on the Shaelyn Park and Samantha Crook rinks but never won the New Brunswick junior championship. In 2017, Team Park competed in the [[2017 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts]] where they finished in sixth place with a 1–5 record.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?eventid=4655&view=Main|title=2017 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> The following year, now with Team Crook, they finished in fifth at the [[2018 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts]], this time going 2–3. The team also finished runner-up at the 2018 junior provincial championship, falling to the [[Justine Comeau]] rink.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=5062&teamid=116403&profileid=10375|title=2018 Papa Johns New Brunswick Junior Womens|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref>
In her last year of junior eligibility, Samantha Crook aged out and Julia Hunter took over skipping duties for the team. They finished with a 3–3 record at the provincial championship, losing out to Erica Cluff. Team Crook again competed in the [[2019 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts]] where they missed the playoffs, going 2–3.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=5599&teamid=131750&profileid=11536|title=2019 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> In February, the [[Mount Allison Mounties]] finished second at the 2019 [[Atlantic University Sport Curling Championships]], qualifying the team for the 2019 [[U Sports curling championships|U Sports/Curling Canada University Championships]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://curlingnl.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/4452|title=2019 AUS Women's Championship|website=Newfoundland and Labrador Curling Association|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> There, they finished sixth with a 2–5 record, earning wins against the [[UNB Reds]] and the [[Regina Cougars]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/4493|title=2019 U Sports/Curling Canada University Curling Championships|website=Curling Canada|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref>
After taking a few years off, Ward joined the [[Jaclyn Crandall]] rink at second with third [[Kendra Lister]] and lead [[Kayla Russell]] for the [[2022–23 curling season|2022–23 season]]. The team reached the quarterfinals of the [[Jim Sullivan Curling Classic]] where they lost to the [[Jessica Daigle]] rink. Entering the [[2023 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts]] as the second seeds, the team finished 3–3 through the round robin, enough to earn them a spot in the tiebreaker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://curlingnb.com/scores-results/#!/competitions/8064/standings|title=2023 New Brunswick Scotties & Prelims|website=New Brunswick Curling Association|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> There, they were defeated by Ward's former teammate Shaelyn Park.<ref>{{youTube|R8xXU-VUwks|'''Video''' (full game): 2023 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts – Tiebreaker – Shaelyn Park vs Jaclyn Crandall}}</ref>
[[Melissa Adams]] joined the team for the [[2023–24 curling season|2023–24 season]] as their new skip, shifting Crandall to third, Lister to lead and Russell to alternate. On tour, the team went undefeated to pick up victories at the [[New Scotland Brewing Co. Cashspiel]] and the Jim Sullivan Curling Classic, defeating the [[Heather Smith (curler)|Heather Smith]] rink in both finals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=8127&teamid=174435|title=2023 New Scotland Brewing Co. Women's Cashspiel|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=8052&teamid=176591|title=2023 Jim Sullivan Curling Classic|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> At the [[2024 New Brunswick Scotties Tournament of Hearts]], Team Adams won the A qualifier event before losing both the B and C events to Mélodie Forsythe and [[Sylvie Quillian]] respectively. In the playoffs, they beat Team Forsythe 8–4 in the semifinal before defeating Team Quillian 7–4 in the provincial final.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tj.news/new-brunswick/capital-winter-clubs-team-adams-wins-n-b-scotties|title=Capital Winter Club's Team Adams wins N.B. Scotties|publisher=Telegraph Journal|author=Matthew Daigle|date=January 22, 2024|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref> This earned the team the right to represent New Brunswick at the [[2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts]], Ward's first appearance at the national women's championship. There, they finished eighth in Pool B with a 2–6 record, defeating the Northwest Territories' [[Kerry Galusha]] and Ontario's [[Danielle Inglis]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2024/02/23/its-playoff-time/|title=It's Playoff Time|publisher=Curling Canada|date=February 23, 2024|access-date=February 24, 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life==
Ward is employed as a financial controller at JN Lafford Realty Inc. She previously attended [[Mount Allison University]].<ref name="Media Guide"/>
==Teams==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col"| Season
! scope="col"| Skip
! scope="col"| Third
! scope="col"| Second
! scope="col"| Lead
! scope="col"| Alternate
|-
! scope="row"| 2015–16<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/player.php?playerid=32549&view=Teams#1|title=Molli Ward Past Teams|website=CurlingZone|access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref>
| [[Shaelyn Park]] || [[Julia Goodin]] || Molli Ward || [[Lauren Whiteway]] ||
|-
! scope="row"| 2016–17
| Shaelyn Park || Julia Goodin || Molli Ward || Lauren Whiteway ||
|-
! scope="row"| 2017–18
| [[Samantha Crook]] || [[Julia Hunter]] || Molli Ward || [[Kayla Russell]] || [[Shelby Wilson (curler)|Shelby Wilson]]
|-
! scope="row"| 2018–19
| Samantha Crook || Julia Hunter || Molli Ward || Kayla Russell ||
|-
! scope="row"| 2022–23
| [[Jaclyn Crandall]] || [[Kendra Lister]] || Molli Ward || Kayla Russell || [[Melissa Adams]]
|-
! scope="row"| 2023–24
| Melissa Adams || Jaclyn Crandall || Molli Ward || Kendra Lister || Kayla Russell
|-
! scope="row"| 2024–25
| Melissa Adams || Jaclyn Crandall || Molli Ward || Kendra Lister || Kayla Russell
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Sports links}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Molli}}
[[Category:1999 births]]
[[Category:Canadian women curlers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mount Allison University alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian sportswomen]]
[[Category:People from Sackville, New Brunswick]]
[[Category:Curlers from New Brunswick]]