News Canadian Open

YORKTON, Sask. — Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers stole two points in the eighth end to swipe a playoff spot at the Meridian Canadian Open from Niklas Edin of Sweden with a 6-4 victory Friday in the B event qualifiers.

Carruthers advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 record and bounced back late after giving up two points and a 4-2 lead when his last rock of the sixth end picked. He recovered with a deuce in seven but gave up the hammer coming home.

“It’s a good thing I’m wearing my hat because I think I lost all my hair in that game,” Carruthers said. “It looked like I probably made my shot in the sixth end to get the one and then an unfortunate break. We had a pick, they had one earlier in the game, which is pretty rare, the ice has been great so it’s just one of those flukey things. In the seventh end we got a cheap deuce and then made him throw a tough one.” 

Edin had the hammer in the first but hit and rolled too far to give up a steal of one. The reigning world champion had a chance to count three in the second but his final rock appeared to pick and led to another steal. Edin got two in the third. After two blanks and Edin’s steal of two, Carruthers made an open hit to knot it up 4-4 heading into the final frame.

“To be honest I had that mental mindset that I maybe wasn’t going to be qualifying when he was going to throw his last one,” Carruthers said. “I’m a little bit in shock but at least we don’t play until 2:30 tomorrow so we’re going to get to go have a nice dinner and relax and then get mentally prepared for the grind that is the playoffs.” 

Edin dropped to a 2-2 record and into the C event where his team must win its final triple knockout game to qualify.

Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock (2-2) drew to the button in the extra end to win 6-5 and knock out Brier champion Pat Simmons of Calgary. Simmons finished with a 1-3 record.

Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque scored a 7-2 win to eliminate Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton, Margaretha Sigfridsson of Sweden got one in the extra end to win 7-6 over Switzerland’s Binia Feltscher, and Russia’s Anna Sidorova counted three in the first and rolled to a 7-3 victory over Sherry Middaugh, of Coldwater, Ont., in the women’s C event semifinals. 

NOTES: The Meridian Canadian Open is the fourth stop — and third major — of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday. … The event features a triple knockout where teams must win three games before they lose three in order to qualify for the playoffs.