Carruthers slides past McEwen at Players’ Championship
TORONTO — Reid Carruthers powered past cross-city rival Mike McEwen 7-2 in the all-Winnipeg battle during Draw 3 of the WestJet Players’ Championship on Wednesday.
Carruthers broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth end hammering at a cluster of rocks to spring McEwen’s counter loose and score four. The gloves came off early after Carruthers tacked on a steal in the sixth.
“It was a really good battle the first four ends,” Team Carruthers third Braeden Moskowy said. “We played a great end there, I don’t think we really missed anything, and we had them on the run with the angles and then Reider does what he does. He made a big shot and that was pretty much the game right there.”
Carruthers opened with hammer and drew to the four-foot circle while looking at two counters for a single. McEwen attempted a runback double to eliminate a pair of counters in the second, but jammed it and Carruthers’ rock stuck around for shot. McEwen drew for a single in three and stole one in four to bring things level before Carruthers cruised away.
It was the first game of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling major for both teams. McEwen topped Carruthers for the Manitoba provincial title this season and earned the bronze medal at the Tim Hortons Brier.
Elsewhere, Calgary’s Kevin Koe toppled Elite 10 winner John Morris of Vernon, B.C., 7-3 in six ends. Catlin Schneider is subbing for Team Morris’s Rick Sawatsky, who is sidelined for the remainder of the season. Scott Pfeifer is in again for Team Koe lead Ben Hebert, who is also out due to injury.
Reigning Olympic champ Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., held on for a 7-6 win over Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz. Jacobs starts at 1-0 while de Cruz, the world bronze medallist, dropped to 0-2.
Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock moved up to a 2-0 record scoring three in the eighth to defeat Toronto’s John Epping 6-4. Epping fell to a 0-2 record. Laycock looks to hold off Morris for an Olympic Trials spot based on points.
Sweden’s Niklas Edin (1-0) scored two sets of three-enders during an 8-2 victory over Scotland’s Kyle Smith. Edin, who leads the Rogers Grand Slam Cup points race, topped Smith in the Tour Challenge final in November to win his second Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title of the season.
Smith (1-1) is even in the tournament after defeating Epping during Draw 1 Tuesday night.
Round-robin action at the WestJet Players’ Championship continues Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage beginning Thursday at Noon ET on Sportsnet.
NOTES: The WestJet Players’ Championship is the fourth major and sixth event of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. … The Rogers Grand Slam Cup will be awarded to the overall season champions following the conclusion of the WestJet Players’ Championship. … Winners of the WestJet Players’ Championship will earn berths to the Humpty’s Champions Cup running April 25-30 in Calgary.
