News National

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Niklas Edin of Sweden has pulled even at the Boost National moving up to a 1-1 round-robin record.

Team Edin, winners of the past two Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling men’s titles, scored a deuce in the eighth end to fend off Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 6-4 during Draw 7 action at the Essar Centre.

Edin earned his first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling championship at the Masters in late October in Okotoks, Alta., and made it back-to-back wins capturing the Tour Challenge two weeks later in Cranbrook, B.C.

After blanking the opening frame, Edin was able to draw for a deuce in the second following a missed raise attempt from McEwen. Edin drew perfectly buried in the third end to avoid a possible double and a score of five as McEwen was instead forced to draw to the button for a single. Following an Edin single in the fourth, McEwen tied it up 3-3 in the fifth with a great soft angle raise that stopped just in time to count for a deuce. 

Edin was held to another lone point in six and McEwen wanted to make a double and roll his shooter up and out to blank the seventh and retain the hammer coming home, however, his rock stayed put in the house for one. McEwen (1-2) missed with his last in the eighth and shook hands as Edin already held shot rock.

In women’s play, reigning Canadian champion Chelsea Carey of Calgary topped Tracy Fleury of Sudbury, Ont., 8-5. Carey improved to a 1-1 record while Fleury fell to 0-2. 

World champion Binia Feltscher of Switzerland improved to a 2-1 record clipping EunJung Kim of South Korea 6-5. Kim has been eliminated from playoff contention with a 0-3 record and one round-robin game remaining.

Silvana Tirinzoni (2-1) of Switzerland shut down Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque 8-2. Rocque dropped to 0-2. 

Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson scored a deuce in the extra end to edge Russia’s Anna Sidorova 6-4. Einarson is level at 1-1 while Sidorova holds a 2-1 record.

NOTES: The Boost National is the third event and second major of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … Round-robin action continues Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET with television coverage on Sportsnet. … The Boost National runs through to Sunday afternoon at the Essar Centre.