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Eight Ends: Gushue maintains momentum on tour

There was no surprise in Halifax as Brad Gushue continues to set the pace this season capturing his sixth title of the season already.

Gushue was fresh off of winning the National, his fourth career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling championship, the week prior. Meanwhile, National runner-up Reid Carruthers also found his way to the top with a title victory in Morris, Man.

It was a relatively light weekend on tour but plenty of curling to go around with teams also competing in a mixed doubles event and the European Curling Championships getting underway.

Let’s rundown all the action in our eight ends:

1st End: Gushue carries over National success

It seems like every week in this space we’re writing about Team Gushue winning a championship, just the dates and locations change.

But that’s what happens when you cruise to your sixth title of the season as Gushue and his St. John’s, N.L., crew did this past weekend in the Dave Jones Stanhope Simpson Mayflower Cashspiel.

Team Gushue finished with an overall 6-0 record topped with a 7-3 win over Switzerland’s Sven Michel in Sunday’s final.

They look to make it eight before the calendar flips with two big tournaments next on the horizon: the Canada Cup (Dec. 2-6 in Camrose, Alta.) and the Canadian Open (Dec. 8-13 in Yorkton, Sask.), the latter of which Team Gushue are the defending champions.

2nd End: Carruthers claims DEKALB Superspiel

Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers also maintained his momentum from the National defeating Calgary’s Charley Thomas 6-2 in the DEKALB Superspiel final to earn his first title of the season Monday in Morris, Man.

Carruthers advanced to the playoffs via the B-side of the triple knockout stage after a setback against Richard Muntain in their second game and finished with an overall 8-1 record.

The victors snapped this selfie with the trophy:

3rd End: Jones takes women’s DEKALB Superspiel

Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones rolled through the women’s side of the DEKALB Superspiel posting an undefeated 7-0 to claim the title.

Jones won four straight to qualify through the A-side of the triple knockout stage and then rolled out three more wins in the playoffs capped with an 8-4 victory over Erika Brown in the final.

It was a bit of a redemption at the event for Jones as she lost to Tracy Fleury in an extra end during last year’s final.

4th End: Brothers captures women’s Mayflower Cashspiel title

Rounding out the tour this week Halifax’s Jill Brothers won her hometown event taking the women’s title at the Dave Jones Northbridge Mayflower Cashspiel.

Brothers dropped her first game of the event to Suzanne Birt, but rolled off five consecutive wins to claim the title including a 9-5 victory over Theresa Breen in the final.

5th End: Update from the European Curling Championships

The European Curling Championships are on right now in Esbjerg, Denmark, with the round robin just about wrapping up.

So far Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud is in the lead posting a 6-0 record to sit at the top of the standings while Sweden’s Niklas Edin is in second at 4-2. There will still be plenty of movement around the standings with Finland, Germany, Russia and Switzerland tied with 3-3 records while Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands and Scotland are at 2-4.

In the women’s division, Denmark’s Lene Nielsen tops the table in her home country tied with Russia’s Anna Sidorova at 6-1 records. The two sides collide in the final round robin game.

Scotland’s Eve Muirhead, who fell to Nielsen in her opening match, is in third at 5-2. Finland’s Oona Kauste, Sweden’s Cissi Ostlund and reigning world champion Alina Paetz of Switzerland are knotted up in fourth place with 4-2 records.

A new bonus for this year’s winners is they will earn berths to the season-ending Pinty’s GSOC event, the Champions Cup.

6th End: Doubling the fun with mixed doubles

The Wall Grain Mixed Doubles Classic was held right after the National in Oshawa, Ont., and several of our curlers stuck around in town for a couple extra days.

Dawn and Mike McEwen were victorious in the final over the team of Lisa Weagle and John Epping.

Mixed doubles is now an Olympic event and could be the path for some for their shot at a gold medal. Read our in-depth feature on mixed doubles here.

Also if you need a refresher on the rules of mixed doubles, check out our 411 article here.

7th End: Colleen Jones on new memoir, the evolution of women’s curling & Team Homan’s hot streak

Two-time world and six-time Canadian champion Colleen Jones spoke with thegrandslamofcurling.com last week discussing her new book, Throwing Rocks at Houses, published by Viking Canada with co-author Perry Lefko.

Jones explained how her new appreciation for life following her battle with bacterial meningitis and brain surgery and returning to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2013 sparked the decision to write her memoir.

She also shared her thoughts how she’s proud to have seen the rise of women’s curling during her career and how she believes Team Rachel Homan have taken their game beyond the next level this season as they have been on an incredible roll.

8th End: Teams, draw schedules announced for Meridian Canadian Open

The lineup has been unveiled for the 2015 Canadian Open, returning to the Gallagher Centre, Dec. 8-13 in Yorkton, Sask. Brad Gushue looks to defend the title on the men’s side while Steve Laycock looks to take the next step and win his first career Pinty’s GSOC title in his home province (click here for the full list of men’s teams).

Scotland’s Eve Muirhead won the inaugural women’s Canadian Open championship a year ago defeating Rachel Homan in the final but the Ottawa-based rink have been playing lights out all season as they aim for a third consecutive Pinty’s GSOC title (click here for the full list of women’s teams).

Find out who they will face in the triple knockout tournament — and start filling out your brackets — by clicking here.

Tickets are available for the Meridian Canadian Open, click here for more details.

Extra End: Stephen Colbert weighs in on brush debate

Curling got a little extra press on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as the talk-show host offered his take on the brush debate.

Hilarity ensued, of course, and you can watch the clip here.