News Canadian Open

YORKTON, Sask. — Toronto’s John Epping believed he would have to shoot lights-out in order to beat Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., for the Meridian Canadian Open men’s title.

Mission accomplished.

Epping kept it 100 percent shooting an unreal perfect score in the final to defeating the defending champion 7-4 Sunday.

“That’s exactly what you have to do against Brad,” said Epping, who earned his third Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title overall and his second as a skip. “They’re such a good team you have to make the big ones. If not, the game would have been a lot closer. Again, fortunate enough to make those and it all went our way.” 

Team Epping cashed in a cool $25,000 CAD finishing the Meridian Canadian Open with an unblemished 6-0 record.

“It feels unbelievable,” Epping said. “It’s just so tough to win a Grand Slam. All the top teams in the world and to beat three or four of them this week all in a row, it’s just so hard to do. That’s what I think makes it so rewarding at the end of the day.” 

While it’s Grand Slam No. 3 for the skip, it’s the first for third Mat Camm, second Patrick Janssen, and lead Tim March.

“It’s awesome, an unbelievable feeling,” Janssen said. “We’ve been working hard all season and it’s finally starting clicking for us so it’s great to finally get the first one.” 

Epping was playing in his first Grand Slam final since winning the 2012 Players’ Championship and had gone through several lineup tweaks and changes, even cleaning house in 2014, but has found something special with this crew. 

“It’s been a great fit so far. It’s taken a bit of time to come together but we knew it was going to,” Epping said. “We really believed in it and believed this team would win something big and do well. We just seem to peak and it’s come together. It’s three guys I’m just so happy to win a Slam with and it’s their first Slam. It’s just so special.”

Team Epping struggled earlier in the season — missing the playoffs at the Tour Challenge and the Masters — but are on a roll right now making the semifinals at the National and taking the title here. Janssen believes perseverance has been the key to their success. 

“I think we’ve just been working hard together constantly on the ice working on all the little things,” Janssen said. “That’s finally starting clicking and got us here.”

Gushue also entered the final undefeated and was looking to make it back-to-back Grand Slam titles after winning his fourth last month at the National in Oshawa, Ont. The 2006 Olympic gold medallist opened with the hammer but was held to a single in the first end. That’s when Epping went to work scoring a deuce in the second and never looked back. Gushue was held to another single in the third and Epping was cooking in the fourth end making a sizzling angle raise takeout for another two points and a 4-2 lead heading into the break.

After Gushue was only able to take a single in the fifth, Epping continued to make scorching shots scoring a three-pointer like Steph Curry in the sixth for a four-point cushion.

“It makes it really easy, just hop in his backpack and watch him go,” Janssen said. “It’s fun.”

Gushue, who shot 90 percent, was limited to another single in seven and shook hands. 

Epping earned an early Christmas gift as the Canadian Open victory clinched him a spot in the season-ending Champions Cup, running April 26 to May 1, 2016, in Sherwood Park, Alta. Teams must win a title during the year in order to qualify and Epping was thankful for the present. 

“We definitely needed to win a Slam to get in so I can’t wait,” Epping said. “It has just put us into everything: the Elite 10, the Players’ Championship, everything. It’s going to be an awesome Christmas.”

The team of Gushue, third Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker took home $14,000 CAD and continue to lead the Rogers Grand Slam Cup overall standings with 35 points, four points up on Tour Challenge winner Kevin Koe of Calgary.

The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season resumes with the Elite 10 men’s invitational, running March 17-20, 2016, in Victoria, B.C. Both men’s and women’s fields return to Toronto for the Players’ Championship, April 12-17, 2016.