News National

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Toronto’s John Epping is just ecstatic to still be playing at the Boost National.

Epping had a chance to qualify for the playoffs earlier Friday in his final round-robin game against Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz by holding the hammer coming home tied in eight. It turned into a nightmare as Epping rolled out to blank the end and then had his last rock of the extra end pick to give up a steal.

Team Epping had no time to dwell on the frustrating loss as they were still in it to win it having to immediately play Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen for the last chance to advance through the tiebreaker. 

The back-and-forth match went sideways for Epping in the seventh with McEwen scoring a deuce to take a two-point lead. Once again it came down to Epping throwing the final rock of the game, but McEwen handed him an open hit for three and the win. Epping made it to squeak out 7-6, but just barely as McEwen’s counter jammed at the back and missed out by maybe an inch.

“What a wild day of emotions,” Epping said with a sigh of relief. “It was pretty crazy. We lost the game earlier today that we totally controlled the whole way. Then came out against McEwen and played a pretty decent game after giving up a two in seven after it looked like we were dead. They were sitting five at one point but we wiggled our way out and only gave up two. Actually, we played a really good eighth end and got lucky that Mike missed his last one to give us a chance for the win.” 

“It was a pretty straight spot in the ice so I wanted to kind of take tight ice and keep it firm,” Epping added. “I probably threw it a little harder than I should have and it just hung there. Luckily it just spilled off the back one enough to get three.”

Epping will now face Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers, who has carried the momentum from Sunday’s Canada Cup win to slide straight through the Boost National round-robin play at 4-0.

Meanwhile, hometown hero Brad Jacobs drew for the winner in the eighth to edge De Cruz 3-2 in the other men’s tiebreaker. Jacobs plays John Morris of Vernon, B.C. (Watch on CBC at Noon ET).

One more men’s tiebreaker is scheduled for Saturday morning between Charley Thomas and Brendan Bottcher in an all-Edmonton team match. The winner takes on Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., who went clean through to the quarters at 4-0. Gushue is playing in his first event following a hip/groin issue that kept him out of the lineup for the first eight tournaments of the season.

Calgary’s Kevin Koe is lined up against WFG Masters and Tour Challenge winner Niklas Edin in the quarterfinals.