News National

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., is off to the Syncrude National quarterfinals following a 6-5 victory over South Korea’s Soo-Hyuk Kim in final round-robin draw Saturday morning.

Gushue, who finished runner-up at last Grand Slam in November, finished round-robin play with a 4-1 record to qualify. Kim missed the cut at 2-3.

Kim led 4-1 heading into halftime thanks to a single in the third followed by a steal of two in the fourth. The 2010 National champion Gushue scored a huge four-ender in the fifth to get back into the game and briefly pull ahead until Kim settled for a single in the sixth to knot it up. Gushue blanked the seventh to retain the hammer coming home and tacked on the winning single in eight.

Gushue will take on Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson (4-1) in the quarterfinals and will be seeking revenge following an 8-1 drubbing during their round-robin encounter Friday.

The only other match on the docket saw Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock (3-2) also scored a playoff spot with a single in the eighth end to win 6-5 over Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher (1-4). Laycock, Calgary’s Kevin Koe and Niklas Edin of Sweden all finished pool play with 3-2 records. Laycock advanced straight through based on draw-to-the-button totals while Koe and Edin will duke it out in a tiebreaker for the final playoff spot.

Switzerland’s Sven Michel (5-0) awaits the Koe-Edin winner as the No. 1 seed while Laycock will take on Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen (5-0). The other quarterfinal matchup features another epic clash between Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., and Edmonton’s Kevin Martin, who both finished pool play with 4-1 records.

The Syncrude National is the third leg of the Grand Slam of Curling.