News Elite 10

VICTORIA — Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., ended Ottawa’s Rachel Homan’s historic run in the Elite 10 with a 2-and-1 match play victory Friday.

Team Homan entered the record books as the first women’s club to compete in an men’s invitational and win a game in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling since Sportsnet acquired the series in 2012.

Homan, who defeated Calgary’s Charley Thomas 2-up earlier Friday, needed to steal the seventh end for a chance to stay in the mix but was unable to grab shot rock with her last and shook hands ending with a 1-0-0-3 record and three points. 

Gushue opened with the hammer but gave up a steal in the first when his runback attempt missed Homan’s counter. The four-time Grand Slam champion was forced to draw to the tee line for a push in the second to lose the hammer, but he stole the third end to make it all square when Homan’s raised stone just grazed Gushue’s shot rock. 

Another steal in four gave Gushue a 1-up lead when Homan crashed on a guard with her last, and he swiped one more in the fifth end on a measurement. Homan drew to the lid for a push in the sixth end.

Gushue (2-1-0-0, seven points) is through to the playoffs with one round-robin game remaining against Toronto’s John Epping (2-0-0-1, six points). 

It was a case of no hammer, no problem for recently crowned Brier champion Kevin Koe of Calgary. Koe (3-0-0-1, six points) rode the steal train swiping five consecutive ends to win 5-and-3 over Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher (0-0-1-2, one point). 

Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen (2-0-0-1, six points) earned a 1-up victory over Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock (2-1-0-1, five points). Both teams have advanced to the playoffs. 

On top of the match play format, the Elite 10 also added a few new rules this season. Players cannot make tick shots to guards on the centre line during the first five rocks, sweepers cannot use stopwatches, and teams are restricted to two sweeper brushes and one skip brush.

NOTES: The Elite 10 runs through to Sunday at the Q Centre at West Shore Parks & Recreation. … Six teams qualify for the playoffs with the top two receiving byes to the semifinals. There will be no tiebreaker draw. … Teams receive three points for a regulation win, two for an extra end win and one for an extra end loss.