News Tour Challenge

PARADISE, N.L. — Brad Gushue of St. John’s sent the capacity crowd into a frenzy as he punched his ticket to the final in his home-province Tour Challenge event Saturday night at the Paradise Double Ice Complex.

Gushue defeated Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 5-3 in the semifinals of the season-opening Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tournament. 

The three-time Grand Slam champion Gushue now plays Calgary’s Kevin Koe, who rolled through defeating American John Shuster 9-2 in six ends. 

“No matter what happens tomorrow this is going to be one of the most memorable weeks of my curling career,” an ecstatic Gushue said after the match. “To get a standing ovation before every game and have a full house here cheering us on, supporting us the way they are, it’s awesome.” 

“You just don’t get that opportunity very much,” he added. “The guys told me it’s been seven years but the last one I remember is 10 years ago so it’s been a long time and it’s fun. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and it’s going to be a great game and a great atmosphere.” 

After alternating deuces in the first couple of ends, the game ground to a defensive halt with Gushue blanking three and settling for a single in four and McEwen matching with a blank in five and forced to one in six. Gushue grabbed the lead again with a deuce in the seventh and ran McEwen out of rocks in the eighth when he nailed an open hit with his last shot that brought the entire building to its feet. 

Meanwhile, Koe jumped out with a three-ender in the third, stole one in the fourth and closed out the game with a score of four in the sixth. Shuster, who was limited to singles in two and five, shook hands early.

“They’re a good team, four very-good shot-makers. We’re going to have to play well to beat them,” Gushue said. “If we can just keep playing the way we’re playing then we’ll have a good shot. We’re going to need a couple misses from them and they’re probably hoping for the same thing from us but I’m looking forward to it.” 

Undefeated Rachel Homan of Ottawa will face Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland in the Tier 1 women’s final (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. NT; Sportsnet). Homan, who is now 6-0 in the tournament, defeated EunJung Kim of South Korea 6-4 in the semifinals. The two-time Masters champion Homan scored a deuce in the third and stole a point in the fourth to break out to a 4-1 lead. Homan added another two points in six while forcing Kim to singles in five and seven.

Tirinzoni fended off a late charge from Tracy Fleury, of Sudbury, Ont., to win 9-7 and advance to her first career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling final. The reigning Northern Ontario Scotties champion Fleury scored three points in the seventh to close to within one but Tirinzoni made the draw with her last shot coming home to advance. 

TIER 2: Jim Cotter of Vernon, B.C., and Mark Kean of Stoney Creek, Ont., meet for a spot in the Masters when they clash in the Tour Challenge Tier 2 men’s final. Cotter cruised by Scotland’s Kyle Smith 9-2 and Kean held off Scotland’s Thom Brewster 6-4.

Kerri Einarson of East St. Paul, Man., and Regina’s Team Chantelle Eberle, with spare skip Amber Holland, meet in the Tier 2 women’s final. Einarson advanced with a 7-6 victory over Winnipeg’s Jill Thurston and Holland trumped American Jamie Sinclair 7-4.

The Tier 2 finals will be played during their respective Tier 1 finals on the main rink.

NOTES: The Tour Challenge is the first of two new tournaments on the expanded seven-event 2015-16 Pinty’s GSOC season and features 30 men’s and 30 women’s teams split into two tiers. … Winners of the Tier 1 divisions also receive berths to the second new Pinty’s GSOC event, the season-ending Champions Cup. … Tier 2 champions earn byes to the next Grand Slam, the Masters, running Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 in Truro, N.S.