News National

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., kicked off the Syncrude National with a 6-3 victory over Toronto’s Travis Fanset during Wednesday’s opening draw.

Already up by one, Howard cushioned his lead with a three-ender in the fifth end. Fanset closed the gap scoring a deuce in the sixth but Howard added a single in the seventh.

Sven Michel of Switzerland picked up a 5-4 win over Calgary’s Kevin Koe, whose team had to play short-handed as third Pat Simmons’ flight was cancelled and he couldn’t make it on time. After blanking the first couple of ends, the recently crowned Brier champion Koe finally converted for a deuce in the third. Michel took control in the middle stanzas scoring three in the fourth and adding back-to-back single steals in the fifth and sixth. Koe settled for a single in the seventh and Michel conceded a point in the eighth to hold on.

Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock edged Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton 6-5 in an extra end. The defending champion Stoughton trailed 5-2 but tied it with a deuce in the seventh and a steal of one in the eighth to force the extra frame.

Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., scored a single in the extra end to beat Sweden’s Niklas Edin 6-5 and Edmonton’s Kevin Martin defeated Yusuke Morozumi from Japan 6-5 to close out Draw 1.

The Syncrude National is the third leg of the four-stop Grand Slam of Curling series. Howard won the Masters in early November in Abbotsford, B.C., while Koe took home the Canadian Open two weeks later in Medicine Hat, Alta.