News National

OSHAWA, Ont. — Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., advanced to the National semifinals thanks to a beauty angle raise to count two in the eighth end to clip Calgary’s Kevin Koe 5-4 Saturday at General Motors Centre.

Howard will play Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers, who scored a deuce in the eighth end to edge reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 7-5. 

Howard, who has won 14 Grand Slam titles as a skip, opened with the hammer and nailed an angle raise for two points in the first end. Koe made an open hit for a pair of his own points in the third to tie it. After Howard was forced to a single in four, Koe scored a deuce in six to go up 4-3.

Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., eliminated Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud 9-4 and will play Toronto’s John Epping, who ousted Calgary’s Pat Simmons 6-3. 

The National is the third event — and second major — of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday evening at the General Motors Centre.

Both men’s and women’s semifinals start a 7:30 p.m. ET. Watch on Sportsnet ONE.