News Champions Cup

SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. — Reigning world champion Kevin Koe of Calgary cruised to a 9-2 victory over Peter de Cruz of Switzerland during Draw 5 action Wednesday night at the Humpty’s Champions Cup.

Koe climbed to a 2-0 record in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season finale and De Cruz is level at 1-1 during pool play.

Teams had to win a high-profile tour event over the course of the season in order to qualify for the Humpty’s Champions Cup. Team Koe third Marc Kennedy, from St. Albert, Alta., has had his mind on this event since his club became the first to earn a berth by capturing the Tour Challenge Tier 1 in September.

“I don’t get to play in my own backyard very often so I’ve been looking forward to this event all year,” he said. “The crowds are great, the energy is good. We’re excited to have earned our spot here and we’re starting to play pretty good so I’m looking forward to a good weekend.”

Koe got on the scoreboard first by stealing two points in the second and maintained control from there adding three in the fourth and a four-ender in the sixth to bring out early handshakes. De Cruz was held to singles in the third and fifth ends. 

“We got a nice steal of two in the second end that kind of set the tone of the game,” Kennedy said. “Then Kevin made a couple good shots. We got a few breaks, got some misses, just riding some good momentum lately.” 

Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., also moved up to a 2-0 record with a 5-2 win over American John Shuster (0-2). Gushue, who ran the table at the past two Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events, extended his undefeated streak in the series to 16 games.

Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock improved to a 1-1 record rolling to a 9-1 victory in just five ends over Edmonton’s Mick Lizmore (1-2). Laycock scored three in the first and stole four in the third for an early seven-point advantage. Lizmore was limited to a single in four and shook hands after Laycock added a deuce in five. 

In the women’s division, it was a good day at the office for Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa and Ayumi Ogasawara. The world silver medallist Fujisawa scored a 4-2 win over Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga, Ont., in the afternoon and prevailed 7-6 in an extra end over Ottawa’s Rachel Homan during the evening draw.

Fujisawa led 5-0 against Homan at the break scoring a single in the second, stealing a point in the third and three in the fourth. Homan, who won three consecutive Pinty’s GSOC majors this season, bounced back with a deuce in five. The teams alternated singles in six and seven and Homan forced the extra end by scoring an equalizing three-ender in the eighth. Fujisawa made a hit and roll to split the rings with her first skip stone in the extra and didn’t need to throw her last as Homan was unable to get the right freeze on her final shot.

Meanwhile, Ogasawara defeated Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque 6-4 in the evening after edging Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 4-3 during the noon draw. 

NOTES: The Humpty’s Champions Cup is the seventh and final event of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday at the Sherwood Park Arena Sports Centre. … TV coverage begins Thursday on Sportsnet. … The event is the second of two new tournaments added to the schedule this year along with the Tour Challenge, which kicked off the season in September.