News Canadian Open

YORKTON, Sask. — Guess who just got back today?

Yorkton-born Steve Laycock is back in town with his Saskatoon-based crew and kicked off their home-province Meridian Canadian Open with a 6-2 victory over Jim Cotter of Vernon, B.C., Tuesday night at the Gallagher Centre. 

Laycock, who finished runner-up at the Canadian Open a year ago, had the crowd on his side right from the opening ceremonies as his team hit the ice to Thin Lizzy’s classic “The Boys Are Back in Town.” 

“Looking in the crowd and you see all of the same faces we did last year so that’s fantastic,” Laycock said. “Hopefully we can put on a good show for them this week.” 

Team Laycock didn’t disappoint, opening the match with the hammer and getting on the board first with a deuce in the third end and never trailed from there. Cotter had a chance to tie it in the fourth but had to settle for a single as his draw was light and sweepers Rick Sawatsky and Tyrel Griffith were unable to drag it into the house. Laycock added another point in the fifth and held Cotter to one in six. The rinks shook hands after Laycock closed out the game scoring three in the seventh. 

Laycock stays in the A-side of the triple knockout while Cotter fell to the B-bracket. 

“That was important for us,” Laycock said. “We’ve been struggling a little bit in our last couple of events and both events we didn’t get a win early so to get that on our first game was great and get some momentum hopefully for the next one.” 

Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers nailed his final shot for two and rallied back with a 5-4 win over Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont. Carruthers scored a three-ender in the fourth to lead 3-0. Howard got a single in five and then rode the steal train swiping a point in six and two in seven to pull ahead 4-3 heading into the final frame. 

“The first six ends, I guess, we played phenomenally,” said Team Carruthers third Braeden Moskowy. “We were kind of all over them the whole game and then the seventh end we had a couple just miss by a little bit and they made some great shots and just killed us so it was pretty disappointing, I guess. The way we played we just had a couple missed shots and down one coming home but we played a great eighth end and pulled her off.”

The Meridian Canadian Open is a homecoming of sorts for the Regina-born Moskowy, who skipped Saskatchewan to the 2011 Canadian junior title and represented the province at the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier. 

“Yeah it’s awesome,” Moskowy said. “All my family, they don’t get to watch me too often, so to be back it’s nice and close for them. I think I got between 10 and 15 family members and I’ve got a bunch of friends coming out this weekend so it’s super exciting for me to be so close to home and just to share it with everyone else that doesn’t get to see us play that often.”

Defending champion Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., took an 8-2 victory over Charlottetown’s Adam Casey. It was an odd affair that saw Gushue blank the first few ends before taking one in the fourth. Casey scored a deuce in five to go up 2-1 but it was all Gushue from there as he earned a three-ender in six, stole one in seven and three in eight.

“It was a really strange piece of ice,” said Gushue, who has won six titles on tour this season including the National. “There were some falls and some runs there that you don’t normally see in Slams and apparently (ice maker) Mark (Shurek) didn’t have the time to get that sheet to where he liked it so hopefully this week he’ll get it to where he likes it.” 

“It was a little bit unexpected, it caught us off-guard and really that’s why the first few ends were so defensive just because we were trying to figure it out,” he added. “It was a challenge. Even towards the end of the game we were still uncertain throwing in certain spots so to come out with a win feels pretty good especially on that sheet because it was really challenging.” 

In women’s division action, reigning world champion Alina Paetz of Switzerland earned a 9-2 victory over EunJung Kim of South Korea and Scotland’s Eve Muirhead edged Calgary’s Chelsea Carey 5-4.

NOTES: The Meridian Canadian Open is the fourth stop — and third major — of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday. … The event features a triple knockout where teams must win three games before they lose three in order to qualify for the playoffs. … Watch live coverage of the Meridian Canadian Open on Sportsnet starting Thursday at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT.