News National

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Sponsor’s exemption Krista McCarville is on fire heading into the Boost National women’s quarterfinals.

McCarville brushed off a tough loss to defending champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa in her first game of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tournament winning three straight to qualify.

The Thunder Bay team slid straight through to the quarters after ousting Northern Ontario rival Tracy Fleury of Sudbury 7-3 during the last round-robin draw Friday night at the Essar Centre. McCarville now seeks to avenge the loss to Homan (3-1) as they will meet once again in Saturday’s quarterfinals. 

“Our first game we weren’t the sharpest but every game after that we’ve played better and better,” Team McCarville second Ashley Sippala said. “We feel like we’re peaking at the right time so it feels great.”

McCarville opened with the hammer and made it through the port on her last in the second end to punch out Fleury’s counter for three points.

“Risk versus reward,” Sippala said. “I mean, it was totally there. It wasn’t an easy shot by any means but we wouldn’t want anyone other than Krista to throw that rock because she always seems to come through and make those big ones.” 

Fleury attempted to hit and roll to blank the third, but her shooter spun to stick in to count. McCarville hit and rolled out with her last in four, but still took two extending her lead to four points. Fleury slashed the deficit in half scoring a deuce in five. 

McCarville settled for a single in six, hitting and sticking around in the 12-foot circle, and added another to her total with a steal in the seventh to retake the four-point advantage. Fleury ran out of rocks in eight and was eliminated with a 1-3 record.

Anna Sidorova (3-1) of Russia scored two in the sixth and stole one in seven to pull out a 5-2 victory over Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque (0-4) and qualify. Sidorova is scheduled to play Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson (3-1) in the quarterfinals. 

Calgary’s Chelsea Carey also earned a 7-3 win over Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., to keep her team in contention. Carey will face Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones in Saturday morning’s tiebreaker as both teams finished at 2-2. The reigning Masters champion Flaxey was eliminated with a 1-3 record.

Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg (2-2) and Switzerland’s Binia Feltscher (2-2) also clash in the women’s tiebreakers. Edmonton’s Val Sweeting (4-0) and Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni (3-1) await the winners.

In the men’s tiebreakers, hometown hero Brad Jacobs drew for the winner in the eighth to edge Peter de Cruz of Switzerland 3-2. Jacobs advances to the quarterfinals and plays John Morris of Vernon, B.C.

Toronto’s John Epping just barely made it into the quarterfinals staying wild by clipping Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 7-6. Epping bounced back from a difficult loss to De Cruz where he had the hammer tied in eight, but blanked and then had his last rock in the extra end pick to give up a steal and drop into the tiebreakers. 

“What a wild day of emotions,” Epping said. “It was pretty crazy. We lost the game earlier today that we totally controlled the whole way. Then came out against McEwen and played a pretty decent game after giving up a two in seven after it looked like we were dead. They were sitting five at one point but we wiggled our way out and only gave up two. Actually, we played a really good eighth end and got lucky that Mike missed his last one to give us a chance for the win.”

Epping trailed by two with the hammer coming home and had an open hit for three points to ice the game. He connected, however, McEwen’s rock jammed on another rock. It was a close one, but Epping got it to count for three.

“It was a pretty straight spot in the ice so I wanted to kind of take tight ice and keep it firm,” Epping said. “I probably threw it a little harder than I should have and it just hung there. Luckily it just spilled off the back one enough to get three.”

Epping will meet Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers (4-0) in the quarterfinals.

One more men’s tiebreaker is scheduled for the morning between Charley Thomas and Brendan Bottcher in an all-Edmonton matchup. The winner plays Brad Gushue (4-0) of St. John’s, N.L.

Calgary’s Kevin Koe (3-1) is lined up against WFG Masters and Tour Challenge winner Niklas Edin (2-2) in the quarterfinals.

NOTES: The Boost National is the third event and second major of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … Action continues Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET for tiebreakers with TV coverage resuming at Noon ET for the men’s quarterfinals on CBC. … The Boost National runs through to Sunday afternoon at the Essar Centre.