McEwen tops Howard for 1st win at Boost National
Conception Bay South, N.L. — Winnipeg’s Team Mike McEwen grabbed their first win of the Boost National doubling up on Team Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., 6-3 Thursday morning at CBS Arena.
Team McEwen drew their record level to 1-1 while Team Howard dropped to 0-2 midway through round-robin play.
McEwen gave up a steal in the second but recovered in fine form with a count of three in the third. After forcing Howard to one point in four, McEwen extended his lead with a deuce in five. The teams alternated singles in six and seven as Howard was unable to mount a comeback.
Team Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., also improved to a 1-1 record scoring a 5-1 decision over Switzerland’s Team Yannick Schwaller (0-3).
Toronto’s Team John Epping scored four points in the third during a 7-2 victory over Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat. Both clubs hold 1-1 records.
Sweden’s Team Niklas Edin moved up to 2-0 with a 7-4 win over Japan’s Team Yuta Matsumura (1-1).
In the lone women’s match of the draw, Team Elena Stern of Switzerland jumped to the top of the standings at 3-0. Stern scored two in the seventh and stole one in the eighth to hang on for a 5-3 win over Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg (1-1).
Boost National action continues at 12:30 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) with broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and streaming online via Sportsnet NOW (Canada) and Yare (international).
Round-robin play runs through to Friday with the top eight teams overall in both divisions qualifying for the weekend playoffs.
NOTES: The Boost National is the third event and second major of the 2019-20 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season featuring 15 of the top men’s teams and 15 of the top women’s teams from around the world. Qualification is based on the WCF World Team Ranking system. … A $300,000 combined purse is on the line, split equally between both divisions, with the winners receiving $35,000 each plus berths to the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup in Olds, Alta. … Teams also earn points towards the Pinty’s Cup awarded to the season champions following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship in April.
