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McEwen maintains hot start to win Canad Inns Men’s Classic

Mike McEwen scored a triple in the third end and stole two in the fourth to maintain his hot start to the season and defeat Kevin Koe 6-4 in the Canad Inns Men’s Classic final Monday night in Portage la Prairie, Man.

The Winnipeg rink of McEwen, B.J. Neufeld, Matt Wozniak and Denni Neufeld has won all three tournaments the team has competed in this season. Team McEwen went undefeated at both the StuSells Oakville Tankard in September and the Point Optical Curling Classic in Saskatoon earlier this month.

Team McEwen sustained its first loss of the season to Jeff Hartung during the rink’s second game and dropped into the B Event of the triple knockout tournament. McEwen won four games in a row to qualify for the playoffs including victories over Olympic champion Brad Jacobs, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and Toronto’s John Epping.

McEwen topped Japan’s Yusuke Morozumi 8-6 during the quarterfinals and rolled past Winnipeg’s William Lyburn 7-2 in the semis.

Koe’s team had a quicker path to the playoffs winning four consecutive games to qualify straight out of the A side. The Edmonton rink slid past Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock 5-2 in the quarterfinals and iced Glenn Howard, of Penetanguishene, Ont., 6-3 during the semis.

It’s the second consecutive year McEwen has won the tournament and the fourth time in five years overall. Koe captured the title in 2012.

Brent Pierce stole three in the fourth and defeated Sean Geall 5-3 in seven ends to win the Hub International Crown of Curling in Kamloops, B.C.

Pierce’s rink from Kelowna, B.C., finished the round robin with a 3-2 record and needed to win two tiebreaker matches just to even qualify for the playoffs.

Japan’s Ayumi Ogasawara topped 2007 world champion Kelly Scott, of Kelowna, 5-3 in the women’s division final.

Team Ogasawara earned its second title of the season after capturing the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic two weeks ago.

Calgary’s Sean O’Connor stole singles in the seventh and eighth ends to lift his rink to a 3-2 win over Regina’s Scott Bitz in the Medicine Hat Charity Classic final.

Casey Scheidegger, from Lethbridge, Alta., took home the women’s title with a 7-2 victory over Brett Barber, of Biggar, Sask.

Janet Harvey stole three in the third and added another triple in the fifth to defeat Colleen Kilgallen 7-3 in six ends at the Atkins Curling Supplies Women’s Classic in Winnipeg.

Julie Hastings’ rink scored two in the seventh and stole one in the final end to beat Sherry Middaugh 7-5 and win the Stroud Sleeman Cash Spiel in Stroud, Ont., on Sunday.

Team Hastings, from Thornhill, Ont., finished the round robin with a perfect 3-0 record and rallied past Tracy Horgan, from Sudbury, Ont., 6-5 in the semifinals.

Skip Sherry Middaugh was back with her Coldwater, Ont., rink after missing last weekend’s StuSells Toronto Tankard.

Ottawa’s Colin Dow edged Scott McDonald, of London, Ont., 5-4 to win the men’s title.