Muirhead rallies to reach Players’ Championship women’s final
TORONTO — Scotland’s Eve Muirhead clinched a spot in the Players’ Championship women’s final after bouncing back to beat Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton 6-5 in an extra end Saturday night.
The reigning world champion Muirhead will now face Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson in a rematch of the gold-medal game in the first-ever all-European Grand Slam of Curling final. Sigfridsson doubled up on Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones 8-4 in the other semifinal match.
After Muirhead scored a deuce in the third for a 2-1 lead, the defending champion Lawton took control with a single in four followed by a steal of three in six to pull ahead 5-2. Muirhead settled a single in the seventh then stole an equalizing two in the eighth to force overtime. Lawton held the hammer in the extra end but couldn’t nudge her rock past Muirhead’s stones and gave up the winning steal.
Lawton won her first career Grand Slam title last year at the Players’ Championship as the lowest-ranked seed, but wasn’t looking like the underdog this time around entering the semifinal with an unblemished 5-0 record.
Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ont., will play Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen in the men’s final Sunday afternoon. Howard defeated Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 6-4 while McEwen outmatched city rival Jeff Stoughton 5-2 to reach the championship game.
The loss for Jacobs meant Toronto’s John Epping earned the last direct spot to the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials in December. Jacobs can still qualify, but the reigning Brier champion will have to take the long road via the pre-trials.
