News Champions Cup

SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. — Japan’s Ayumi Ogasawara completed an undefeated 4-0 run through pool play in the Humpty’s Champions Cup. 

Ogasawara, who is making her Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series debut this week, made an open hit for two in the extra end to edge Calgary’s Chelsea Carey 5-3 Friday. 

The reigning Canadian women’s champion Carey was eliminated from playoff contention with a 1-3 record. 

“We already had three wins before (to qualify) but today we just played our game,” said Ogasawara, via interpreter Daia Koyano. “We just did our best.” 

The momentum swung back and forth through the game. Carey opened with the hammer and forced to a single in the second. Ogasawara tied it with a point in three and took a 2-1 lead in four stealing one when Carey’s runback attempt just grazed the counter.  It was still singles going steady with the rinks alternating points through six and seven. Ogasawara missed her last in eight leaving Carey a shot for two and the win, but she hit and rolled too far to only tie it and force the extra frame. 

“I didn’t make our last shot of the eighth end and then went into the extra end,” Ogasawara said. “My teammates did really well. They made the takeouts so I trusted them and I then felt like I really had to make that shot.”

Meanwhile, Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., ended her tournament on a high note. Flaxey played the spoiler scoring a 7-4 win over Players’ Championship winner Eve Muirhead of Scotland. Both teams are out at 1-3. 

Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers continues to roll in the Humpty’s Champions Cup men’s division. Carruthers (3-0) qualified for the playoffs with a game in hand following a 7-2 victory over Niklas Edin of Sweden in only five ends.

Edin got on the scoreboard first with a deuce in the first, but it was all Carruthers from there striking back with a pair of his own in the second to tie it. Carruthers then rode the steal train into the lead swiping two in the third when Edin’s last flashed through the house. Carruthers capitalized again in the fourth end planting two rocks around the button and Edin was unable to draw his last to the lid to give up another two-count steal. Edin fell into trouble again in five and made a double takeout with his last but his shooter was unable to spin back up to get Carruthers’s shot rock, resulting in another stolen point and handshakes.

Carruthers has one more round-robin game to go against Rogers Grand Slam Cup winner Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., in the evening. Edin fell to a 2-2 record but is still in the mix as they will play in Saturday morning’s tiebreaker. 

Meanwhile, reigning world champion Kevin Koe (3-1) advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating former teammate Pat Simmons 9-5 in a battle of Calgary clubs. Simmons (1-2) still has a chance at the tiebreakers in his team’s final event together with Carter Rycroft and Nolan Thiessen stepping back from competitive curling. 

Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen (3-0) has also clinched a playoff spot picking up a 7-3 win over Saskatoon’s Shaun Meachem (0-4).

NOTES: The Humpty’s Champions Cup is the seventh and final event of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday at the Sherwood Park Arena Sports Centre. … Teams had to win a high-profile tour event over the course of the season to qualify. … The event is the second of two new tournaments added to the schedule this year along with the Tour Challenge, which kicked off the season in September.