News Champions Cup

SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. — Pat Simmons’s run with his Calgary-based club has come to an end after falling 5-4 to Toronto’s John Epping in Saturday’s men’s quarterfinals at the Humpty’s Champions Cup. 

The band is breaking up with second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen stepping back from competitive curling. Third John Morris, who missed the season-ending event due to a hernia injury, has already announced plans to rejoin Jim Cotter in B.C. Alternate Tom Sallows filled in for Morris this week with Rycroft handling vice skip duties in the house.

Simmons, from Moose Jaw, Sask., has yet to announce his future plans.

Epping trailed by one with the hammer coming home and made a soft tap for two points to advance. Although sweeper Tim March touched the shooter with his brush and slowed the rock a little bit, Simmons let it stand.

The reigning Canadian Open champion Epping will play Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., in the semifinals. Gushue, who has won three Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles this season, advanced with an 8-3 win over Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock.

Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen continues to run through the tournament rolling past Niklas Edin of Sweden 7-1 and into the semifinals. The No. 1 seed McEwen, who topped the round-robin standings at 4-0, meets Reid Carruthers in an all-Winnipeg rink battle. Carruthers edged Calgary’s Kevin Koe 4-3 with a single in the eighth end.

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.