Eight Ends is your supply for information, perception and evaluation from the Grand Slam of Curling. This version appears to be like at takeaways from the HearingLife Tour Problem in Charlottetown. We don’t have any spare reporters on our crew.
FIRST END: 9 years in the past, Kerri Einarson competed within the inaugural Tour Problem occasion in Paradise, N.L., however not on the primary ice pad. Oh no. Einarson was on the Tier 2 aspect trying to earn an invite into the highest flight.
Einarson gained that occasion — her first-ever title on tour no much less — and with authority as her crew rolled by means of the Tier 2 undefeated to kickstart an unbelievable journey.
The Gimli, Man., skip is now a six-time Grand Slam of Curling title winner after capturing the HearingLife Tour Problem Tier 1 girls’s title Sunday with a 5-4 victory over Group Rachel Homan on the Bell Aliant Centre. As Group Christina Black grew to become the most recent Tier 2 girls’s champion simply a few sheets over, it supplied a becoming full-circle second for Einarson to replicate on the previous 9 years within the sequence.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Einarson stated. “I do know after I was arising into the Slams and having to win that Tier 2 simply to get into them. Now right here we’re profitable Tier 1. Our arduous work has actually paid off.”
SECOND END: The beginning of the season has been one in every of adversity for Group Einarson. Lead Briane Harris awaits a choice on her attraction for testing constructive for a banned substance. Second Shannon Birchard has but to play this fall as she recovers from a knee damage.
Alternate Krysten Karwacki is filling in at lead within the meantime whereas tremendous spare Daybreak McEwen, thought to be one of many best front-end gamers of all time, got here on board at second for the HearingLife Tour Problem.
“It’s nice to have a win with them they usually’ve been tremendous spares for our crew,” Einarson stated. “We are able to’t thank them sufficient and really recognize all that they’ve completed for our crew.”
Even the coach wanted a spare as Mike McEwen stepped in for Reid Carruthers in the course of the remaining.
“It was enjoyable. It was nice having him again right here,” stated Einarson, who added with amusing: “He may stop after his large win there.”
Don’t fear, Carruthers needed to depart early and isn’t on the recent seat. McEwen’s stint was only a one-and-done look.
THIRD END: Scotland’s Bruce Mouat entered an unique membership in January when he gained the Co-op Canadian Open and accomplished a profession Grand Slam. Mouat grew to become simply the seventh skip to win all 4 of the majors within the sequence becoming a member of Kevin Martin, Wayne Middaugh, Glenn Howard and Jeff Stoughton — a Mount Rushmore’s value of curling greats proper there — plus present skips Brad Gushue and Anna Hasselborg.
Mouat joined an much more unique membership together with his HearingLife Tour Problem males’s title victory as he has now gained all 5 energetic occasions within the sequence.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion Mouat accomplished the set after defeating the one different skip who had completed that feat, Gushue. Mouat was already up by two when he scored 5 factors within the seventh finish to ice the sport.
“Pondering again to my early days on this sport, dreaming about making an attempt to win one in every of these was one thing that appeared unimaginable,” Mouat stated. “To lastly get seven and to win each single one in every of them is a surreal second. It’s one thing very particular to all of us, all 4 of us.”
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FOURTH END: Einarson could possibly be the subsequent member of each golf equipment because the Co-op Canadian Open is the final one for her to cross off the checklist. Guess what the subsequent Grand Slam of Curling occasion is on the schedule?
The Co-op Canadian Open runs Nov. 5-10 at Silent Ice Middle in Nisku, Alta.
“We’re actually wanting ahead to the subsequent occasion,” Einarson stated. “It was an amazing confidence booster right here going ahead. We now have one other occasion earlier than that one, some coaching in between there, so we’ll see what lineup now we have for that one.”
FIFTH END: Homan entered the HearingLife Tour Problem undefeated at 12-0 to start out the season and solely misplaced twice in the course of the occasion to Italy’s Group Stefania Constantini and Einarson. Sound acquainted? That’s how the Ottawa-based crew started final 12 months en path to a season for the ages, ending with a 67-7 report and capturing Canadian and world championships plus two Grand Slam titles.
One main distinction this 12 months although is Homan picked up a couple of extra wins in between these losses to succeed in the ultimate versus lacking the playoffs final October.
Homan could possibly be cooking one thing much more particular this season, if that’s even doable.
It was additionally the seventh Grand Slam remaining between Homan and Einarson and we’ll possible see extra sooner or later. Homan holds a 4-3 benefit.
SIXTH END: Just one crew defeated Einarson and Homan this week. Constantini beat each in the course of the A Occasion of the triple knockout spherical and picked up a win over Group Tabitha Peterson to qualify for the playoffs undefeated at 3-0. Constantini’s run ended within the quarterfinals although with a 5-2 loss to Group Kaitlyn Lawes.
Constantini wasn’t the one A-qualifier to fall within the quarters as South Korea’s Group Eun-ji Gim and Calgary’s Group Brad Jacobs had been additionally eradicated. Mouat was the one one of many 4 to win a playoff recreation, by no means thoughts win the championship.
That appears to trace with the historic knowledge for triple knockout occasions within the Grand Slam of Curling. Most males’s champions are A-qualifiers — Mouat grew to become the eighth by means of 11 occasions — whereas most ladies’s champions are B-qualifiers — Einarson grew to become the seventh by means of 11 occasions.
SEVENTH END: A well-known face was on the bench this week with Group Gushue. P.E.I.’s personal Adam Casey, who performed with the membership from 2011-14, returned to the fold as their fifth man in the course of the HearingLife Tour Problem.
Gushue stated Casey shall be their fifth man for the Pan Continental Championships, Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 in Lacombe, Alta.
“He’s coming off of an arm damage, so he’s in all probability not the fitting man to have leaping into the lineup as a result of I don’t understand how arduous he’s going to have the ability to sweep however actually by the Pan Continental, which is the entire thought in a month’s time, he’ll be absolutely recovered and able to go,” Gushue stated. “I do know him effectively. I actually get pleasure from Adam and like being round him. A very good asset to have on the crew and definitely at a P.E.I. Slam to have a P.E.I. boy on the bench doesn’t damage.”
Gushue navigated by means of the uneven waters of the C-side and had a jam-packed Saturday with wins over Group Niklas Edin, Group Ross Whyte and Group Matt Dunstone to succeed in the ultimate.
The 15-time Grand Slam champion Gushue pulled off one of many prime photographs of the week with a double elevate takeout to attain two (after a measure) within the eighth finish to edge Whyte within the quarterfinals.
Gushue stated they had been “a bit of little bit of smoke and mirrors” following the semifinals and wanted an off-day from Mouat within the championship recreation. That didn’t come to be as Group Mouat shot 90 per cent (in comparison with Group Gushue at 78 per cent) with Mouat himself firing a game-high 96 per cent.
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EIGHTH END: Whereas Mike McEwen was within the winner’s circle teaching Group Einarson, his males’s crew got here up only a wee bit brief after getting into the occasion using a 13-game profitable streak and three title wins on tour. Group McEwen reached the semis however misplaced to eventual champion Mouat 6-2.
The Saskatoon squad made it to the semis final 12 months within the HearingLife Tour Problem … on the Tier 2 aspect that’s. McEwen has discovered a very good factor with Colton Flasch plus Kevin and Dan Marsh in brief order as they appear like a legit Grand Slam title risk.
McEwen started the season in August abroad on the Euro Tremendous Collection in Scotland. Although they missed the playoffs, he stated it was positively a consider his crew’s breakout in September.
“All I can say is we performed extra golf video games than we did curling, in order that sort of tells you ways the curling went,” McEwen stated with amusing. “We bumped into some Euro groups that thumped us. We sort of obtained our legs late within the occasion, however it was too late. It simply goes to indicate you ways early some international locations are beginning and we had been sort of behind the eight-ball. We knew that stepping into that it might be robust.
“It was a very good journey, however to take one thing away from it, it certain lit a fireplace below us. In early September, we went and educated for 3 or 4 straight days in Edmonton earlier than we performed our second occasion. … I believe that have in Europe truly led to us having a very nice September despite the fact that we stumbled and fell on our faces.”
EXTRA END: Group Black and Saskatoon’s Group Rylan Kleiter claimed the Tier 2 titles and obtained invites to the WFG Masters, Jan. 14-19, on the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ont.
Black, whose Halifax-based crew made it by means of the C-qualifiers, defeated Group Sayaka Yoshimura of Japan 7-3 within the girls’s remaining and was buzzing after the title victory.
“Oh my gosh, I nonetheless sort of can’t consider that that simply occurred,” Black stated. “We’ve had a wild trip the final, effectively, we’ve been right here all week and got here by means of the quarters. We actually obtained fortunate and stole three to win our quarterfinal recreation or we might by no means be right here right now. My women, we performed so nice all week and actually gelled as a crew. It’s simply a lot enjoyable. I can’t consider we gained.”
Kleiter went by means of the lads’s aspect undefeated however wanted to attract for the 6-5 win over Norway’s Group Magnus Ramsfjell in an additional finish.
“It’s superior,” Kleiter stated. “It’s nice. It’s good to see a few of our arduous work paying off there and simply trying to preserve constructing for the remainder of the season.”
Kleiter may find yourself within the prime tier ahead of the WFG Masters. His crew moved up six spots to No. 16 with the victory.