SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Mike McEwen fended off Jeff Stoughton in an all-Winnipeg rink match to score a deuce in the extra end and win 7-5 during Draw 4 at the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling National tournament Thursday.
Stoughton settled for one in the first and picked up a single steal in two to grab an early 2-0 lead. McEwen nailed a nose tap for a deuce in the third end and stole singles in four and five to pull ahead. Stoughton almost gave up another steal in six but his rock spun into the four-foot just enough to give him a point after a measurement.
McEwen (2-0) added another single in the seventh and Stoughton (1-1) scored a pair to tie it up 5-5.
Pinty’s GSOC National: Latest scores & stats
Elsewhere, Masters champion Brad Gushue (1-1) bounced back from a morning draw loss to Brendan Bottcher with an 8-3 win in six ends over Rob Rumfeldt (0-2).
Gushue, from St. John’s, N.L., scored deuces in the first and third ends and stole one in the fourth to pull away 5-1. Rumfeldt, of Guelph, Ont., closed the gap with a deuce in the fifth but shook hands after Gushue sealed the game with a three-ender in the sixth.
Matthew Blandford (1-1) eased his final shot to the button in the eighth to score one and win 5-4 over Mark Kean, from Stoney Creek, Ont. Blandford led 4-2 after five but Kean (0-3) settled for a single in the sixth and stole one in the seventh after Blandford’s shot rolled out.
American Heath McCormick (2-1) scored one in the final end to win 5-4 over Calgary’s John Morris (0-2).
Toronto’s John Epping (2-0) edged Charlottetown’s Adam Casey (1-2) with a single in the extra end to win 5-4. Casey controlled most of the game until Epping jumped ahead 4-3 with a three-ender in the seventh. Casey scored one in the eighth to tie it up.