PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. — Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers needed a pair of wins Friday to stay in contention at the Princess Auto Elite 10.
It wasn’t pretty but Carruthers, who entered the day with just one point to his name, pulled it off picking up five more to qualify for the playoffs.
Carruthers drew to the button for a 1-up shootout victory over Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock during the morning draw and defeated his former skip Jeff Stoughton 2-up in the evening to finish the round robin of the match play tournament, which features a format similar to skins where teams compete to win the most ends per game.
“It’s back and forth in one shot to make or break you,” Carruthers said. “Fortunately for us we got a couple breaks late in the game on a couple draw shots. The ice got a little bit tough. It’s been absolutely awesome all week long but there are a couple spots that may have been swept a lot more than others just in that game and got a little bit tough.”
Stoughton, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is at the helm of the Elite 10 Select squad of legends featuring David Nedohin, Nolan Thiessen and Jamie Korab. The Elite 10 Select won their first three games to earn nine points and had already advanced prior to the match against Carruthers.
After the Elite 10 Select stole the first, Carruthers swiped the third when Stoughton attempted an angle raise but didn’t get the right degree. Stoughton scored in four and Carruthers settled for a push in five as he didn’t get the in-off with his last, just ticking and rolling through the rings.
Stoughton looked to make a tricky in-off in six but didn’t get the right angle to give up one steal and conceded another in seven to lose the lead as his last came crashing down on the guards. Stoughton missed again in eight with his first skip stone and didn’t throw his last as he was unable to count two. There was a bit of confusion though as the Elite 10 Select started kicking off rocks while Team Carruthers thought the game wasn’t over yet.
“I think that one was on me actually because I was thinking maybe he still had a chance to get two but it wasn’t the case,” Carruthers said with a laugh. “It was my fault but that’s just kind of what happens when you get into one of those tight games. Your mind is just so focused on what’s going on right in front of you. Maybe that was a good thing because I was dialled in.”
Carruthers’s win eliminated reigning champion Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L. The recent Brier winner finished with five points and needed a Carruthers loss to advance or a Carruthers shootout win to force a tiebreaker.
The previous time Carruthers and Stoughton played in a Grand Slam at the Civic Centre was when they captured the National in January 2013. For Stoughton it completed a career Grand Slam while the title victory marked Carruthers’s first in the series.
Carruthers said it feels great to be back especially with Stoughton on the sheet too turning back the clock.
“He’s earned his spot here this week that’s for sure,” Carruthers said. “I know from looking over at some of the games that he’s been playing and some of the shots he’s been making it’s like classic Jeff. Out-turn runbacks and great taps. You know when you’re playing against him he absolutely loves this format and he’s really good at it.”
Carruthers and Stoughton meet again in the quarterfinals with the winner playing John Morris of Vernon, B.C., who advanced straight through to the semifinals with nine points following a 3-and-2 victory over Steve Laycock of Saskatoon.
It was an endurance round for Team Morris, who just represented B.C. at the Brier, winning two of three games over the course of the day picking up a dub over Brad Gushue in the morning before losing to Stoughton in the afternoon.
“We were just a little off in the afternoon game there but we put together three really solid games and we’ll just keep building off of that,” Team Morris fourth Jim Cotter said. “Coming off of the Brier and a three-game day today but we just keep focusing on the next shot and that’s all we can control.”
Laycock was already out and finished with just one point.
Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., also earned a bye to the semifinals taking four ends in a 4-and-2 win over Toronto’s John Epping. Jacobs (10 points) stole the first three ends of the match. After back-to-back pushes, Epping (three points) needed to make a Hail Mary triple in six to avoid elimination, but couldn’t pull it off to bring out handshakes.
Jacobs awaits the winner of the quarterfinal match between Calgary’s Kevin Koe and Peter de Cruz of Switzerland.
NOTES: The Princess Auto Elite 10 is the fifth event of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season … Teams can win an end by either scoring two or more with the hammer or stealing at least one without the hammer. … Blank ends result in loss of hammer and there are no carryovers. … The winner will earn an invite to the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup running April 25-30 at WinSport Arena in Calgary. … Teams also earn points toward the Rogers Grand Slam Cup, awarded to the overall season champion. … The Princess Auto Elite 10 runs through to Sunday at the Civic Centre.