Brad Gushue is still in the chase for the Canadian Open title after earning a 7-6 victory in the extra end over Kevin Martin during Draw 8 action at the Grand Slam of Curling event Friday in Medicine Hat, Alta.
Gushue, from St. John’s, N.L., held shot rock and the hammer in the extra and Martin’s final stone clipped his own guard for his first loss in the round-robin.
Martin, from Edmonton, is now 3-1 while Gushue improved to 2-2.
Gushue missed out on qualifying his rink for the Canadian Olympic trials but will join Martin’s team as an alternate in next month’s Roar of the Rings. Martin won Olympic gold at Vancouver in 2010 while Gushue finished first at the 2006 Turin Games.
Canadian Open action continues on Sportsnet featuring Team Stoughton vs. Team Martin at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
Elsewhere, reigning world champion Niklas Edin’s final stone in the extra end stayed in the eight-foot and gave the Swedish rink the 4-3 win over Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud. Edin (2-2) hit a clutch triple takeout in the eighth forcing Ulsrud (1-4) to settle for just one point to tie it.
Rob Fowler scored four in the second and three in the fifth during an 8-3 victory over Toronto’s John Epping (3-2). Fowler, from Brandon, Man., is now 2-2 in the tournament.
Toronto’s Mark Kean (4-1) earned three-enders in the first and seventh ends for an 8-4 win against Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson (1-4). Eriksson opened the tournament on a positive note with an upset victory over 15-time Grand Slam champion Glenn Howard but couldn’t get back in the win column.
William Lyburn (1-4) scored two three-enders during a 7-3 victory over Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz (3-2) as the Winnipeg rink’s tournament ended on a high note.
