Top seed Reid Carruthers climbed to an unblemished 6-0 record at the Manitoba Viterra Championship and is now just more win away from representing the province at the Tim Hortons Brier.
Carruthers clipped defending champ Mike McEwen 4-2 during Saturday’s Page 1 vs. 1 playoff in Portage la Prairie to advance to the final.
With the game tied 1-1, Carruthers stole two points in the eighth end to pull ahead and hung on by forcing McEwen to just a single in nine and tacking on another point with the hammer in the 10th.
Carruthers defeated McEwen in the 2015 final to capture his first men’s provincial title as a skip.
McEwen (5-1) has a second shot at reaching the championship game through the semifinal against Trevor Loreth, who ousted Jason Gunnlaugson 8-3 in the Page 2 vs. 2 playoff game.
Earlier, Carruthers counted three in an extra end to edge William Lyburn 8-5 during the morning draw to advance to the Page playoffs while McEwen slid past Matt Dunstone 7-2 in seven ends.
Gunnlaugson topped Dunstone 5-3 and Loreth beat Lyburn 6-5 in the afternoon draw to make it into the 2 vs. 2 game.
NOTES: Watch live coverage of the Manitoba Viterra Championship Sunday on Sportsnet starting with the semifinal at 9 a.m. CT followed by the final at 3 p.m. CT. … The winner will represent the province at the Tim Hortons Brier running March 4-12 in St. John’s, N.L.
