SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — WFG Masters and Tour Challenge winner Niklas Edin of Sweden has pulled even at the Boost National.
Edin (1-1) took two in the eighth end to fend off Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 6-4 during Draw 7 action at the Essar Centre.
Team Edin aims to make it three titles in a row to start the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. McEwen won the National the previous time it was held in Sault Ste. Marie in 2014.
After Edin blanked the first end, McEwen missed the angle with his raise attempt in the second and Edin eased his last into the house for a deuce.
Edin drew perfectly buried with his last in the third to avoid a possible double and a score of five as McEwen was forced to just land on the lid for one.
Following an Edin single in the fourth, McEwen tied it up 3-3 with a soft angle raise that stopped just in time to count two.
Edin was held to another lone point in six and McEwen wanted to make a double and roll his shooter up and out to blank seven, however, his rock stayed put in the house for one.
McEwen (1-2) missed with his last in the eighth and shook hands as Edin already held shot rock.
Boost National: Live Scores & Standings | TV Schedule
Meanwhile in the women’s division, Scotties champ Chelsea Carey of Calgary topped Tracy Fleury of Sudbury, Ont., 8-5. Carey is at 1-1 while Fleury fell to a 0-2 record.
World champ Binia Feltscher of Switzerland improved to a 2-1 record clipping EunJung Kim of South Korea 6-5. Kim has been eliminated from playoff contention with a 0-3 record and just one more round-robin game to go.
Silvana Tirinzoni (2-1) of Switzerland shut down Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque 8-2. Rocque dropped to 0-2.
Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson scored a deuce in the extra end to edge Russia’s Anna Sidorova 6-4. Einarson is level at 1-1 while Sidorova holds a 2-1 record.
NOTES: The Boost National is the third event and second major of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … Round-robin action continues Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET with television coverage on Sportsnet. … The Boost National runs through to Sunday afternoon at the Essar Centre.
