Strange things are happening in Nisku, Alta.
After Canada’s Team Brad Gushue missed the playoffs at the AMJ Masters in September, everyone expected his retirement tour would get back on track at the PointsBet Invitational earlier this month. But yet again, the legendary skip and his team struggled.
So, coming into this week at the CO-OP Tour Challenge, things were bound to turn around for the world No. 18 — the lowest ranking he’s had in years — right?
Unfortunately, everyone is still waiting for the turnaround to happen as Gushue lost again on Thursday, dropping his record to 1-2, and putting him in serious jeopardy of missing his second straight Grand Slam of Curling playoffs.
Thursday’s results (Full scores and standings)
Draw 9
Carruthers 8, Hoesli 4
Waddell 8, Muskatewitz 5
X. Schwaller 5, Gim 4
Black 7, Ha 5
Draw 10
McEwen 7, Kleiter 4
Mouat 9, Dropkin 4
Constantini 7, Kim 4
Tirinzoni 7, Tabata 3
Draw 11
Dunstone 6, Edin 3
Retornaz 5, Whyte 3
Lawes 8, Yoshimura 7 (SO)
Einarson 8, Skrlik 3
Draw 12
Y. Schwaller 7, Gushue 4
Epping 6, Koe 5
Homan 6, Wrana 5
Hasselborg 6, Fujisawa 4
Playoff picture taking shape
Three out of eight teams have punched their ticket to the playoffs on both the men’s and women’s sides. On the men’s side, it’s Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat, and Canada’s Team Matt Dunstone and Team John Epping. For the women, Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg, Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni and Italy’s Team Stefania Constantini are guaranteed to play on the weekend.
Friday’s crossover games are set up to deliver drama.
Best match
Even with the new blank rule in effect — which has produced high-scoring games — Italy’s Team Joel Retornaz and Scotland’s Team Ross Whyte managed to put up only eight points combined, including just one deuce, in their game.
So, you’re probably asking why this contest gets match-of-the-day honours.
Well, it’s because of the shots that were made from both teams that didn’t allow for any massive ends, and kept the game close.
Maybe even too close.
Retornaz was up 4-3 in the eighth end with the hammer, and instead of playing the open draw to the button for the win because he was just facing Whyte’s shot rock in the back of the four foot, he elected to play a tap-back on his stone sitting top eight.
There was a problem though. Retornaz was outside and light. He did hit just enough of the rock to generate movement into the four foot, but not enough to decisively earn the victory.
Both teams decided it needed to be measured and after three times around — it usually only takes one — it was determined Retornaz and his squad earned the 5-3 victory.
Best shot
Dunstone is unfair, the man literally makes everything look easy.
Tied 2-2 in the fifth end versus Sweden’s Team Niklas Edin, Dunstone was sitting one before throwing the final shot. However, Dunstone had a decision — either just take his one and move on, or attempt a hard draw to potentially score two with Edin sitting second and third shot in the eight foot close together.
He did neither, of course.
Instead, Dunstone attempted to hit his own rock that was positioned above Edin’s stones to make a double — a super difficult shot. Somehow, Dunstone was able to generate enough of a kick after hitting his own into Edin’s rock to actually go back up the ice and hit the other Edin stone, earning the deuce.
If he continues to make shots like these, he has a good chance of representing Canada at the Olympics in February.
Biggest momentum swing
After a massive win against Gushue, Canada's Rylan Kleiter looked like he was carrying that momentum with him against Canada’s Team Mike McEwen.
Kleiter was shooting 93 per cent after three ends, but everything changed in the fourth.
After Kleiter missed his first shot where he attempted to come through a port and freeze on to McEwen’s stone, he needed to make a great shot with his last, as he was without hammer.
Already facing two, Kleiter attempted another freeze, this time on to McEwen’s rock completely buried in the four.
But the momentum had already swung and Kleiter was way heavy, leaving the door open for McEwen to score an easy three to go up 4-1.
From there, Kleiter and his team couldn’t recover, as they lost 7-4.
Best sweep
When in doubt, throw it to your sweepers.
Trailing 7-5 in the eighth end and facing two, Japan’s Team Sayaka Yoshimura needed to make good with her final shot in order to force a shootout vs. Canada’s Team Kaitlyn Lawes.
Halfway down the ice after Yoshimura released the rock, her soft-weight, double-tapback attempt looked ruined, considering the stone was way outside and needed to curl a bunch with little time left.
That’s exactly when her lead, Anna Ohmiya, went to work. Carving the rock to perfection, the shot couldn't have been better.
Talk about pressure on your sweepers.
Despite the great effort to force the shootout, Yoshimura would drop the game 8-7.
Top player
Facing Canada’s Team Kerri Einarson when she’s on her game is not a great situation to be in.
Unfortunately, Canada’s Team Kayla Skrlik had to learn the hard way on Thursday.
The defending Tour Challenge champion was dangerous from the start, making two great shots in the first end to sit two in the four foot — both buried — without hammer. Skrlik gave it her best effort, but thanks to the Manitoba native’s perfectly placed stones, she gave up a steal of two.
From there, it felt Einarson could make anything she wanted.
She capped it off with a hit to score three in the sixth end, blowing the doors open to earn the handshakes. Einarson won 8-3, improving her record to 2-1 on the week.
Draws 14, 15, 16 go Friday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+
Featured matches
McEwen vs. Carruthers at 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT
TBD at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT
TBD at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT
