PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, MAN. — The top four seeds are all safely through to the playoff round at the Viterra Championship in Portage la Prairie.
Day three of the event began with the A-Side playoff qualifiers where Reid Carruthers, Mike McEwen, Matt Dunstone and William Lyburn all secured spots in the 8-team playoff round.
William Lyburn’s rink from the Granite Curling Club looked dead and buried trailing Sean Grassie by six points through just three ends of play. But Lyburn scored three enders in each the fourth and ninth ends to complete the comeback with an 11-7 victory.
Lyburn also trailed by six to Daley Peters in the 2012 Safeway Championship in Dauphin. That time they battled all the way back to get within one point and still ended up losing the game. But they used that near comeback as motivation during a discussion after the third end of play. After the game Lyburn was asked when did the momentum begin to swing their way.
“When the last rock was thrown,” Lyburn said. “We just had no momentum out there at all. We struggled making shots, we struggled with the rocks, we struggled with the ice.”
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The top seeded Reid Carruthers foursome also continued their perfect run. Carruthers advanced to the playoff round with a 9-6 triumph over David Bohn. Carruthers scored at least two points in four different ends to pick up the win.
“The top teams are starting to rise to the top, but it’s only Friday morning,” Carruthers said. “There’s still so much bonspiel to be played.”
Joining Lyburn and Carruthers in the elite eight is second seed Mike McEwen. The defending champions from the Fort Rouge Curling Club disposed of Trevor Loreth 6-2 to lock up their playoff spot.
“That was about as good as any team can play,” McEwen said. “So, really happy with what I saw from everybody on the ice. That was a really solid game.”
Third seed and last year’s runner-up Matt Dunstone also qualified through the A-Side. Dunstone bested Taylor McIntyre 7-5. Dunstone was trailing until the seventh end when they scored three to go ahead for good.
“Games only get tougher, so now we got to bear down more so than we did earlier this week. It’s go time. We’re in the eight’s,” said Dunstone. “We just figure out what sheet we’re on and wait to see who we play. Obviously we’re going to have to play Mike (McEwen) and Reid (Carruthers) at some point if we keep winning games, so it doesn’t matter to us who we play as long as we’re playing good, we should have a decent chance.”
Four more teams were eliminated in the Friday afternoon draw as Kelly Marnoch, Travis Bale, Kyle Foster and Ray Baker all bowed out.
The first four games of the playoff round go later on Friday beginning at 7:45 p.m.
WATCH: Viterra Championship – Day 3
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