CALGARY – Team Canada’s John Morris advanced to the semifinal at the Canadian men’s curling championship with an 8-7 win in an extra end over Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock on Saturday.
It was Canada’s sixth win since Morris moved to third and handed skipping duties to Pat Simmons midway through the preliminary round.
They moved onto Saturday’s semifinal against Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador. The winner of the semifinal plays in Sunday’s championship game against Northern Ontario’s Brad Gushue.
Canada had last-rock advantage in the extra end against Saskatchewan. Laycock’s attempt at tapping Canada’s shot stone off the back of the button with his final stone missed. Simmons didn’t have to throw his final stone.
Simmons, second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen won last year’s Tim Hortons Brier in Kamloops, B.C., with Kevin Koe at skip.
Koe left to form a new team, so his former teammates recruited Morris to skip the first team to wear the Maple Leaf at the Brier. A Team Canada was incorporated into this year’s championship for the first time.
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Saskatchewan and Canada both finished 7-4 in the preliminary round to earn berths in the Page playoff between the third and fourth seeds. Laycock earned the higher seeding by virtue of a win over Canada in the round-robin.
Laycock’s attempted triple takeout in the ninth end didn’t move Canadian granite far enough. Simmons was able to pick out the lone Saskatchewan stone to score two and lead 7-5 coming home without hammer.
Saskatchewan tied it 5-5 in the eighth end when Laycock’s draw to the four-foot rings stopped just in time to score two.
Laycock’s defensive tap in the seventh took away Canada’s chance to score points, as Simmon drew for his one against two Saskatchewan stones to lead 5-3.
Saskatchewan was in all kinds of trouble in the sixth until Laycock’s tough angle raise to score one with hammer.
Canada scored three in a pivotal fifth end to lead 4-2. Simmons drew in to lay three counters, but left a possible double takeout for Laycock. The Saskatchewan skip removed one stone and his shooter rolled wide. Simmons made his draw for three.
Laycock started with the hammer as the higher playoff seed. The teams traded singles in the first two ends. Laycock blanked the next end and was forced to draw the button for a point in four.
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