Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher advanced to the semifinal of the Canadian men’s curling championship with a 6-5 win in an extra end over Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs on Saturday.
Bottcher faces the loser of Saturday’s later playoff game between the top two seeds featuring defending champion Brad Gushue and Ontario’s John Epping.
READ MORE: Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher beats Mike McEwen to score No. 1 seed in Brier Championship Pool
Watch below: In February 2017, Quinn Phillips filed this report about Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher making his first trip to the Brier.
The semifinal of the Tim Hortions Brier is Sunday afternoon followed by the championship game.
Alberta and Northern Ontario were the third and fourth playoff seeds respectively in a field of 16 teams with records of 8-3. Gushue was 10-1 and Ontario 9-2.
Get daily news
Jacobs had hammer in the extra end. Bottcher drew behind cover for a piece of the back button with his final stone. Jacobs was just heavy on a delicate tap for the win and gave up the steal.
Alberta blanked the ninth, and scored two in the 10th on a tough double takeout by Bottcher to send the game into an extra end.
READ MORE: Canada sets its national curling stage: meet the teams
Jacobs stole a point in the eighth and scored two with hammer in the seventh for a 5-3 lead.