Both the Manitoba champions, and the Wild Cards have clinched a spot in the championship pool at the Brier in Kingston.
Team Manitoba’s Jason Gunnlaugson scored a pair of victories on Wednesday to get out of the round robin portion safely. Manitoba started the day with an 11-5 win over Nunavut’s Jake Higgs in draw 12. They stole three points in the fourth end en route to a convincing win.
Manitoba then defeated Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy in Wednesday afternoon’s draw 13. Manitoba trailed by a single point in the seventh end, but they scored their deuce with the hammer, then stole a pair in the eighth end in a 9-7 triumph.
They finished pool play with a 5-2 record, good for third place in pool B. The top four teams from each pool advance to the championship pool with Alberta, Newfoundland/Labrador, and Northern Ontario also booking their place in the next round.
The Mike McEwen-led Wild Card rink already clinched their spot in the top four in pool A on Tuesday. They currently lead their pool with a 5-1 record. They’ll close out the preliminary round later on Wednesday against New Brunswick’s James Grattan.
Team Saskatchewan, skipped by Winnipeg’s Matt Dunstone, has also locked up a berth in the next round out of pool A with a 5-1 record.
The other two berths from pool A will be decided later on Wednesday with Canada, New Brunswick, Ontario, British Columbia, and Northwest Territories all in the hunt.
Championship pool play for the eight remaining teams will begin on Thursday.