Calgary’s Kevin Koe, Regina’s Matt Dunstone and Scotland’s Bruce Mouat joined Brad Gushue of St. John’s N.L., and Sweden’s Niklas Edin in the men’s playoffs of the Grand Slam of Curling’s National on Friday.
Koe advanced with a 6-5 win over Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz, Dunstone downed Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., 7-2 and Mouat thumped countryman Ross Whyte 8-2 in Friday’s B-qualifiers.
READ MORE: Koe wins against Bottcher, Einarson falls to Duncan at Grand Slam of Curling’s National event
The $300,00 National featuring 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams is a triple knockout of three brackets.
Teams need to win three games in order to make the playoffs. Each loss drops a foursome to a lower bracket. Three losses eliminates teams from contention.
Gushue, a three-time Canadian champion, and five-time world champion Niklas Edin had already advanced out of the men’s A bracket with 3-0 records at the Chestermere Recreation Centre.
Howard, de Cruz and Whyte need victories in Saturday’s C bracket to avoid elimination.
Earlier, Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller ousted Winnipeg’s Jason Gunnlaugson 7-6 and Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen bounced defending champion Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 4-3 in an extra end.
Winnipeg’s Braden Calvert was eliminated in a 5-4 loss in an extra end to Canadian champion Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton.
On the women’s side, Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque and Sweden’s Isabella Wrana and Anna Hasselborg reached the quarterfinals with wins Friday.
Rocque needed only five ends for a 9-1 win over Hollie Duncan of Woodstock, Ont. Wrana beat Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones 7-4 and Hasselborg posted an 8-4 win over Corryn Brown of Kamloops, B.C.
Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., and Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni had topped the A-qualifier with 3-0 records to advance.
Ottawa’s Rachel Homan avoided elimination in the C bracket with a 4-3 win over South Korea’s Min-Ji Kim. Duncan, Jones and Brown joined Homan in the C with their losses.
Edmonton’s Laura Walker eliminated reigning Canadian women’s champion Kerri Einarson 6-5 in the morning draw. A measurement on Walker’s final stone confirmed the victory and the end of the tournament for Einarson of Gimli, Man.
Competition continues through Sunday.
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