Kevin Koe is off to the Boston Pizza Cup playoffs after defeating Brock Virtue 7-2 in seven ends of the all-Calgary rink A-final Thursday night in Wainwright, Alta.
Team Koe opened the game with a deuce in the first and never relinquished the lead. The teams traded singles through the second and third ends and Virtue added another point in the fourth to keep it close trailing 3-2.
Koe, a three-time Alberta champion, iced the game scoring two in the sixth and stealing a pair in seven.
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Team Virtue dropped to the B-pool semifinals and will face Jamie King of St. Albert. King broke a 1-1 tie with a three-ender in the fifth and stayed in front for a 6-5 win over Tom Sallows from Grande Prairie.
Elsewhere, Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher rolled to an 11-1 rout in six ends over Brent Bawel of Airdrie. Bottcher broke out with a four-ender in the first, stole one in the second, two in the third and another point in four to lead 8-0 early. Bawel got on the board with a single in the fifth but Bottcher kept up the offence with a three-ender in six.
Bottcher meets Calgary’s Matthew Blandford in the other B semifinal. Blandford scored three in the fifth followed by a steal of five to lift his team to a 9-3 victory in six ends over James Pahl of Edmonton.
The winner of the Boston Pizza Cup will represent Alberta at the Tim Hortons Brier, starting Feb. 28 in Calgary. Watch coverage of the Boston Pizza Cup starting Sunday at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Sportsnet West.
