NISKU, Alta. — Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat and Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs climbed to 3-0 records to remain atop the table in the Co-op Canadian Open.
Mouat defeated Canada’s Team Mike McEwen 7-3 and Jacobs beat Switzerland’s Team Marco Hösli 4-3 during Draw 10 Thursday afternoon at the Silent Ice Center.
McEwen and Hösli fell to 1-2 records and must win their final round-robin games Friday to remain in the mix.
Although Team McEwen won the draw-to-the-button shootout to secure hammer to start, the Saskatoon-based squad couldn’t convert for a multiple count. McEwen tapped into the cluster with his last shot of the first end and only scored a single.
Mouat went to work in the second and tapped out McEwen’s exposed rock for a count of three.
“It feels good,” said Mouat, who earned his seventh Grand Slam title last month in the HearingLife Tour Challenge. “We’re playing well again. A really strong performance from the guys there. The three in the second end set us up really nicely for control of the game. I’m feeling at ease and enjoying the ice and crowd and this arena is really cool.”
McEwen’s shooter glanced off Mouat’s shot rock in the four-foot circle and stuck around for a single in three.
Mouat pulled away on the scoreboard with a draw for two in the fourth followed by a steal of two in the fifth as McEwen flashed his last rock.
With Mouat sitting two again in six, McEwen made a tap for a single and shook hands.
“We like having rocks in play as a lot of people know but we just kind of love trying to put pressure on the other team,” Mouat said. “Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t and today it did.”
Meanwhile, Team Jacobs trailed by one heading into the eighth end, but the Calgary-based club held the hammer for the final frame. Jacobs fired straight into the pile for a double takeout to score two for the win.
“That was a really great battle,” Jacobs said. “That Hösli rink played incredible today. I’m really proud of my guys for our patience and just hanging in there all game. It could have been a little frustrating at times and we kept our cool and I think that’s why we were rewarded with the win today.”
Jacobs is also carrying momentum as his team captured the Nufloors Penticton Curling Classic title two weekends ago in Penticton, B.C. It was the first tour win for Jacobs since joining forces with third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert during the off-season.
“I think we all feel as though things are coming together nicely right now,” Jacobs said. “We’ve worked really hard to get to this point. We’ve had a lot of really in-depth conversations. For me anyway, it feels like we’re just really coming together as a team. Everybody’s getting a lot more comfortable with one another and that’s a great feeling.”
The HearingLife Tour Challenge took place in Gallant’s hometown of Charlottetown while the team also played in Jacobs’s backyard of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., for the Henderson Metal Fall Classic last month. That theme continues here at the Co-op Canadian Open as Kennedy is from nearby St. Albert.
“Lots of different home games for everyone and it’s been really neat,” Jacobs said. “It would be pretty special to do well here in Edmonton for Marc and his family and for all of our team’s Alberta fans. It feels like we’ve got a lot of support and hopefully, we can continue playing well and continue with some momentum into the playoffs.”
Elsewhere in Draw 10, Winnipeg’s Team Matt Dunstone earned a second straight win by defeating Saskatoon’s Team Rylan Kleiter 8-3.
Dunstone improved to a 2-1 record while Kleiter (0-3) was eliminated from contention.
Switzerland’s Team Yannick Schwaller scored a single in the extra end to edge Team John Shuster of the United States 8-7.
Christopher Plys skipped the short-handed American squad as Shuster wasn’t feeling well and did not play.
UP NEXT
Two more draws are on tap later Thursday. Round-robin play resumes at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. MT with broadcast coverage on Sportsnet One and Sportsnet+.
NOTES
The Co-op Canadian Open is the second Grand Slam of Curling event of the season featuring 16 of the top men’s teams and 16 of the top women’s teams from around the world. … Round-robin play runs through Friday evening. The top eight teams advance to the playoffs. If necessary, one tiebreaker draw will be played Saturday morning. … The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday with both finals on tap Sunday.
