Gushue and Fleury post victories to remain unbeaten at curling trials
Some favourites at Canada's Olympic curling trials are in their expected spot at the top of the round-robin standings. What's more surprising is the star power languishing near the bottom.
Unbeaten skips Brad Gushue and Tracy Fleury earned victories Wednesday at SaskTel Centre to move closer to securing playoff spots.
At the opposite end of the table are reigning national men's champion Brendan Bottcher and defending trials champion Rachel Homan. They were left clinging to faint hopes of weekend play after hitting the dreaded four-loss mark.
"Once the pressure builds to that must-win situation, you start feeling it," said Team Homan coach Marcel Rocque. "Maybe hanging on a little too tight."
Homan was light on a draw against three in the fifth end that put opposing skip Laura Walker in full control. After the shot, Homan looked despondently up at the rings on the video screen and let out a deep breath, eventually falling 11-5.
"She hasn't felt the draw weight very well," Rocque said. "Not for a lack of effort."
That end likely dashed Homan's hopes of leading her four-player team back to the Winter Games after a forgettable debut in 2018.
"We didn't leave anything on the table," said Homan, who threw a game-low 62 per cent. "We are giving it everything we have every game. You can't win all the games and there's a lot of great teams out here."
Fleury got a good test from Jacqueline Harrison in a 9-6 extra-end victory that kept her in first place at 5-0. Harrison drew the four-foot and forced Fleury to make a challenging hit for the win.
"It's nice for us to be able to pull off a close one, just to feel some nerves out there and come out with a win," Fleury said. "It just gives us a little bit of confidence."
Gushue was also alone at 5-0 after a comfortable 9-4 win over Matt Dunstone. A first-end deuce gave Gushue an early lead and he put the game away with three points in the eighth.
"We're playing good, we're not playing great," Gushue said. "We've been fortunate, I'm not going to lie to you. We've had some misses from skips that we haven't seen that often.
"So there's been a little bit of luck. There's (also) been some timely shots by us."
Gushue's side threw a whopping 97 per cent overall, helped by lead Geoff Walker's perfect game.
A men's draw was scheduled for Wednesday night.
Bottcher fell to 1-4 after dropping a 9-7 decision to Kevin Koe (3-1), who's looking to get to Beijing after missing the Olympic podium in 2018.
Brad Jacobs defeated Jason Gunnlaugson 7-5 to sit in second place at 4-1. Mike McEwen edged Tanner Horgan 6-5 in the other morning game and was tied with Koe in third place.
John Epping, who was idle for the morning session, was in fifth place at 2-2. Gunnlaugson and Horgan (both 1-3) were just ahead of Bottcher while Dunstone, the lone Saskatchewan-based entry in the field, remained winless at 0-5.
The top three teams at the end of round-robin play Friday night will advance to the weekend playoffs. A 5-3 record was needed to make the cut at the 2017 trials in Ottawa.
Jennifer Jones was right behind Fleury at 5-1 after an 8-5 win over Kelsey Rocque. Krista McCarville used a single in the 10th end for a 6-5 win over Kerri Einarson that left both teams in a third-place tie at 3-3.
Casey Scheidegger, who had the day off, was 2-3 with Walker and Harrison. Rocque (1-4) joined Homan in last place.
Walker vice Kate Cameron was cleared to play after a COVID-19 PCR test came back negative. She missed Monday's game due to an unspecified illness and the team was off on Tuesday.
"I feel alive today so I'm happy to be here," Cameron said. "Happy to get out of bed and happy to have some energy."
Tiebreakers (if needed) and semifinals will be played Saturday and the finals are scheduled for Sunday. The Beijing Games are set for Feb. 4-20.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.