Manitoba's Reid Carruthers joins Saskatchewan's Mike McEwen in Brier playoffs

Reid Carruthers adjusts his hat while playing Yukon during the Brier, in Regina, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

REGINA -

Manitoba's Reid Carruthers has clinched a playoff spot at the Canadian men's curling championship.

Carruthers, whose team is skipped by Brad Jacobs, scored five points in the second end against Yukon's Thomas Scoffin en route to a 6-4 win in the morning draw.

Carruthers, Alberta's Brendan Bottcher and Manitoba's Matt Dunstone were all 6-1 atop Pool B, with Carruthers and Bottcher squaring off in the evening draw.

Dunstone beat Northern Ontario's Trevor Bonot 8-3 to drop the latter to 5-2.

Victories over Dunstone and Bonot earlier in the week assured Carruthers would be among the three teams advancing from that pool into Friday's round of six.

Bottcher beat B.C.'s Catlin Schneider 9-3 in the morning.

Newfoundland and Labrador's Andrew Symonds downed New Brunswick's James Grattan 10-4.

Saskatchewan's Mike McEwen (6-1) had already clinched the top seed in Pool A heading into the afternoon draw.

Defending champion Brad Gushue and Prince Edward Island's Tyler Smith (5-2), Northwest Territories' Jamie Koe and Aaron Sluchinski (4-3) were the other contenders in that pool.

The top three teams from each pool of nine advance to Friday's playoffs when Saturday's four Page playoff teams will be determined.

Tiebreaker games were eliminated from the national men's and women's curling championships this year.

Head-to-head results followed by the best cumulative scores in the button draws that precede each game to determine hammer was the formula.

Sunday's winner represents Canada at the men's world championship March 30 to April 7 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and returns to the 2025 Montana's Brier in Kelowna, B.C., as defending champion.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2024.