AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 Aaron Sluchinski, ManitobaSA国际影视传媒檚 Reid Carruthers and wild-card Kevin Koe completed the 18-team field for the national menSA国际影视传媒檚 curling championship Sunday.
Carruthers, whose team is skipped by Brad Jacobs, doubled Braden Calvert 6-3 in ManitobaSA国际影视传媒檚 menSA国际影视传媒檚 final in Stonewall.
Jacobs, winner of 11 Northern Ontario championships and an Olympic gold medal in 2014, came out of retirement to join CarruthersSA国际影视传媒� team last year. Carruthers announced in December his shift to throwing third stones to make Jacobs his skip.
Jacobs will wear Manitoba colours March 1-10 at the MontanaSA国际影视传媒檚 Brier in Regina.
SA国际影视传媒淭his was an eye-opening experience for me,SA国际影视传媒� Jacobs told Curl Manitoba. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檝e never played a provincial championship in Manitoba before.
SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 a ton of talent here. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 great young teams and players coming up. Team Calvert, obviously a world-class team. They played awesome today. I feel for them right now. It sucks to lose that final, but ISA国际影视传媒檓 sure theySA国际影视传媒檒l keep working hard and we have a ton of respect for them.SA国际影视传媒�
Jacobs, Carruthers, second Derek Samagalski and Connor Njegovan led 4-3 after eight ends Sunday. Calvert blanked the ninth and gave up a steal of two in the 10th.
Sluchinski upset Koe 6-3 in AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 final Sunday. Sluchinski, third Jeremy Harty, second Kerr Drummond and lead Dylan Webster from the Airdrie Curling Club scored two in the first end and stole a point in the seventh to lead 5-1.
After blanking the eighth, Koe, who comes from Yellowknife, scored two to trail by two coming home without hammer. Sluchinski hit against three Koe stones to secure the provincial title in Hinton.
Four-time Brier champion Koe earned the third and final wild-card berth by virtue of this seasonSA国际影视传媒檚 highest national rank among non-qualified menSA国际影视传媒檚 teams at No. 3.
The 2024 Brier will feature three teams from Alberta.
Under new Curling Canada entry criteria, AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 Brendan Bottcher and ManitobaSA国际影视传媒檚 Matt Dunstone pre-qualified for the 2024 Brier last year based on their rankings at the end of the 2022-23 season. Gushue returns to the Brier as defending champion.
Other teams headed to Regina are SaskatchewanSA国际影视传媒檚 Mike McEwen, B.C.SA国际影视传媒檚 Catlin Schneider, Newfoundland and LabradorSA国际影视传媒檚 Andrew Symonds, New BrunswickSA国际影视传媒檚 James Grattan, Northern OntarioSA国际影视传媒檚 Trevor Bonot, Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories, OntarioSA国际影视传媒檚 Glenn Howard, Nova ScotiaSA国际影视传媒檚 Matthew Manuel, NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 Shane Latimer, Prince Edward IslandSA国际影视传媒檚 Tyler Smith, QuebecSA国际影视传媒檚 Julien Tremblay and YukonSA国际影视传媒檚 Thomas Scoffin.
The winner represents Canada at the world menSA国际影视传媒檚 championship March 30 to April 7 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
The 18-team Canadian womenSA国际影视传媒檚 curling championship starts Friday in Calgary.
Four-time defending Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Kerri Einarson returns as Team Canada with OntarioSA国际影视传媒檚 Rachel Homan and ManitobaSA国际影视传媒檚 Jennifer Jones pre-qualified based on last seasonSA国际影视传媒檚 rankings.
The lineup also includes Northern OntarioSA国际影视传媒檚 Krista McCarville, B.C.SA国际影视传媒檚 Clancy Grandy and Corryn Brown, QuebecSA国际影视传媒檚 Laurie St-Georges, Kerry Galusha of the Northwest Territories, Nova ScotiaSA国际影视传媒檚 Heather Smith, AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 Selena Sturmay, ManitobaSA国际影视传媒檚 Kaitlyn Lawes and Kate Cameron, New BrunswickSA国际影视传媒檚 Melissa Adams, Stacie Curtis of Newfoundland and Labrador, OntarioSA国际影视传媒檚 Danielle Inglis, Jane DiCarlo of Prince Edward Island, SaskatchewanSA国际影视传媒檚 Skylar Ackerman and YukonSA国际影视传媒檚 Bayly Scoffin. Nunavut will not enter a team.
The Hearts winner Feb. 25 represents Canada at the womenSA国际影视传媒檚 world curling championship March 16-24 in Sydney, N.S.
SA国际影视传媒擝y The Canadian Press
