Dropping three straight games at their last event might have been just what Brad Jacobs and his team needed before playing in Canada’s Olympic curling trials.
A quick exit from the recent Grand Slam competition forced the veteran rink to step up its game and preparation. The results are showing so far this week at SaskTel Centre.
Jacobs was in full control against defending champ Kevin Koe on Thursday, posting a key 8-2 victory against a fellow contender to move into sole possession of second place at 5-1.
“We’re enjoying just being able to go out there and sort of strut our stuff and give it everything we’ve got on every single shot,” Jacobs said. “That’s really all that we’re concerned about.”
A 1-3 mark at the National in Chestermere, Alta., served as a wake-up call before the biggest domestic event of the quadrennial. Jacobs described the showing as “getting our butts handed to us.”
“It was the best thing that could have happened,” said third Marc Kennedy. “I think we had a season where we were playing pretty good but we were getting quite a few misses from other teams.
“In Chestermere, it was teams playing really well against us and us kind of knowing, ‘OK we need to pick up our game. We need to prepare hard and we’ve got to realize that this is not going to come easy.'”
At the trials, the powerful front end of Ryan Harnden and E.J. Harnden have set things up nicely for Kennedy and Jacobs, who have delivered for a team that appears efficient, engaged and energized.
“We’ve been feeding off each other really well and it has been working,” Kennedy said.
Jacobs opened with three impressive victories and his team threw 94 per cent in its only loss, an extra-end defeat to Brad Gushue. Quite a turnaround after scoring just nine points over three losses at the National.
“I would say that we weren’t nearly as engaged as we have to be,” Jacobs said of the Slam. “We work really hard on the technical side of things and that didn’t come out that week. We were fooled by the ice and by the rocks.
“That really comes down to just being ready to play every time that you step out on the ice. That’s our normal selves and we weren’t our normal selves in that last event.”
Jacobs has been showing the same form that led him to victory in the 2013 trials. He went on to win Olympic gold the following year.
Kennedy, who joined the team in 2019, won Olympic gold in 2010 with Kevin Martin and returned to the Games in 2018 with Koe.
Gushue (6-1), meanwhile, secured a playoff spot with a 10-1 rout of Tanner Horgan. Koe fell into a third-place tie at 4-2 with Mike McEwen, who beat John Epping 6-2.
WATCH | McEwen capitalizes on Epping’s struggles:
McEwen defeats Epping at curling trials
3 hours ago
Team Epping struggled Thursday at the curling trials as Team Mike McEwen took advantage claiming a 6-2 win. 0:56
“The intensity is rising,” Jacobs said. “There’s no doubt about it. There’s a lot more on the line now. Every single game now is really affecting the standings and there’s a lot of really good games left.”
Round-robin play wraps up Friday night. The top three teams will make the playoffs.
Epping (3-3) and Jason Gunnlaugson (2-4) still have a chance at weekend play. Gunnlaugson nearly scored three to force an extra end but a measure confirmed a deuce in a 7-6 loss to Brendan Bottcher.
Bottcher fell to 2-5 ahead of Horgan (1-5) and the idle Matt Dunstone (1-5).
Tracy Fleury (6-0) booked her playoff ticket with an 11-7 win over Laura Walker. She can lock up the first seed and a bye to Sunday’s final with a victory over Casey Scheidegger on Thursday evening.
WATCH | Fleury defeats Walker to secure playoff spot:
Undefeated Tracy Fleury books a spot in Olympic curling trials playoffs
8 hours ago
Tracy Fleury scored a pair of triples on the way to defeating Laura Walker’s rink 11-7 to improve to 6-0 and book a spot in the playoffs at the Canadian Olympic curling trials in Saskatoon, Sask. 0:39
In the other morning games, Rachel Homan beat Jennifer Jones 7-5, Krista McCarville edged Kelsey Rocque 8-7 and Scheidegger topped Jacqueline Harrison 7-6.
Jones entered the late draw in second place at 5-2 and McCarville was third at 4-3.
Kerri Einarson and Scheidegger were still in the mix at 3-3 while Walker, Homan and Harrison were clinging to faint playoff hopes at 2-4. Rocque fell to 1-5 and will not make the cut.
Tiebreakers (if needed) and semifinals will be played Saturday. The Beijing Games are set for Feb. 4-20.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
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