(by Jonathan Brazeau) SELKIRK, Man. — Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen scored four in the second and three in the fourth to slip past Olympic champion Brad Jacobs 7-2 in five ends Saturday and punch his ticket into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling men’s final.
McEwen fired his final stone for a double takeout for the four-ender in two and leaped on the ice in celebration as the Manitoba crowd roared.
“That was probably one of our best games of the year as far as making some really, really difficult shots,” McEwen said. “That was fun because as far as the men’s teams are concerned, we’re the last Manitoba team standing so it felt like the crowd was really behind us so that definitely felt really good.”
Jacobs, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., opened the scoring with a single in the first and settled for another point in the third but couldn’t overcome the deficit and shook hands early.
McEwen will face Brad Gushue of St. John’s, who edged Toronto’s John Epping 6-5 in the extra end.
It was a back-and-forth battle to start as both rinks traded deuces and then singles before Gushue stole a point in the fifth and another in the sixth to lead 5-3. Epping charged back with another single in the seventh and stole one in the eighth to tie it.
Gushue faced two with his final shot of the extra end but nailed the single takeout to grab the winning point.
The men’s final takes place Sunday at 4 p.m. AT / Noon PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.
Sweeting slides into Masters women’s final
Edmonton’s Val Sweeting made no mistake to score one in the extra end to beat two-time defending champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa 4-3 Saturday and reach the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final.
Trailing 2-1, Sweeting tied the game with a single in the sixth and stole one in the seventh to pull ahead 3-2. Homan held the hammer in the eighth but came up short on the attempt to score a deuce and tied it.
Sweeting faces Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson, who stunned home province favourite Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg 5-4 with the decisive single in the final end.
In a rematch of the Olympic gold medal game final, Sigfridsson broke a 1-1 tie with a steal of one in the fourth. The two rinks traded deuces through the fifth and sixth ends and Jones was forced to settle for one in the seventh to tie it 4-4.
The women’s final takes place Sunday at 12 noon AT / 8 a.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.