(by Fred Rinne)
Brad Gushue of Newfoundland/Labrador was eliminated Wednesday, but was happy to get back on track in a 10-5 win over P.E.I. (3-8).
“It’s nice to get a win and hopefully we’ll get another win tonight and finish 5-6 — which is not nearly what we had hoped for coming into the week, but with the start we got off to, it shows that we hung tough.”
The playoff scenario at the Saskatoon Tim Hortons Brier sorted itself out Thursday afternoon – mostly. As a result of the on-ice action, Territorial skip Jamie Koe controls his destiny and that of the field tonight when he takes on Jim Cotter (4-6) of B.C.
Simply, if Koe wins, he goes 7-4, grabs fourth place and cuts adrift the rest of the field meaning there will be no tiebreakers.
Jamie Koe watches his play at the 2012 Tim Hortons Brier.
(Photo: CCA/Michael Burns Photography)
Should Koe falter, and Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs beats Saskatchewan’s Scott Manners, Jacobs and Koe will play a Friday afternoon tiebreaker.
Jacobs went into his game with Rob Fowler’s Manitoba crew and controlled his destiny as well, but came up short in a 10-4 loss he chased right from the get-go.
Jacobs thus needs help from B.C. who also lost any chance of hanging around for a log-jam five-loss tiebreaking scenario when Cotter’s last draw against two New Brunswick stones to force an extra end came up short.
Meanwhile Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario are through, but tonight’s marquee match-up between Ontario’s Glenn Howard (9-1) and Alberta’s Kevin Koe (8-2) has big ramifications.
Howard knows he’ll be in the 1-2 Page playoff game regardless, but should Koe win, he’ll be the one seed based on head-to-head.
Manitoba’s Fowler will sit and watch and should Howard win, Koe would drop to the three spot as a result of his loss to Fowler last night.