PEI’s Eddie MacKenzie rink lost to Team Eazy Express (Brad Jacobs from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) by a 6-0 score in three ends, on Saturday afternoon  at the $40,000 Challenge Chateau Cartier de Gatineau cashspiel in Gatineau Quebec, and were eliminated from further play. Team Eazy Express went on to beat the Guy Hemmings rink and grab one of the final qualifiers for this morning’s quarter-final round at 10 Atlantic.

The MacKenzie rink stole a deuce in an extra end to win their opener, 6-5 over the Bowie Abbis-Mills team from Aylmer Ont. on Thursday. The PEI foursome, which includes third Anson Carmody, second Christian Tolusso who is originally from Ottawa, just across the river from Gatineau, and lead Alex MacFadyen, lost their next two games, 9-5 to Bryan Cochrane of Ottawa on Thursday, and 8-6 to Michael Fournier of Montreal.

Ian MacAulay

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue rink, which includes PEI natives Adam Casey and Brett Gallant, along with the Mark Dacey rink from Halifax, went undefeated and earned a day off Saturday and  “A” side berths in the  quarter-finals. Dacey plays Mark Kean of Toronto, Gushue faces Team Eazy Express, with Martin Ferland of Quebec taking on Gregg Balsdon of Toronto, and Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard battling Souris PEI native Ian MacAulay, now curling out of Ottawa, in the other quarters.

The semi-finals go at noon Eastern, with the final at 3:30 ET/4:30 pm AT.

Prize breakdown is as follows: 1st: $10,000 2nd: $7,000 3/4: $4,500 5/8: $3,500. 30 teams are entered.

Results: http://www.ontariocurlingtour.com/events.php?eventid=2739