(by Jonathan Brazeau)
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Brad Gushue could have been on the ice all night signing autographs and taking pictures with fans at the Players’ Championship on Friday.
Who could blame him as the St. John’s skip and his team are the clear fan favourites once again in the Grand Slam of Curling series.
Gushue received vocal support at the Syncrude National last month in Fort McMurray, Alta., with a pro-Newfoundland and Labrador crowd on hand cheering and waving flags. Gushue’s teammates Adam Casey and Brett Gallant are both originally from P.E.I. and are receiving rock stars treatment this time around in their native province.
“We strategically pick players for where the Slams are I guess,” Gushue said with a laugh. “It’s been great, they’ve been treating us really well and it’s fun. It’s always fun to see people’s reactions and see the positive reactions when you play or even just to meet you.”
The team is off to a hot start at the Players’ Championship. Gushue’s rink heads to the playoffs with a 4-1 record in the round-robin, including a 7-2 victory over Scotland’s David Murdoch and a 7-1 rout over Glenn Howard, from Penetanguishene, Ont.
Gushue capped the round-robin in Draw 11 with an 8-4 win over Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock that was closer than it seems. A score of four in the fourth gave Gushue a 5-2 lead but Laycock rallied right back with a double in fifth. Gushue settled for a single in the sixth but capitalized on a miss in the seventh to steal two and seal the game.
“We got a four there that opened it up a little bit but with the five-rock rule no lead is really big and they came back with a deuce,” Gushue said. “It was a tight game. We knew that one bad shot could let them back into it and fortunately we kept the pressure on and the miss out of them in seventh end to finish it off.”
Elsewhere in Draw 11 action, Edmonton’s Kevin Martin held on to beat Scotland’s David Murdoch 5-3. Martin broke a 2-2 tie with a steal of two in the fifth.
In the women’s division, Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton defeated Calgary’s Crystal Webster 5-3. Lawton will face Ottawa’s Rachel Homan in the quarterfinals.
Julie Hastings, from Thornhill, Ont., iced Edmonton’s Valerie Sweeting 6-5 with a single in the extra end.