(by Devin Heroux)
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. — The field of 18 teams has been cut in half as the playoffs begin at the mixed doubles Olympic curling trials in Portage la Prairie, Man.
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Brett Gallant, right, and Jocelyn Peterman needed seven ends to secure the win in the 17th draw and finish atop Pool A with an 8-0 record. (@CurlingCanada/Twitter)
The teams of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant and Laura Crocker and Geoff Walker went undefeated in round-robin play, posting perfect 8-0 records in their respective pools.
“First place is nice but if you’re looking at who you’re going to get in the next round, you’re not going to want to choose anybody,” Gallant said.
Olympic champions Jennifer Jones and Mark Nichols finished second in Pool A with a record of 6-2.
“We’re exactly where we wanted to be at the beginning of the week,” Jones said. “We wanted to get better each day and all in all we’re doing that.”
Dana Ferguson and Brendan Bottcher clinched second in Pool B, also with a 6-2 record.
The top two teams in each pool automatically qualified for the playoffs. After that, the next four best teams overall, regardless of pool, advanced.
There is still one spot left up for grabs. The duo of Nancy Martin and Catlin Schneider take on Chelsea Carey and Colin Hodgson in a single-game tiebreaker to determine who moves onto the playoffs. Watch it live at 10:30 a.m. AT only on CBCSports.ca.