(by Jonathan Brazeau)

Gushue grabs 11th GSOC title at Princess Auto Elite 10

CHATHAM-KENT, Ont. — Brad Gushue has started his season right where he finished the last one: in the winner’s circle at the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.

Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker celebrate with the Princess Auto Elite 10 men’s trophy Sunday in Chatham-Kent, Ont. (Anil Mungal)

Gushue and his St. John’s, N.L., crew closed out the previous Olympic cycle back in April capturing the Humpty’s Champions Cup and picked up where they left off by claiming the Princess Auto Elite 10 men’s title.

Team Gushue topped Reid Carruthers and his Winnipeg club 1 UP (two skins to one in eight ends) in Sunday’s final at the soldout Thames Campus Arena.

It’s the 11th Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling championship for Gushue, who earned $30,000 plus 12 Pinty’s Cup points, and his 10th in four years since third Mark Nichols rejoined the squad in 2014.

“I just love curling with these guys,” said Gushue, whose team also includes second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker. “We have a ton of fun out there. We’re joking around, we’re ribbing each other. It’s fun and I think the fact that we have this much fun, it keeps us loose in big moments like this and allows us to perform the way we have in these big games.”

Click for the full story at the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling website.

Hasselborg makes GSOC history winning 1st Elite 10 women’s title

CHATHAM-KENT, Ont. — History was made in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.

Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg claimed the inaugural Princess Auto Elite 10 women’s championship after hammering Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni 4-and-2 (four skins to none in six ends) during Sunday’s all-European final. [The Tirinzoni rink is coached by PEI’s Peter Gallant.]

It’s also the first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title for the reigning Olympic gold medallists, and the first for a Swedish women’s team, as they had been two-time finalists but the third time was the charm.

“It’s huge and also winning our first Slam, that is crazy for us,” Team Hasselborg third Sara McManus said. “We’re super, super happy.”

Click for the full story at the Grand Slam website.