Olympic Qualifying events: Birt loses close opener, Gunnlaugson with Casey 1-1, Brothers with Carmody 0-2

The Canadian Curling Trials Direct-Entry Event and Canadian Curling Pre-Trials Direct-Entry Events run through Sunday at the RA Centre’s new-look Curling Centre of Excellence facility in Ottawa, offering teams berths into either the Tim Hortons Curling Trials, presented by AGI, in late November or the Home Hardware Curling Pre-Trials in late October.

PEI’s Team Birt is in the Trials Direct Entry event and is 0-1 following a 9-7 loss to BC’s Corryn Brown, who picked up 4 in the last end for the come-from-behind win. The Island rink takes on Team Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge AB in their second round-robin match at 9 pm Friday. Their last round-robin games go Saturday at 2 pm – vs. Team Rocque and 10 pm – vs. Team Walker.

Manitoba’s Team Gunnlaugson, which includes Islander Adam Casey at third, split their opening games in Men’s Trials Direct Entry round-robin play, doubling Saskatchewan’s Team Flasch 8-4, but losing to Winnipeg’s Mike MacEwen, also by an 8-4 score. They take on Team Glenn Howard (1-1) at 1 pm Friday, and Team Matt Dunstone (1-1) at 9 pm.

At the Women’s  Pre-Trials Direct Entry event, Team Brothers from Halifax, which includes PEI’s Erin Carmody at third stone is 0-2, following losses to Quebec’s St-Georges rink and Ottawa’s Team Mann. Brothers is now in the “C” event and plays St-Georges in a must-win game at 9 am Friday.

Photos at Curling Canada’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/curlingcanada/photos_by