LIVERPOOL, NS – Tanner Horgan’s rink of Kingston, Ont., Rallied to defeat Jason Gunnlaugson of Morris, Man., 6-5 in an extra inning on Thursday in Canada’s Olympic pre-trials.
The victory improved Horgan’s record to a clear 5-0 and took his group’s first place at the event.
Gunnlaugson remains chasing a playoff berth with a 4-1 record after the loss.
The best Gunnlaugson can hope for is to match Horgan’s record, and the 23-year-old captain living in Sudbury, Ont., Will hold any decisive advantage over Gunnlaugson.
Horgan is now up for the playoffs and will have an ‘extra life’ with a chance to play for qualifying A and reserve his spot in Saskatoon for the 2021 Canadian Curling Trials, which will determine who will represent Canada at the Olympics. of Beijing in 2022..
On the other men’s side, Tyler Tardi (4-1; Langley, BC) took control of a first place in his squad after beating Colton Flasch (4-1; Saskatoon) 10-3.
Winnipeg’s Braden Calvert (2-2;) defeated Winnipeg’s Sean Grassie (0-4) 9-7 after scoring four in the eighth end.
Edmonton’s Karsten Sturmay (2-2) won the Alberta battle over Calgary’s Jeremy Harty (0-4) by a score of 7-4.
Pat Simmons (2-2; Winnipeg Beach, Man.) Improved his record by beating Vincent Roberge (0-4; Saint-Romauld, Que.) 9-6.
After the round robin, the top three teams from each pool will advance to the playoffs starting on Saturday.
The first and second place teams intersect and meet in the first round of the A-side playoffs. The winners of each game meet in the A-side final for the first opportunity to qualify for the Canadian Curling Trials.
The losers of side A’s first round matches enter the side B playoff pool and will face the third-place teams. The winners of the two games meet, with the winner taking on the final loser of Side A for last place at the curling trials.
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