Brad Gushue continues to cut a fine swath through a very talented field at the Victoria Curling Classic.
The popular Newfoundland skip, a gold medallist from the 2006 Olympic Games, disposed of 2010 Brier and World champion Kevin Koe 5-3 in one of three A-event qualifiers at the eighth annual VCC on Friday morning at Archie Browning Sports Centre.
鈥淎ny time you can qualify through the A-event in a field like this is nice,鈥� he said after the win, which advances Gushue and his rink of third Adam Casey, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker to tonight鈥檚鈥� quarter-finals.
鈥淲e looked at our road. We had the U.S. national team and then [Kevin] Martin and Koe, so you know you鈥檙e going to have to play well to get through those guys.
鈥淲e played two of the best teams in the world and I thought we played very well and in control. We were one up, coming home with the hammer in both, which is a nice situation to be in.鈥�
Those two victories came after a quick 11-2 thumping in just six ends of American Brady Clark, who will be competing in the 2013 Ford World Men鈥檚 Curling Championship beginning next weekend at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Gushue recently finished fourth at the Brier in Edmonton, having lost 7-6 in an extra end to Glenn Howard in the bronze-medal game. Gushue also dropped a 6-5 extra-end decision to eventual Brier champion Brad Jacobs in the Page Playoff 3-4 matchup.
鈥淲e鈥檙e having fun. We鈥檙e pretty relaxed after a run at the Brier,鈥� said Gushue. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long three weeks for us and the guys haven鈥檛 been home at all. We鈥檙e just trying to go out, enjoy ourselves and have some fun and it鈥檚 turned into some good curling.鈥�
Gushue used deuces in the second and fifth ends Friday, after blanks in the first two, to defeat Koe.
Howard, meanwhile, suffered a pick on his last rock of the final eighth end, but still managed to defeat Manitoba鈥檚 Jeff Stoughton 6-5 for the second of three A-qualifying spots.
鈥淲hen it picked, it kind of caused it to sling-shot. The rock kept its weight. We just kept sweeping it all the way down and somehow got shot rock out of it. It would have been a horrible, bad break and it ended up being a good break,鈥� said Howard, who was elated to grab an A-qualifier.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what you want to do, go through A and now we get a bit of a break. Now maybe we can play a little golf and enjoy Victoria.鈥�
Howard stole one in the second end and added a theft of two in the third before Stoughton blazed back with a three-ender in the fourth. Stoughton鈥檚 deuce in the seventh gave Howard hammer in the eighth and he survived the pick, his last stone just out-counting Stoughton鈥檚 with a rub.
Sweden鈥檚 Niklas Edin, who will also be at Worlds, scored two in an extra end to defeat Manitoba鈥檚 Mike McEwen 7-5 in the other A-qualifier.
Edin recorded a three-ender in the sixth before forcing McEwen to one in the eighth and winning it in the extra end.
Koe dropped down into the B-side of the triple-knockout event and lost 3-0 to Rob Fowler of Manitoba in a qualifier. Stoughton defeated Edmonton鈥檚 Steve Petryk 5-4 in another and McEwen was forced into a tough late matchup with Martin (in progress at press time), who edged Norway鈥檚 Thomas Ulsrud 6-5 in an extra end in the afternoon draw.
Playoffs begin tonight at 7:30 with the quarter-finals. The semifinals go Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by the championship game at 2 p.m.
