Howard, Martin set pace, Stoughton also advances

Posted: 1:00 AM CST Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012

PRE-TOURNAMENT favourites Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard ran the table in the round robin and will have the top two seeds heading into today's quarter-finals at the Pomeroy Inn & Suites National in Dawson Creek, B.C.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/01/2012 (5227 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PRE-TOURNAMENT favourites Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard ran the table in the round robin and will have the top two seeds heading into today’s quarter-finals at the Pomeroy Inn & Suites National in Dawson Creek, B.C.

Martin, the defending champion, is looking to win the third leg of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling for the fifth time in seven years. The Edmonton skip completed his 5-0 run through Pool B by stealing the winning point on the eighth and final end in an 8-7 victory over Calgary’s Brent Bawel, then scored six points over two ends in a 9-7 win over Edmonton’s Robert Schlender.

Howard last won the National in 2004, but his third Wayne Middaugh skipped teams to the bonspiel title in 2005 and ’08. The rink from Coldwater, Ont., won three times in Pool C action on Friday — 8-2 over Rob Rumfeldt of Guelph, Ont.; 9-2 over Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock; and 7-4 over Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton.

CP
Michael Burns / the canadian press archives
Glenn Howard made quick work of the opposition on Friday. — CP Michael Burns / the canadian press archives Glenn Howard made quick work of the opposition on Friday.

Jim Cotter of Vernon, B.C., is seeded third as he was the lone skip to finish at 4-1 to claim first in Pool A. He edged Calgary’s Brock Virtue 6-5 on Friday, then beat Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud 7-3.

Six other rinks finished at 3-2 and tied for the final five playoff spots. Stoughton, Ulsrud, Brad Gushue of St. John’s and Edmonton’s Kevin Koe all received direct berths into the quarters, while Bawel and Sweden’s Niklas Edin will meet in a tiebreaker on Saturday morning. Edin doubled up Bawel 8-4 in the final round-robin draw to force the play-in game.

Koe beat Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 6-5 in an extra end on Friday in what amounted to a playoff game as both rinks came into the final draw with 2-2 records.