Carruthers rules ice

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/10/2016 (3512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — After a tense war of attrition, it was West St. Paul’s Reid Carruthers who was left standing Monday night at the Canad Inns Men’s Classic in Portage la Prairie.

Carruthers outlasted a strong challenge from Alberta’s Charley Thomas in a 6-5 nail-bitter in eight ends at the $60,000 event at the Portage Curling Club. 

It’s the first title for Carruthers, a former second for Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton, at the marquee event on the World Curling Tour schedule. 

“It was a battle for both of us. We were both running (at) probably very similar energy levels and it was just a matter of outlasting them,” said Carruthers, after his sixth game (four of which were elimination games) in two days. 

“We got one break just to get a deuce in the fourth end and then made a good shot in the sixth end, the guys swept it perfectly. It’s just one of those games that really was a coin flip, but it flipped the right way this time.”

Carruthers, ranked third on the WCT’s Order of Merit, blanked the first end before taking two in the second for an early 2-0 lead. Thomas rallied for two of his own in the third to tie it at 2-2. The runner-up had a chance to threaten a steal in the fourth but whiffed on his takeout attempt, allowing Carruthers to make the easy draw to the four-foot to regain a two-point advantage at 4-2.

After making it 4-3, Thomas capitalized on a rare Carruthers’ error in the sixth end, stealing one to tie the game at four apiece.

But Carruthers wasn’t to be denied, drawing to the button for the umpteenth time on the day to take two back in the seventh to seal his $18,000 payday.

“We managed to basically manage the scoreboard today,” Carruthers said. “This is a good statement. Provincials are in Portage, too, if I remember correctly.”

The win also left one member of Carruthers’ team struggling to hold back the tears. 

Canad Inns renamed the winner’s trophy four years ago after Dave Elias, a two-time provincial champion who died in 2013 from liver cancer.

The two-time Brier competitor was a mentor to Carruthers and his second, Derek Samagalski, the latter who paid an emotional tribute to Elias after accepting the trophy

“It definitely means a lot,” said Samagalski, tears welling in his eyes. “He taught us a lot, and we couldn’t be more proud hoisting his trophy, and I know he’d be proud of us.” 

Carruthers qualified for Monday’s playoff bracket with a convincing 8-3 win over Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher in five ends on Sunday night.

In Sunday morning’s quarter-final, Carruthers dispatched 2012 champ and currently world No. 2 Kevin Koe 9-4.

Carruthers worked his way out of a jam in the sixth end with the hammer in the semifinal against Saskatchewan’s Shaun Meachem.

Staring down Meachem, who was lying four, Carruthers needed to draw to the button to rescue a single.

“I gave it to my sweepers and they made it for me,” said Carruthers, who stole a single in the eighth to win 4-2. “We would have lost. We would have given up a steal of two, minimum, and the momentum was gone.

“We were playing in a spot (on the ice) that wasn’t played earlier in the game. So (the shot) was really heavy and a really, really tricky draw.”

Thomas reached the final after exacting a little revenge on 2015 champion Steve Laycock.

A year ago, Thomas was on the losing end of a semifinal matchup between the two rinks. That changed Monday afternoon.

Thomas bounced after Laycock stole a single in the first end. In the second end, Thomas was left counting two and said his team rode that momentum to a 5-4 win.

“We’ve lost to him once this year. They’re a really tough team to beat,” Thomas said. “Those two points in the second end was a big rebound for us.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @scottbilleck