SWIFT CURRENT -- Things are just about settled when it comes to teams advancing to the women’s championship draw at the RBC Dominion Securities Showdown in Swift Current.
The ultra-elite event features some of the top men’s and women’s rinks from all over the world battling it out for $50,000 Thursday through Monday.
Three more teams punched their ticket to the women’s final bracket on Saturday, thanks to winning their respective B side finals.
Kamloops’ Corryn Brown, third Erin Pincott, second Sarah Koltun and lead Samantha Fisher scored a pair in the eighth end to take a 7-6 win over Victoria’s Kayla MacMillan and book one of the spots.
Things were a lot more comfortable for Ste. Adolphe, Man.’s Kate Cameron and her rink of third Taylor McDonald, second Brianna Cullen and lead Mackenzie Elias, as they needed only six ends to take a 6-1 win over Michigan’s Delaney Strouse in their B Final.
Regina’s Michelle Englot didn’t have a lot of luck in their B qualifier, falling 5-2 to Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa, third Chinami Yoshida, second Yumi Suzuki and lead Yurika Yoshida.
Englot was to face Saskatoon’s Ashley Thevenot in one of three C side finals during the 9 p.m. draw Saturday.
One of the marquee matches of the day came in the C semifinal, where Kaitlyn Lawes took an 8-3 win over Kerri Einarson, advancing to the C qualifier and eliminating Einarson.
Saskatoon’s Rylan Kleiter has moved a single win away from qualifying through the A side in the men’s draw.
Kleiter defeated New Westminster, B.C.’s Brent Pierce 8-6 in his semifinal, scoring three in the eighth end to secure the victory.
They’ll face a name familiar to Saskatchewan curling fans in Matt Dunstone, who scored a pair in the eighth to take a 5-4 win over fellow Winnipeg-based competitor Reid Carruthers.
That contest goes at 11:15 a.m. Sunday.
Toronto’s John Epping made short work of Edmonton’s Brad Jacobs in one of the other A bracket semifinals, scoring three in the fourth and five in the fifth for an 11-2 win.
Epping takes on Saskatoon’s Mike McEwen thanks to a four-spot in the seventh end that gave the reigning Tankard champion an 8-3 win over Minnesota’s Korey Dropkin.
Their semifinal takes place at 8 a.m.
All the action is at the Swift Current Curling Club, and you can follow along with all the scores on www.curlingzone.com.
