(Saskatoon) Suffering three straight losses in a recent competition was perhaps what Brad Jacobs and his team needed to be ready for the Olympic curling trials.
A hasty Grand Slam elimination caused the veteran to roll up his sleeves, and we see the result at the SaskTel Center.
Jacobs defeated defending champion Kevin Koe 8-2 on Thursday. He is alone in second place (5-1).
“All we care about is giving it our all on every throw,” Jacobs summed up.
A 1-3 record at the National in Alberta served as a wake-up call.
“It was the best thing that could have happened to us,” said a member of his team, Marc Kennedy.
“Before that in the season we played very well, but our rivals also made several mistakes.
“(Following the National), we knew we had to do better: be better prepared and be aware that the matches will not be easy. ”
Up front, Ryan Harnden and EJ Harnden do a great job for Kennedy and Jacobs.
The team won their first three games of the competition.
Jacobs passed the Olympic Trials in 2013 en route to Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014.
Kennedy, who joined the club in 2019, won gold at the 2010 Olympics, along with Kevin Martin. He took part in the 2018 Games with Koe.
Brad Gushue (6-1) is sure to move on to the knockout phase, having roughed up Tanner Horgan 10-1.
Koe and Mike McEwen are third at 4-2.
“The intensity has gone up a notch because the stakes are higher,” said Jacobs. Each match affects the ranking a lot. ”
The round robin will end on Friday evening.
The top 3 will participate in the playoffs.
Epping (3-3), Jason Gunnlaugson (2-4), Brendan Bottcher (2-5), Horgan (1-5) and Matt Dunstone (1-5) follow in the standings.
Among the women, Tracy Fleury (6-0) is guaranteed to extend her stay, having beaten Laura Walker 11-7.
Rachel Homan defeated Jennifer Jones 7-5, Krista McCarville won 8-7 ahead of Kelsey Rocque and Casey Scheidegger defeated Jacqueline Harrison 7-6.
Jones (5-2) and McCarville (4-3) follow on the board. Kerri Einarson and Scheidegger are not far behind, with three wins and three losses each.
The deadlock breaks (if necessary) and the semi-finals will take place on Saturday.
The Beijing Olympics will take place from February 4 to 20.