Homan rolls to 11-1 win in opening round of PointsBet Invitational
Jones, Bottcher also win openers at single-elimination event in Oakville, Ont.
Rachel Homan's Ottawa-based team stole points in five ends, including steals of two in the sixth and seventh ends, en route to an 11-1 win over Shaelyn Park on Thursday at the PointsBet Invitational curling event in Oakville, Ont.
Homan, who is skipping the second-seeded team in the single-elimination event, was up 4-0 after three ends following a deuce in the first end and a steal of one in both the second and third.
Park, skipping the 11th-seeded squad from New Brunswick, got one back in the fourth, but Homan responded with two points in each of the next three ends.
Homan will next face the seventh-seeded team skipped by Isabelle Ladouceur, which advanced with an 8-6 win over No. 10 Serena Gray-Withers.
In other results, third-seed Jennifer Jones moved on with a 10-6 win over No. 14 Myla Plett. Jones will next face No. 6 Christina Black.
.<a href="https://twitter.com/TeamJJonesCurl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamJJonesCurl</a> đ€ <a href="https://twitter.com/teamplett?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@teamplett</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PBI2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PBI2023</a> <a href="https://t.co/zLkhCT5eko">pic.twitter.com/zLkhCT5eko</a>
—@CurlingCanadaBlack avoided an upset, scoring two in the 10th end to defeat No. 11 Nancy Martin.
The PointsBet Invitational is the first Season of Champions event of the season. The March Madness-style single-elimination format has 16-team draws featuring many of Canada's top men's and women's rinks.
Bottcher, McEwen also advance
On the men's side later in the evening, Brendan Bottcher's second-seeded foursome from Spruce Grove, Alta., defeated Jake Dobson's team from Haliburton, Ont., 7-1. Bottcher scored singles in the second and third ends, then added deuces in the fourth and sixth ends, before adding a single in the eighth. Dobson recorded his lone point in the fifth end.
Mike McEwen's 10th-seeded crew from Winnipeg, Man., rocked Aaron Sluchinski's quartet from Airdrie, Alta., 11-5, Karsten Sturmay's sixth-seeded Leduc, Alta., team knocked off Glenn Howard's Tiny, Ont., team 8-4, and Matt Dunstone's third-seeded team slipped past Sam Mooibroek's Kitchener, Ont., foursome 10-5.
