Jacobs rink wraps up Players' Championship round robin on winning note

Thanks to a pair of wins to wrap up round robin play, Brad Jacobs and his team from the Community First Curling Centre locally, guaranteed itself a chance to play on Saturday at the Players’ Championship in Calgary.

Competing in the six-day Grand Slam of Curling event in the Calgary curling bubble this week, the Jacobs rink picked up a 7-2 win over Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton on Friday afternoon to wrap up round robin action with a 3-2 record.

With back-to-back wins, the Jacobs rink, which includes third Marc Kennedy, second E.J. Harnden, and lead Ryan Harnden, is guaranteed a spot in a tie-breaker game on Saturday pending the outcome of games in Friday’s final draw.

The Jacobs rink currently sites second in Pool A behind Bruce Mouat, who enters the evening draw as the lone unbeaten team on the men’s side at 4-0.

Mouat is scheduled to face Peter De Cruz (2-2) in the evening draw, which begins at 10 p.m. Sault time.

In Pool B, three teams – Matt Dunstone, Mike McEwen, and Brad Gushue – sit tied atop the standings with 3-1 records while Yannick Schwaller is 2-2.

All four teams will play in Friday’s evening draw.

The top six teams among the 12 men’s teams earn playoff berths, with quarter-final action scheduled for 6 p.m. (Sault time) on Saturday.

Tiebreaker games are scheduled for 2 p.m. (Sault time) Saturday afternoon.

Against Bottcher, Jacobs took the lead in the second end with a single after blanking the opening end.

The Jacobs rink would increase the lead with a steal of one in the third before taking a 4-0 lead thanks to a steal of two more in the fourth end.

After Bottcher got on the board in the fifth end with a pair, Jacobs sealed the win with three of his own in the sixth.