LONDON, Ont. — Ontario’s Mike McEwen defeated New Brunswick’s Scott Jones 11-4 on Wednesday afternoon to improve his chances of reaching the playoffs at the Tim Hortons Brier.
McEwen made a draw for four in the opening end and tacked on three more points in the sixth to pull away. He improved to 4-2 after 14 draws of round-robin play at Budweiser Gardens.
Ontario moved into a third-place tie with Quebec’s Felix Asselin in the nine-team Pool B standings. Asselin edged B.C.’s Jacques Gauthier 7-6 in an extra end in the morning draw.
The top three teams in each nine-team pool will advance to the playoffs starting Friday.
Wild Card 3’s Karsten Sturmay was still in the mix at 3-3 after rolling to a 9-4 win over Prince Edward Island’s Tyler Smith.
In Pool A, Wild Card 2’s Reid Carruthers topped Nova Scotia’s Matthew Manuel 6-2 to leave both teams at 3-3.
Both rinks are chasing Northern Ontario’s Tanner Horgan (5-1), a 9-3 winner over Saskatchewan’s Kelly Knapp in the morning.
Unbeaten Pool A co-leaders Kevin Koe of Alberta and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone were scheduled to play Wednesday night.
Wild Card 1’s Brendan Bottcher beat Yukon’s Thomas Scoffin 10-6 to move into sole possession of first place in Pool B at 6-1. Canada’s Brad Gushue was next at 5-1.
In the other afternoon game, Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories earned his first victory with a 9-3 win over Nunavut’s Jake Higgs.
Round-robin play continues through Thursday night. The final is scheduled for Sunday evening.
The winning team will represent Canada at the April 1-9 world men’s curling championship in Ottawa.
