Weagle/Epping combo starting to shine
LIVERPOOL, N.S.—Round one of the mixed doubles Olympic Trials playoffs is in the books, and it’s advantage Peterman/Gallant and Weagle/Epping.
Those pairs won their crossover games at Queens Place Emera Centre on Thursday evening, which moves them directly into Friday’s Page 1 vs 2 game.
Their victims now face a longer road to the championship final.
First round playoff action • The Curling NewsAlbertan’s Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant held early leads of 3-0 and 6-1 and triumphed against fellow provincial rivals Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher. The final score was 8-4.
Meanwhile, the Ottawa/Toronto duo of Lisa Weagle and John Epping outscored Calgary’s Brittany Tran and Saskatoon’s Rylan Kleiter 10-5 and will battle Peterman/Gallant tomorrow.
Tran/Kleiter drops into a Friday elimination match against Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing, while Homan/Bottcher drop similarly to challenge the daughter-father team of Jaelyn and Jim Cotter.
The winners of the latter two matches will tussle in the Page 3 vs 4 playoff game.
Peterman/Gallant remain undefeated at 8-0.
Peterman/Gallant are looking strong • Michael Burns-Curling CanadaBottcher, of course, was the men’s fours skip famously dumped by Gallant, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert last April and replaced by Brad Jacobs.
The affair prompted Bottcher to leave the fours game altogether and take up a coaching role with Team Rachel Homan, adding Homan as his mixed doubles partner.
Months later, Bottcher is back in the men’s game with Team Brad Gushue, is no longer Homan’s women’s fours coach but remains a steadfast albeit new teammate in the mixed doubles discipline.
Friday’s playoff draws are set for 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Atlantic time.
Tran/Kleiter in action • Michael Burns-Curling Canada