(Dec 3, 2008) -- Quebec Skips Shine on Day 1 at The National
Jean-Michel Ménard (photo) and Martin Ferland each post victories during the opening draw of the men’s second 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event
QUEBEC CITY, December 3, 2008 – Quebec’s Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.) and Martin Ferland (Trois-Rivières, Que.) each won their opening round match this evening to move atop of the leaderboard following the first draw of The National, the second leg of the men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, taking place at ExpoCité in Quebec City.
Ménard picked up his first victory of the tournament after rallying to defeat Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.) 7-6 while Ferland edged Kevin Koe (Edmonton, Alta.) 5-2.
Playing in his first Capital One Grand Slam of Curling tournament since the 2006-07 BDO Classic Canadian Open in Winnipeg, Man. – a span of seven grand slam events – Ménard jumped out to a quick lead after stealing three points from Simmons in the opening frame.
Tied at 3-3 in the fifth end, Ménard reclaimed the lead after successfully executing an open draw for two points. Simmons quickly responded in the next frame by scoring three points on an open draw.
Tied at 6-6 in the final end, Simmons failed to execute an open hit for the win on his last shot, allowing Ménard to steal a point and escape with the victory.
“We got lucky,” said Ménard. “It’s unusual to see Pat Simmons miss those kinds of shots but if you want to win an event like this one it’s 45 per cent technical, 45 per cent mental and there’s a 10 per cent that’s luck.”
Ferland also benefited from a bit of luck in his match against Koe.
With the Quebec-based team leading 2-1 in the fifth end, Koe’ fourth Blake MacDonald had an opportunity to pick a Ferland stone for a three-point end. MacDonald’s attempt failed to curl and he flashed his final shot allowing Ferland to steal a point.
“We talked about it in the car coming here that we wanted to play a more simple game,” said Ferland. “We haven’t had a lot of success with rocks in play in the last few weeks. So we decided to play a little defensive to start the game, get our draw weight going, and attack later in the game. It worked out tonight.”
In other Draw 1 action, four-time World Champion Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.) powered past Joel Jordison (Moose Jaw, Sask.) 9-4 while Greg McAulay (Richmond, B.C.) worked overtime to defeat China’s Fengchung Wang (Harbin, China) 9-8 in an extra end.
The final round robin match from the opening draw saw Jeff Stoughton double up Bob Ursel (Kelowna, B.C.) 6-3.
Later this evening at 8:30 p.m. ET, reigning World Champion Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) will begin his quest for a third consecutive title at The National with an opening round match against reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.).
Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) will also take to the ice this evening during the tournament’s second draw when the 2007 World Champion takes on American John Larway (Seattle, Washington). Howard’s team has won all six World Curling Tour events its entered this season and the foursome will be aiming to win their fourth consecutive Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title dating back to last season.
Featuring a total of 18 rinks, this evening’s round robin play at The National concludes tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET with Draw 2.
Thursday’s draw times for The National are set for 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET respectively.
The top eight teams following the conclusion of round robin play qualify for the tournament’s quarterfinals on Saturday, December 6 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
The National features a total purse of $100,000. The tournament’s winning team will receive a maximum of $25,000.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that boast Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is one of a select few events that are tied to the Canadian Curling Association\'s qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.
About Capital One
Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).
About Insight Sports Ltd.
Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading North American sports media and entertainment company which owns, creates, aggregates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, events, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand. Among its event assets, Insight Sports owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling (www.worldcurlingtour.com), a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields. |
