SASKATOON — Brendan Bottcher feels like he’s skipping the home team in the WFG Masters.
With Regina-born Ben Hebert throwing lead stones, the Calgary-based club has been enjoying the support of the Saskatchewan crowd at Merlis Belsher Place.
Winning certainly helps as well and Team Bottcher is off to a solid start, picking up a pivotal second round-robin win Wednesday by defeating Team Korey Dropkin of the United States 6-4.
“It feels like home a little bit but it’s just nice to be back,” said Bottcher, who won the Grand Slam of Curling’s Champions Cup at the same venue in 2019. “It’s a good curling community, the fans have been great so far, so hopefully that carries through into the weekend.”
Dropkin (0-2) started with the hammer but was forced to draw against two counters for a single in the second end to open the scoring. Bottcher hit for two in the third and Dropkin also made a tap for a deuce in the fourth to jump back ahead 3-2 at the break.
A five-time Grand Slam champion, Bottcher took the lead for good in the fifth after connecting on an open hit for three.
Dropkin was limited to a single in the sixth and Bottcher blanked the seventh to retain the hammer for the eighth end.
Bottcher didn’t need to throw his last rock as Dropkin was running out of thinking time and needed to make a double takeout for a chance to stay in the game. However, he was only able to eliminate one counter.
“These events are so hard, it’s just good to get any win you can scratch out in the round-robin,” Bottcher said. “It’s good, we’re playing well. It’s been a great event so far, so hopefully we can keep it going.”
Elsewhere in Draw 7, Switzerland’s Team Yannick Schwaller and Scotland’s Team Ross Whyte also improved to 2-0.
Schwaller clipped Team Aaron Sluchinski of Airdrie, Alta, 6-4 in an extra end and Whyte defeated Saskatoon’s own Team Mike McEwen 7-3.
Down 4-2, it looked like Sluchinski had a shot for three to win it in the eighth end, but he was only able to count the tying two points that forced the extra. Schwaller, who throws third on his team, orchestrated a clean end and fourth Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel just needed to make an open hit that stuck around to secure the victory.
“Super good to have the second win,” said Schwarz-van Berkel, who shot a game-high 94 per cent. “Now we have, I guess, two games to win one to qualify.
“It was a good game. Crazy eighth end where somehow they got a chance for three, a very makeable shot actually, but just missed it so we could take the win in the extra.”
Team Schwaller earned bronze at the European Championships last month and won the Nutrien Ag Solutions Western Showdown event this past weekend in Swift Current, Sask., to climb to fourth in the world rankings.
“It’s not the most important in our career I think but it’s still the first time we’re No. 4, I guess, so it’s nice,” Schwarz-van Berkel said. “We know there’s still some potential. We enter every event with some confidence, a fair amount of confidence, so it feels really good. The ice is absolutely amazing. It’s really, really good.”
Sluchinski and McEwen fell to 0-2 and must win their next games to remain in contention.
Meanwhile, Norway’s Team Magnus Ramsfjell stole one point in the third and two in the fifth during a 5-1 victory over Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L. Both teams are now even with 1-1 records.
UP NEXT
The WFG Masters continues with Draw 8 at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. local time at Merlis Belsher Place.
Broadcast coverage begins Thursday with Draw 10 at 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. local time on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ (Canada).
NOTES
The WFG Masters is the third Grand Slam of Curling event of the season featuring 16 of the top men’s teams and 16 of the top women’s teams from around the world. … Round-robin play runs through to Friday evening. The top eight teams in both divisions advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. If necessary, tiebreakers will be played Saturday morning to determine the final playoff spots. … The semifinals are also scheduled for Saturday with both finals on tap Sunday.
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