Big names were in the mix on both the World Curling Tour and Champions Curling Tour this weekend with one particular rink from Newfoundland and Labrador continuing their hot start to the season.

 

Men's Tour

Challenge Chateau Cartier de Gatineau from Gatineau, QC (Oct 22-25)

Purse: $45, 000

Brad Gushue continued the best start of his curling career this weekend, with another win on the World Curling Tour. This time the skip from St. John's, NL, third Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker went a perfect 7-0 at the Challenge Chateau Cartier de Gatineau to capture their fourth win on the season. Gushue, who won three events last season, beat Guy Hemmings, 8-2, in the quarterfinals, Bruce Mouat, 6-3, in the semifinals and finally Mark Bice, 6-1, in the championship game. 

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The 32-rink field featured teams from across Canada, Europe and Asia. PEI's Adam Casey, former member of Team Gushue, fell to Bice in the semis, 4-5, after beating Nova Scotia’s Shawn Adams, 6-3, in the quarters. Toronto's John Epping lost in the quarterfinals to Mouat, 4-5.

Other notable names included Sweden's Niklas Edin (4-3, failed to make playoffs), Quebec's Jean-Michel Menard (4-3, failed to make playoff), Scotland's Dave Murdoch (2-3, failed to make playoffs), Brier champ Pat Simmons (1-3, failed to make playoffs) and Ontario's Mark Kean (0-3, failed to make playoffs).

 

Curling Masters Champery from Champery, Switzerland (Oct 22-25)

Champions Curling Tour

Purse: $54, 000

Oromocto, New Brunswick's James Gratten led the only rink from Canada, but still found a way to win the Champions Curling Tour's event in Switzerland. Grattan, along with third Tommy Sullivan, second Stephen Burgess and lead Jamie Korab went 7-1 over the weekend and defeated home country favourite Reto Keller, 5-4, in the final.

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The foursome was the one and only rink from Canada in the 24-team field. The event comprised of teams mostly from European nations. 

 

Red Deer Curling Classic from Red Deer, AB (Oct 23-26)

Purse: $31, 000

Edmonton's Mike Lizmore defeated Jason Ackerman, 5-3, in the final. The 22-rink field featured teams from Western Canada and Korea. Soo-Hyuk Kim lost to Ackerman in the semis, 2-8, while Northwest Territories' Jamie Koe went 2-3 and failed to make the playoff round.   

 

Bernick's Miller Lite Open from Bemidji, Minnesota (Oct 23-25) 

Purse: $14, 000 (USD)

Matt Dunstone and his Winnipeg rink beat Minnesota's Pete Fenson in the final, 6-4. The 18-rink field featured teams mostly from Minnesota and Manitoba. 

 

Grande Prairie Cash Spiel from Grande Prairie, AB (Oct 23-25)

Purse: $8000

Tom Sallows beat fellow Grande Prairie native Kurt Balderston in the final, 7-4. The 16-team field featured teams mostly from Alberta. 

 

Women's Tour

Canad Inns Women's Classic from Portage la Prairie, MB (Oct 22-25)

Purse: $60, 000

Olympic champion Jennifer Jones came oh so close at a three-peat at the Canad Inns Women's Classic this past weekend, but fell to Korea's EunJung Kim in the final, 6-7. Jones and her foursome won this event in both 2013 and 2014, but couldn't get by Kim this time around, who picked up her third win this season on the World Curling Tour. The 24-year-old Kim lost only once over the four day event, beating the likes of Kristy McDonald, 5-4 in the quarters, Michelle Englot, 6-4 in the semis, and Jones in the championship game. 

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The 24-rink field featured teams mostly from Canada. Notable names included Saskatchewan's Stefanie Lawton (fell to Tracy Fleury in the quarters), Margaretha Sigfridsson (3-3, failed to make playoffs), Kelly Scott (2-3, failed to make playoffs), Jamie Sinclair (2-3, failed to make playoffs) and Sherry Anderson (1-3, failed to make playoffs).

 

Red Deer Curling Classic from Red Deer, AB (Oct 23-26)

Purse: $39, 000

Young gun Kelsey Rocque and her rink from Edmonton have finally broken through and won their first event on the WCT. Rocque along with third Laura Crocker, second Taylor McDonald and lead Jen Gates beat reigning world champion Alina Paetz of Switzerland, 9-8, in the final. Team Rocque had lost three consecutive semifinals in their first year together.

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Rocque, a back-to-back world junior champion, went a perfect 6-0 over the four day event and beat China's Sijia Liu, 5-2, in the quarterfinals, Calgary's Nadine Chyz, 7-3, in the semifinals and Paetz in the championship game.  

The event featured 32 rinks, mostly from Western Canada. Notable names included Chelsea Carey, former skip to Rocque's crew, who fell to Paetz in the semis, 6-7 and Shannon Kleibrink who failed to qualify for the playoff round.

 

Lady Monctonian Invitational Spiel from Moncton, NB (OCt 23-25)

Purse: $8000

Halifax's Mary Mattatall beat Theresa Breen, also of Halifax, 7-2 in the final. The 16-team field featured teams from the East Coast. PEI's Suzanne Birt lost in the quarters while New Brunswick's Sylvie Robichaud, last year's Scotties representative, went 2-3 and failed to make the playoffs.

 

Riga International Challenge from Riga, Latvia (Oct 23-25)

Curling Champions Tour

Purse: $7562 

Russia's Evgeniy Demkina beat Karin Rudstrom of Sweden, 9-3, in the final on the Curling Champions Tour. The 12-rink field featured teams all from Europe.

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Looking Ahead

Men's Tour

Oct 27-Nov 1: Masters of Curling from Truro, NS (Grand Slam)

Defending Champion: Brad Gushue

Oct 31-Nov 2: Medicine Hat Charity Classic from Medicine Hat, AB

Defending Champion: Sean O'Connor

Oct 29-Nov 1: Huron ReproGraphics Oil Heritage Classic from Sarnia, ON

Defending Champion: Aaron Squires

 

Women's Tour

 

Oct 27-Nov 1: Masters of Curling from Truro, NS (Grand Slam)

Defending Champion: Val Sweeting

Oct 31-Nov 2: Medicine Hat Charity Classic from Medicine Hat, AB

Defending Champion: Casey Scheidegger

Oct 30-Nov 1: Gord Carroll Curling Classic from Whitby, ON

Defending Champion: Susan McKnight