The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling is a league which brings together the finest teams in the world, so when one team gets on a winning streak, it’s worth noticing.
Brendan Bottcher’s squad is being noticed after its third straight win, including the Canadian Open, the Players Championship and now the Humpty’s Champions Cup held in Saskatoon (CAN).
The Edmonton-based quartet of Bottcher, Darren Moulding, Bradley Thiessen and Karrick Martin defeated Scotland’s Bruce Mouat in the semifinals and then overcame two-time World Champion Kevin Koe’s rink in the final for a 6-5 win and the $40,000 first prize.
The final was typically close, although Bottcher had a 3-1 lead after two ends. It was tied at 3-3 after four ends; Bottcher went up 5-3 in the fifth, but Koe scored single points in the sixth and eighth ends to tie. Bottcher’s rink was able to score one in the extra end for the win.
The women’s division saw another victory for Silvana Tirinzoni’s rink from Switzerland. Already the World Champions for 2019, they slipped past Kerri Einarson (CAN) and her rink, 603.
The final was tied at 2-2 after four ends, but the Swiss scored twice in the fifth end and got another point in the seventh and eighth ends to salt away the title and the $40,000 first prize.
It’s a dream year for the team, which added a former World Champion skip in Alina Paetz during the season and the addition paid huge dividends, as they are the team to beat heading into the 2019-20 season coming in October. Summaries:
Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling/Humpty’s Champions Cup
Saskatoon (CAN) ~ 23-28 April 2019
(Full results here)
Men: 1. Brendan Bottcher (CAN); 2. Kevin Koe (CAN); 3. Bruce Mouat (SCO) and Niklas Edin (SWE). Semis: Bottcher d. Mouat, 7-2; Koe d. Edin, 6-5. Final: Bottcher d. Koe, 6-5.
Women: 1. Silvana Tirinzoni (SUI); 2. Kerri Einarson (CAN); 3. Rachel Homan (CAN) and Team Hasselborg (SWE). Semis: Tirinzoni d. Homan, 5-4; Einarson d. Hasselborg, 5-4. Final: Tirinzoni d. Einarson, 6-3.
