Jim Cotter might be below .500 in the Vernon Super League, but he’s right up there with the world’s best at the $100,000 Pomeroy Inn & Suites National, the third leg of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling.
Cotter, supported by third Kevin Folk, second Tyrell Griffith and lead Rick Sawatsky, cracked a four-ender in the seventh end to brush back Oslo, Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud 7-4, finishing atop Pool A at 4-1.
The two rinks swapped singles in ends one and three, and deuces in four and five to knot the game 3-3 before Cotter finished with the pivotal seventh end.
Cotter tangled with Edmondon’s Kevin Koe, the lone team to beat him in round-robin play, in a Saturday afternoon quarterfinal.
There was no shortage of star power in the other quarterfinal bouts, with Edmonton’s Kevin Martin facing Sweden’s Niklas Eden; Ulsrud battling Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue; and Coldwater, Ont.’s Glenn Howard going up against Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton.
In Friday morning action, Cotter opened with a four-ender in the first end and held on for a 6-5 win over Calgary’s Brock Virtue.
Virtue blanked two and three, but gave up a steal in four before getting on the board with a deuce in five. The Calgary skip made a late push with a triple in seven.
Cotter brushed back CTRS points leader Mike McEwen of Winnipeg 6-3 Thursday night.
The Vernon-Kelowna rink built up a 5-1 lead after five ends, held McEwen to a pair in six and put it away with a single in seven.
Meanwhile, Cotter’s sister, Chelan, who curls second for Prince George’s Brenda Garvey, missed the playoffs after their rink went 0-9 in prelimnary play at the Scotties B.C. Women’s Curling Championships at the North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver.
Kelowna’s Kelly Scott (7-2) and New Westminster’s Marla Mallett (6-3) advanced to the semifinals after finishing one-two in the 10-team round-robin.
