PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. — Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman remained in top spot of the Pool A standings at the Canadian mixed curling championship after thumping Catlin Schneider and Nancy Martin 10-2 in Wednesday’s third draw.
Gallant and Peterman improved to 4-0 with the win. They scored three points in the first, fifth and sixth ends.
Martin and Schneider, who scored a 7-6 comeback win over Emilie and Robert Desjardins in Wednesday’s morning draw, fell to 3-2.
The teams of Jennifer Jones and Mark Nichols and Jill Officer and Reid Carruthers posted victories to remain a game back of the leaders at 3-1.
Jones and Nichols beat Kimberly and Wayne Tuck 8-5. The Tuck team fell to 0-4.
Officer and Carruthers posted a 7-5 victory over Jason Gunnlaugson and Shannon Birchard (1-4).
In other Draw 9 action, Tyrel Griffith and Sherry Just downed Dawn and Mike McEwen 9-5. Both teams were at 2-3 heading into Wednesday’s three late draws.
In Pool B, Geoff Walker and Laura Crocker and Brendan Bottcher and Dana Ferguson both improved to 4-0 with wins in Draw 8. Walker and Crocker cruised to a 10-4 win over Tyler Stewart and Nicole Westlund-Stewart (0-4) while Bottcher and Ferguson held on for a 6-5 victory over Chelsea Carey and Colin Hodgson (2-1).
Former men’s Olympic champion Brad Gushue and partner Val Sweeting picked up their first win in three matches, scoring four in the eighth end for a 10-8 win over Sherry Middaugh and Jon Epping (1-3). Kalynn Park and Charley Thomas evened their record at 2-2 with a 6-4 win over Dustin Kalthoff and Marliese Kasner (0-3).
The winner of the tournament will represent Canada when mixed curling doubles makes its debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
The first- and second-place team in each pool will advance along with the next four teams in the overall standings. Tiebreakers and the opening round of the playoffs begin Friday and the final is scheduled for Sunday.
The Pyeongchang Games are scheduled for Feb. 9-25.