By Jonathan Brazeau
LONDON, Ont. — Battling back is nothing new for John Epping and his team.
After losing Tuesday's opening game of the AMJ Masters to Scotland's Team Ross Whyte, Epping rebounded Wednesday with a 6-5 victory over Team Brad Jacobs in a key clash of Canadian clubs at the Western Fair Sports Centre.
"That’s always the big thing after a rough start," Epping said. "I didn’t play very well yesterday against Whyte, had some big misses. To come back and play well tonight is always a good feeling. Right the ship, but that’s just our team. We battle and we’ve been battling ever since we formed."
The AMJ Masters is the first Grand Slam of Curling event of the season and a major test for teams with Olympic dreams. While some have already punched their tickets to Milan-Cortina, Epping and Jacobs are among those who will compete in the Canadian Olympic curling trials in November to earn the right to wear the Maple Leaf.
Considering they know they'll meet again in that event, a win here is key.
"Any time you can play them tough and, of course, get on the right side of the inch, I think it does (help)," Epping said. "I’m sure it’s going to help going into the trials, and the big thing is just, I think, it’s great for our team to get Ws against top teams."
Epping opened with the hammer, but he was forced to a single in the first. Jacobs then took control with a quiet tap for a deuce in the second to pull into the lead.
After singles back and forth in three and four, Epping retook the lead to go 4-3 after he curled around a guard and tapped Jacobs's rock to score two points.
Jacobs was limited to another single in the sixth to knot it up again.
Epping threw a heater into the pile in the seventh to remove two of Jacobs's rocks and count another couple of points for a 6-4 advantage heading into the final end.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion Jacobs was able to score only one point with the hammer coming home, as his shooter hit Epping's shot rock but rolled away.
Both teams were heating up on tour heading into the event. Jacobs went undefeated at the ATB Okotoks Classic in Okotoks, Alta., and Epping ran the table through the AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic in Cornwall, Ont., two weeks ago.
Not only was it Epping's fifth title win in the AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic, but he also earned his first as a coach as he helped Team Xenia Schwaller capture the women's trophy as well.
"I’m very fortunate that Xenia Schwaller’s team has asked me to help them out," said Epping, who has won four Grand Slam men's titles, including three as a skip. "They’re such a young, talented team. For them to ask for help from a veteran like myself, it’s an honour and a privilege. I really look forward to helping them as long as they’ll have me around.
"Of course, it’s great to win with my team. The Shorty has always been good to me over the years. I love going there. I love the crowd, the fans and the people of Cornwall. It was good momentum."
Both Epping and Jacobs hold 1-0-0-1 records and three points in the preliminary round. Teams receive three points for a regulation win (eight ends or less), two points for a shootout win, and one point for a shootout loss.
Extra ends are not played during the preliminary round and tiebreakers, as teams draw to the button in a shootout to determine the winner. The playoff games will have extra ends, if needed.
SCHWALLER SCORES SECOND WIN
Schwaller and her Swiss squad also scored a victory Wednesday night, trouncing Sweden's Team Anna Hasselborg 7-2 in six ends.
It was the second regulation win for Schwaller, who defeated Canada's Team Kerri Einarson in Tuesday morning's opening draw.
"We had a great training session this morning, and the team was very pumped to come back and play," Schwaller said. "It was a great game."
Schwaller broke a 1-1 tie with a draw for a deuce in the third end, then slid away with back-to-back steals of two points, as Hasselborg was heavy on a draw in the fourth and was tight to a cluster of rocks in the fifth.
The reigning Masters women's champ Hasselborg (1-0-0-1, three points) settled for a single in the sixth and shook hands.
Schwaller has been on a roll to start the season. On top of winning the AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic, Schwaller also claimed the Oslo Cup and holds an incredible 18-1 total record.
"It feels very good," said Schwaller, who captured the world junior title in 2024. "We had a tough Slam season last year. It’s never easy to come right out of juniors and compete at this level. We always have a great tournament season, like on club ice, so we really wanted to also perform well here, and so far it’s going great."
Canada's Team Kayla Skrlik scored four points in the eighth end to top Japan's Team Sayaka Yoshimura 8-5. Both teams hold 1-0-0-1 records and three points.
Switzerland's Team Marco Hösli topped Scotland's Team Bruce Mouat 8-7 in a shootout. After Mouat came up light of the hogline, fourth Philipp Hösli just had to hit the paint of the house to secure the victory.
Team Hösli holds a 0-1-0-1 record (two points) while Mouat is at 1-0-1-0 (four points).
UP NEXT
Round-robin play resumes Thursday with Draw 9 at 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT. Tickets are available at GSOCtickets.com with live online streaming at rockchannel.com.
Broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ begins with Draw 10 at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT.
