By Jonathan Brazeau
VICTORIA — It's the final day of the preliminary round in the GSOC Co-op Invitational at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Who will advance to the playoffs?
Full-event, weekend and day passes plus single draw tickets are available. Visit GSOCtickets.com for more information.
Can't make it to the arena? See below for broadcast details and check our full broadcast schedule so you never miss a moment.
Friday's featured games
The top two men's teams in the world rankings collide as Switzerland's Team Yannick Schwaller and Scotland's Team Grant Hardie face in Draw 14 (3 p.m. ET / Noon PT).
World No. 1 Schwaller (3-0, eight points) will look to remain undefeated, while world No. 2 Hardie (2-1, five points) needs a victory to stay ahead of the logjam at two wins.
Schwaller defeated Hardie 8-2 in the Euro Super Series final in August.
This is Hardie's first Grand Slam as a skip since his series debut at the 2017 Champions Cup, before joining Bruce Mouat and forming a dynasty back-end pairing. Hardie's first-ever game in that event was an 8-1 loss to Peter de Cruz's team, featuring Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel at fourth stones.
"Crazy. Yeah, almost 10 years ago," said Schwarz-van Berkel, who now handles the last rocks for Schwaller. "It's nice. I mean, they're a very strong team with a lot of potential, of course, so it feels like it's not going to be the last time we play them ever. I'm looking forward to a good game with a good atmosphere in the stadium."
Canada's Team Rachel Homan and Sweden's Team Isabella Wranå play in Draw 15 (6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT) in a must-win game for the record 20-time Grand Slam champ from Ottawa (1-2, three points).
Wranå (2-1, six points) is still aiming to score the full three points and secure a playoff spot.
"We know we have to play our absolute best when we play against Homan," said Wranå, who won an Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles plus a bronze at the women's worlds last season. "It's almost like a tradition now. We always seem to play them in the Slam, so we're looking forward to that."
The preliminary round wraps up with another Canada vs. Sweden showdown and a heavyweight tilt between Team Brad Jacobs and Team Oskar Eriksson (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT).
Jacobs (3-0, nine points) has already earned a playoff berth, but his team is keen to keep its winning streak intact.
"Our goal as a team, if you're ever in this position, it's not to let off the gas because if you're 4-0, then you get hammer for at least the first game and maybe carry it through in the playoffs," said Team Jacobs second Brett Gallant. "That can be the difference between a win and a loss here, so that's kind of the motivation for our game Friday."
Eriksson (0-3, zero points) has been eliminated from playoff contention but will look to end on a high note.
Friday's draw schedule: How to watch and follow along
Draw 13: 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT
| Mouat vs. Waddell | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Pätz vs. Kang | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Nihira vs. Miura | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Yamaguchi vs. Maeda | Rock Channel | Linescore |
Draw 14: 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT
| Y. Schwaller vs. Hardie | Sportsnet Pacific, SN1, SN+ ESPN+ | DAZN Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Ramsfjell vs. Hösli | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Fujisawa vs. Zardini Lacedelli | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Koe vs. Epping | Rock Channel | Linescore |
Draw 15: 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT
| Homan vs. Wranå | Sportsnet Pacific, SN1, SN+ ESPN+ | DAZN Rock Channel | Linescore |
| MacMillan vs. Ueno | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Einarson vs. Gim | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Casper vs. Carson | Rock Channel | Linescore |
Draw 16: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. ET
| Jacobs vs. Eriksson | Sportsnet Pacific, SN1, SN+ ESPN+ | DAZN Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Hasselborg vs. Dupont | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| Dunstone vs. Bottcher | Rock Channel | Linescore |
| X. Schwaller vs. Reese-Hansen | Rock Channel | Linescore |
