Sturmay defeats Carruthers at Golden Wrench Classic as AB, MB playdowns near
Published
Edmonton's Team Karsten Sturmay defeated Reid Carruthers' three-man squad from Morris, Man., in the final of the Ed Werenich Golden Wrench Classic on Sunday in Tempe, Arizona.
Team Sturmay, featuring Kyle Doering at third, Kurtis Goller at second and Glenn Venance at lead, put up a deuce in the opening end followed by another pair in the fifth and a three-spot in the sixth end which led to early handshakes and a 7-2 victory.
Sturmay went 8-0 at the bonspiel, including a 6-3 win over Alberta rival Aaron Sluchinski in the semi-final.
It was a solid showing for Team Carruthers, who are still playing with just three players after parting ways with third Jason Gunnlaugson last month.
Carruthers, Derek Samagalski and Connor Njegovan posted a 6-2 record in Arizona, including a 6-5 victory over Team John Shuster of the United States in the quarterfinal.
For Sturmay and Carruthers, the bonspiel was preparation for the upcoming Brier playdowns for Alberta and Manitoba. Both provinces will hold their men's championships from Feb. 7-12, alongside New Brunswick.
British Columbia champion Team Jacques Gauthier went 5-0 in the round robin before losing to Craig Kochan in the quarters.
Tirinzoni Wins in Switzerland
This weekend marked the fifth win of the 2022-23 curling season for Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni.
The foursome from Aarau, including fourth Alina Paetz, skip Tirinzoni, second Carole Howald and lead Briar Hurlimann, went a perfect 8-0 at the International Bernese Ladies Cup in Switzerland, highlighted by a 9-3 rout of Sweden's Team Isabella Wrana in the championship game.
Despite playing with a new lead and second this season, Team Tirinzoni are still one of the best rinks in all of curling and will look to capture a fourth consecutive Women's World Curling Championship at the end of March in Sweden.