NEWS RELEASE

 

Women’s Final Four Set at Grey Power Players’ Championship

Martin, McEwen and Gushue reach men’s quarterfinals at season’s final 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event; Cheryl Bernard clinches direct Canadian Trials berth

GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA., April 17, 2009 – Shannon Kleibrink (Calgary, Alta.), Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg, Man.), Cheryl Bernard (Calgary, Alta.) and Kelly Scott (Kelowna, B.C.) advanced to the women’s semi-finals of the Grey Power Players’ Championship this evening following the completion of the quarterfinal draw of the season’s final Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event, taking place at the Crystal Centre in Grande Prairie, Alta.

 

Kleibrink remained undefeated at 4-0 with a 5-3 win over Rachel Homan (Ottawa, Ont.) and Jones cruised past Sherry Middaugh (Coldwater, Ont.) 9-2.

 

In the other two quarterfinal games, Bernard won her fourth straight game after squeezing past Heather Rankin (Calgary, Alta.) 4-3 while Scott kept her hopes of securing the fourth and final  direct Canadian Trials spot alive after doubling up Krista McCarville (Thunder Bay, Ont.) 6-3.

 

Kleibrink and Scott will meet in one semi-final while Jones and Bernard will meet in the other.

The tournament’s semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday, April 18 at 9:30 a.m. MT.

 

The women’s championship game will take place later that afternoon at 1:00 p.m. MT.  Saturday’s final will air live on CBC Television and at CBCSports.ca.

The top seed in the women’s tournament, Kleibrink led 4-3 in the eighth end and managed to escaped with the win after Homan failed to execute a difficult two-point double run back on the game’s final shot.

 

“It’s was such a tough shot for her,” said Kleibrink.  “If she makes it, she deserves the win.”

 

Jones jumped on Middaugh early, executing an open draw for two in the first and adding a steal of one in the second frame to race out to a quick 3-0 lead.

The reigning Canadian champion put the game out of reach in the fourth end by nailing a short run back for three points and a 6-1 advantage.

“Jill (Officer) and Cathy (Overton-Clapham) played lights out,” said Jones.  “They just made every roll and took everything away from (Sherry).  That makes my job easy.”

 

Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.) and Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.) qualified for the men’s quarterfinals this evening after each team won their respective “B” bracket final.

 

Martin remained in the hunt for his sixth career Players’ Championship title with an 8-1 victory over Dale Matchett (Churchill, Ont.) while McEwen reached the final eight with an 8-2 win over Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.).

Gushue advanced to the playoff round with a 5-4 come from behind win over Joel Jordison (Moose Jaw, Sask.).

With the victories, five of the men’s eight quarterfinalists have been confirmed as Martin, McEwen and Gushue join Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) and Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.) in the playoff round.

 

Despite their losses this evening, Matchett, Middaugh and Jordison can still reach the quarterfinals of the Grey Power Players’ Championship by winning their respective “C” bracket matches.

Earlier today, Bernard secured the third direct berth to the Canadian Trials after Stefanie Lawton (Saskatoon, Sask.) was eliminated from the tournament with a 7-5 loss to Barb Spencer (Winnipeg, Man.)  Bernard now joins fellow direct qualifiers Jones and Kleibrink in the eight-team event.

Despite the loss, Lawton can still secure the fourth and final direct Canadian Trials berth provided that Kelly Scott (Kelowna, B.C.) does not win the Grey Power Players’ Championship.

The Grey Power Players’ Championship represents the final opportunity for teams to earn points towards securing a direct berth into the 2009 Canadian Olympic Trials event or a spot into the 2009 Canadian Olympic Pre-Trials tournament.

 

Lawton’s defeat also changes the landscape of the women’s Capital One Cup standings.  As the leader of the Capital One Cup standings heading into the final event of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, Lawton will be hard pressed to remain in the running for the $85,000 (CDN) bonus money awarded to the top three finishers after failing to reach the quarterfinals this week.  An overview of the women’s Capital One Cup standings can be found by clicking here.

 

Featuring a total purse of $170,000, the Capital One Cup is a points-based competition that awards each curling team a point value based on their performance during each 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event.  Following the conclusion of the Grey Power Players’ Championship, the top men’s and women’s teams in the Capital One Cup standings will each receive a $50,000 (CDN) bonus.  The second and third place men’s and women’s squads will each receive $25,000 (CDN) and $10,000 (CDN) respectively.

 

For a complete overview of this evening’s results, click here.

For a complete overview of the women’s tournament bracket for the Grey Power Players’ Championship, click here.

 

For a complete overview of the men’s tournament bracket for the Grey Power Players’ Championship, click here.

 

As the official television broadcaster of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling, CBC Television will air the women’s final on Saturday, April 18 at 1:00 p.m. MT and the men’s final on Sunday, April 19 at 10:00 a.m. MT.  Additionally, on Saturday, April 18, CBC’s digital channel bold will present live coverage of the men’s quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. MT and live coverage of the men’s semi-finals at 8:00 p.m. MT. 

 

The men’s and women’s draw of the Grey Power Players’ Championship features a total purse of $100,000.  Each tournament’s winning team will receive $25,000.

 

Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that boast Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields. 

 

The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is one of a select few events that are tied to the Canadian Curling Association's qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials or the 2009 Canadian Pre-Trials event.

 

About Grey Power

Grey Power is the industry leader in providing auto and home insurance to mature Canadians.  Grey Power recognizes it takes years of skill and experience to achieve a good driving record and rewards that experience with substantial savings through the Experience Advantage™.  With Grey Power, Canadians not only save on their insurance but also get superior service and expert advice.  Grey Power products are provided by Trafalgar Insurance Company of Canada, which is part of ING Canada, the country's largest provider of automobile, home and commercial insurance.

 

About Capital One

Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada.  Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).