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'It was a good first test' for Team Jacobs in Calgary

Representing Northern Ontario, Team Jacobs officially opened the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier on Saturday in Calgary, Alta.

Representing Northern Ontario, Team Jacobs officially opened the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier on Saturday in Calgary, Alta.

After missing last years tournament due to the Olympics, the Soo Curlers rink, which includes skip Brad Jacobs, third Ryan Fry, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden along with fifth Eric Harnden, is back in the event for the first time since winning in 2013 and opened with a 7-4 win over Jean-Michel Menard of Quebec in the opening draw.

“It felt good to be out there,” said Jacobs. “The ice was great. It was a good first test. We got the hammer on them and scored a deuce in two and a deuce in eight. We had total control of the game and it feels great to get that first win.”

With the hammer early, Jacobs blanked the opening end before jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the second. The teams would then trade singles through the next five ends. With Team Jacobs leading 4-3, they would take a 6-3 lead thanks to another deuce in the eighth end before the teams traded singles in the final two ends.

“Getting two in eight, it was pretty much the ball game,” Jacobs said. If you can get two there and be up three with two ends to play, you’re going to win the game a vast majority of the time. That was a huge part of that game for us.”

The Quebec entry is a team Jacobs feels is a playoff threat.

“They’re a team that you can’t take lightly,” Jacobs said. “They never give up no matter what the score is. They’ll be fighting for playoffs this week for sure. They’re a really good team and have a lot of experience. Winning that game for us was huge.”

In other draw one action on Saturday Team Canada, skipped by John Morris, defeated Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers 6-4; Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador scored three in the tenth end to beat Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock 7-5; and Prince Edward Island’s Adam Casey needed an extra end to defeat Yukon’s Bob Smallwood.

Draw two is set for 8:30 p.m. (eastern time) tonight with Saskatchewan (Steve Laycock) taking on Manitoba (Reid Carruthers), British Columbia (Jim Cotter) facing Alberta (Kevin Koe), Ontario (Mark Kean) takes on P.E.I.’s Adam Casey after Casey’s win over Yukon in the first draw.

Team Jacobs returns to action with a pair of games on Sunday. They will face Alberta’s Kevin Koe at 10:30 a.m. in draw three and Jim Cotter of British Columbia at 3:30 p.m. in draw four.

(File Photo: Team Jacobs in competition earlier this season in Sault Ste. Marie)


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Brad Coccimiglio

About the Author: Brad Coccimiglio

A graduate of Loyalist College’s Sports Journalism program, Brad Coccimiglio’s work has appeared in The Hockey News as well as online at FoxSports.com in addition to regular freelance work with SooToday before joining the team full time.
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