Jacobs in tough at Roar of the Rings

A playoff spot remains within reach for Brad Jacobs and his team from the Community First Curling Centre at the 2017 Roar of the Rings in Ottawa but it’s not going to be easy after a tough result on Wednesday.

The Jacobs rink, which includes third Ryan Fry, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden along with alternate Peter Steski, dropped a 9-3 decision to Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher on Wednesday afternoon.

The loss leaves the Jacobs rink with a 2-3 record heading into Thursday at the nine-day event, which determines the Canadian representatives in curling at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

Jacobs fell behind early after Bottcher stole singles in the opening two ends.

Jacobs would rebound with a deuce in the third. 

With a 4-3 lead through six, Bottcher would score a pair in the seventh before sealing the win with a steal of three in the eighth end.

Jacobs returns to action for a pair of games on Thursday. 

The Jacobs rink faces Reid Carruthers of Winnipeg in the morning draw at 9 a.m. and Mike McEwen, also of Winnipeg, in the evening draw at 7 p.m. 

Round robin action continues until Friday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The top three teams on both the men’s and women’s side earn playoff spots. First place gets an automatic berth in the tournament final on Sunday while the remaining two teams meet in semifinal action on Saturday. The men’s final is set for 7 p.m. with the women’s final earlier in the day at 2 p.m.