Team Jacobs opens Olympic trials

The quest by Brad Jacobs and his team from the Community First Curling Centre to represent Canada in curling at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea opened on a good note on Saturday afternoon.

Team Jacobs, which includes third Ryan Fry, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden and alternate Pete Steski opened the nine-day event with a 5-3 win over John Morris of Vernon, BC.

Trailing 3-2, Jacobs would score a pair in the eighth end before stealing one more in the ninth to take the lead. Jacobs would then run Morris out of rocks in the final end to pick up the victory.

Via Curling Canada, Jacobs said the deuce in the eighth end had a major impact.

“That made everybody feel pretty good and lifted everybody’s spirits a little bit,” Jacobs said. “It felt like we were back in control of the game and that was huge.”

The Jacobs rink has represented Canada on a pair of occasions. The team won silver at the 2013 World Championship in Victoria, BC and again in 2014 when the team won gold in Sochi, Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The Jacobs rink is back in action for one game on Sunday. The Sault Ste. Marie rink faces Calgary’s Kevin Koe at 9 a.m. before facing Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Nfld. in the evening draw at 7 p.m. on Monday.

Round robin continues at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa throughout the week before wrapping up on Friday night.

If needed, tie-breakers are set for Dec. 9 with the women’s semifinal at 2 p.m. and the men’s semifinal to follow at 7 p.m. The women’s final is set for Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. with the men’s final to follow at 7 p.m.