What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
Nov 18, 2024
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
Colton Flasch is on a roll at the Tim Hortons Brier.
The Saskatchewan skip won his sixth straight game — and his second in a row on Friday — when he knocked off Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs 10-3 in seven ends in a playoff game at the Canadian men’s curling championship in Lethbridge.
Earlier Friday, Flasch and his Saskatoon Nutana foursome downed the Regina-based Wild Card #2 entry skipped by Matt Dunstone 9-5 in a tiebreaker. That ended Dunstone’s stay in Lethbridge.
The victory over Jacobs put Flasch into a playoff game Friday night against Alberta’s Kevin Koe. Flasch played second for Koe’s team when it won the Brier title in 2019.
Against Jacobs, Flasch scored two in the first end and stole one in the second. After Jacobs scored one in the third, Flasch cracked a four-ender in the fourth to take a 7-1 lead.
Jacobs scored two in the fifth but, after a blank in the sixth, Flasch added three more in the seventh and the Northern Ontario champions shook hands.
If Flasch wins against Alberta, he’ll move to the 1-2 Page playoff game Saturday. A loss to Koe would put Flasch in the 3-4 Page playoff game.
A team from Saskatchewan hasn’t won the Brier title since 1980, when Rick Folk claimed the Tankard.
The other game Friday night will pit the Wild Card #1 team skipped by Brad Gushue against Team Canada’s Brendan Bottcher.
The defending champions knocked off Jason Gunnlaugson’s Wild Card #3 team 7-3 in the other playoff game Friday afternoon.