Saskatchewan will have a different provincial men’s curling champion in 2023.
Defending-champion and pre-tournament favourite Colton Flasch of the Saskatoon Nutana was eliminated from the SaskTel Tankard on Saturday in Estevan after a 9-8 loss to clubmate Dallan Muyres in a C-Event semifinal.
Flasch lost the A final to Regina’s Kelly Knapp on Friday afternoon and then fell to Saskatoon Nutana’s Jason Jacobson in a B-Event semifinal Friday evening.
That dropped Flasch into the last-chance C Event, where he was bounced from the tournament by Muyres.
Flasch scored three in the eighth end to take an 8-6 lead, but Muyres recorded a deuce in the ninth and then stole one in the 10th for the win.
Meanwhile, Steve Laycock’s Swift Current foursome became the second of four playoff teams at the Tankard. Laycock advanced with a 10-4 victory Saturday morning over Jacobson in the B-Event final.
Laycock moved into the 1-2 Page playoff game against Knapp. That game is to be played Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Laycock got off to a quick start, stealing three in the first end. After the teams traded deuces, Laycock stole one in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead. Jacobson responded with a deuce in the fifth, but Laycock cracked a four in the sixth and the teams shook hands.
The loss put Jacobson into one of the C-Event finals against Kerrobert’s Josh Heidt, who beat Martensville’s Logan Ede 5-4 in an extra end in a C semifinal Saturday morning.
The other C qualifier pit Muyres against Kody Hartung of the Saskatoon Sutherland. Hartung stayed alive with a 6-3 victory over Saskatoon Nutana’s Rylan Kleiter in the other C semifinal.
In the C qualifiers, Jacobson beat Heidt 10-4 and Hartung downed Muyres 9-3.
Jacobson and Hartung are to meet in the 3-4 Page playoff game Saturday evening. The winner will face the loser of the Knapp-Laycock contest in a semifinal Sunday morning, with the winner taking on the victor of the 1-2 game in the championship final.
The final goes Sunday at 3 p.m. The Saskatchewan champion will advance to the Tim Hortons Brier, March 3-12 in London, Ont.