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Contemporary off a bittersweet Brier efficiency, Airdrie’s Aaron Sluchinski wished extra from this week’s nationwide curling effort than he obtained from the high-profile one a fortnight in the past in Regina.
That being at the least a berth within the playoff spherical.
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And so he obtained that, alongside spouse Amanda, Wednesday evening on the 2024 Canadian Blended Doubles Curling Championship in Fredericton, N.B.
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“It will have been onerous to go to combined doubles a few days after the Brier,” Sluchinski mentioned. “Per week after the Brier, it was the correct amount of time to get circled and prepare to play combined doubles.
“I’m undoubtedly excited to play in it with Amanda.”
Extra excited now that they’re onto the playoff spherical — secured solely after Wednesday’s motion.
Though the Sluchinski-Sluchinski squad — representing Alberta as provincial champion — misplaced its closing round-robin sport to fall to 4-3 within the standings, the duo earned a spot to advance into the playoffs by advantage of a tiebreaker.
The Sluchinskis have been one in every of three groups in Pool B motion to maintain shifting ahead with their journey on the nationals.
Certainly, the playoff image turned clear Wednesday.
The duos of Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres, and Kadriana and Colton Lott, capped their preliminary rounds with 7-0 data to prime their respective swimming pools. They earned byes to Thursday night’s quarterfinals.
Taylor Reese-Hansen and Corey Chester (6-1) and Paige Papley and Evan Van Amsterdam (5-2) additionally topped their swimming pools to say quarterfinal byes. Edmonton’s Papley was the lead for Alberta’s Selena Sturmay rink on the Scotties.
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The remaining eight groups to advance from the sector of 32 have been decided by data and last-shot attracts to interrupt ties.
They included Madison Kleiter and Rylan Kleiter, Steve Laycock and Nancy Martin — who topped Sluchinski and Sluchinski 7-5 late Wednesday — Andrea Kelly and Tyler Tardi and Calgary’s Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant — all at 5-2.
The Sluchinskis, Jim Cotter and Jaelyn Cotter, Riley Sandham and Brendan Craig, and Lisa Weagle and John Epping all 4-3 additionally moved on to Thursday afternoon’s play-in spherical.
The husband-and-wife workforce of Brent Laing and Jennifer Jones, who’ve a number of Canadian and world titles between them in workforce curling, completed exterior the playoffs with a 3-4 document.
Sunday’s winner represents Canada on the world combined doubles championship April 20-27 in Ostersund, Sweden.
The nationwide gold, silver and bronze medallists earn berths to Canada’s Olympic trials Dec. 30, 2024, to Jan. 4, 2025, in Liverpool, N.S.
Peterman and Gallant are skilled domestically and internationally having gained nationwide combined doubles titles in 2016 and 2019 and a world silver medal in 2019.
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Walker, of Edmonton, and Muyres claimed a Canadian championship in 2018 and a bronze medal on the world championship that 12 months.
The Lotts have twice been runner-up on the Canadian championship (2018, 2021).
In the meantime, the Sluchinskis — who play Kelly and Tardi of their play-in draw at 8 a.m. — are on the lookout for their first nationwide medal, which might be candy revenge after the up-and-down Brier expertise for the household.
“We felt the stress undoubtedly in that first sport of the opening draw,” added Sluchinski, recalling his Alberta-champion workforce’s maiden sport — with vice-skip Jeremy Harty, second Kerr Drummond, lead Dylan Webster and coach Mickey Pendergast — on the Brier in opposition to fellow Albertan Kevin Koe, of the Calgary’s Glencoe Membership. “You’re taking part in Kevin Koe within the function sport on TSN. It was good that Koe type of handed us that one, however we simply didn’t get within the groove. If we are able to make it again there, we’ll simply attempt to be higher ready for the ice circumstances.”
“We didn’t put our greatest efficiency on the Brier, nevertheless it was loads of enjoyable.”
— With information from Postmedia information providers
tsaelhof@postmedia.com
http://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM
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