ESTEVAN - The four playoff teams have been determined at the SaskTel Tankard in Estevan.
The Kelly Knapp rink will face former provincial champion Steve Laycock’s team in the battle of the top two seeds. Knapp earned the top spot for the playoffs on Friday by winning the A final 9-4 in nine ends over 2022 provincial champion Colton Flasch.
Laycock, meanwhile, knocked off Jason Jacobson 10-4 in six ends on Saturday morning to win the B event qualifier’s spot. Laycock scored three in the first end. Then, holding a 6-4 lead after the fifth-end break, Laycock scored four in the sixth end to put the game away early.
Knapp defeated Laycock 9-7 when they met earlier in the week in the A event.
Jacobson will face Kody Hartung in the showdown between the C event winners. Jacobson advanced with a 10-4, eight-end victory over Josh Heidt in one C qualifier matchup. The game was tied at fours after Heidt scored two in the sixth, but then Jacobson scored two in the seventh and stole four in the eighth.
Hartung beat Dallan Muyres 9-3, also in eight ends. Hartung scored three in the sixth end to break open a 3-2 game, and added three more in eight.
The first playoff games will be played Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. The winner of the Knapp-Laycock game will advance to the Tankard final, which will be played Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Affinity Place. The loser will have to go through the semifinal round Sunday morning at 10 a.m.
The winner of Jacobson-Hartung matchup will advance to Sunday’s semifinal, while the defeated team will be eliminated.
Four games were played Saturday morning. In addition to the B final, three games were played in the C event. Hartung doubled up Rylan Kleiter 6-3 in nine ends, Heidt defeated Logan Ede 5-4 in an extra end, and Muyres scored one in the 10th end to defeat Flasch 9-8, ending Flasch’s hope for a repeat.
