Could it be a sign of good things to come for Niklas Edin?
The Swedish skip and his rink of third Sebastian Kraupp, second Fredrik Lindberg and lead Viktor Kjall certainly hope so as they defeated Mike McEwen’s Winnipeg foursome 9-8 to claim the $25,000 top prize at the 8th annual Victoria Curling Classic on Sunday afternoon.
Edin and Co. have even bigger fish to fry this coming weekend at the start of the 2013 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
“We played really well all week and getting this win just before [the] Worlds, in a main event, is fantastic. We’re happy,” said Edin, who had a long day Sunday, getting up a 5 a.m. to watch the Swedish women’s team — skipped by Margaretha Sigfridsson — lose a 6-5 heartbreaker at the women’s Worlds in Latvia.
He followed that up with a 6-1 win over Jeff Stoughton in the semi-final at 10 a.m. before the championship game.
“We beat four very good teams to win this event in the end and we’re going into Worlds with high confidence,” added Edin, who swept through Japan’s Yusuke Morozumi, Steve Laycock of Saskatchewan, McEwen (twice, also in the A-event qualifier) and then Kevin Martin and Stoughton in the playoffs.
Kraupp was also a little worse for wear from spending seven hours in hospital after going into shock from an allergic reaction on Saturday night. He ate what he thought was a nut-free bar — only to find out it wasn’t.
“I had two, maybe two and a half hours of sleep,” Kraupp said. “So it’s very nice to win this. I think it’s really important that we won this, coming into Worlds next week.”
Despite the lack of rest, the Edin rink got off to a fast start at Archie Browning Arena, making a run-back double and sticking it for four in the first end. It was 5-0 when McEwen just missed on a run-back of his own in the second that would have given him three or four.
McEwen capitalized on an Edin jam in the third for a hit for three to cut it to 5-3, and the game was back on.
Edin struck for a three-ender of his own in the fourth as he and Kraupp feathered a pair of rocks under cover. McEwen wrecked on a guard with his last stone and Edin comfortably drew for three.
McEwen refused to go away, closing the gap yet again with an open draw for a deuce in the fifth and steals of one in the sixth and two in the seventh, when Edin came up short on a draw.
That tied it 8-8, but Edin — in trouble — delivered a gorgeous run-back double with his first stone in the eighth end and then picked out a McEwen stone to count one for the victory.
“It was an exciting final, both to play and to watch,” Edin said. “With the four in the first end, normally that should be the game a few ends later, but they bounced back and played really well in the middle part of the game. We started to struggle a bit, maybe playing it too safe.”
It was McEwen’s fourth straight runner-up finish in a World Curling Tour event.
“We’re 0-5 in finals this year overall,” said McEwen, who also finished second at the 2012 and 2009 Victoria Classics against Kevin Martin and Wayne Middaugh, respectively. “We’ve had our share of success this year, and last year we were more like 75 per cent in finals.
“It’s a little rough patch, but it means you’re playing well. It was nice to stay in that game. We almost got knocked onto the mat right from the get-go. I was happy we gave the fans something to watch because there is nothing worse than shaking hands after four or five ends.
“It was a good crowd and we didn’t want that to happen.”
It was a fantastic finish as McEwen — and his rink of third B.J. Neufeld, second Mat Wozniak and lead Denni Neufeld — forced Edin to make more than one big-weight takeout or run-backs. McEwen had pulled out a squeaker, 4-3, against Brad Gushue in the morning semi-final.
“The event was hugely successful. It was great having all the international teams here,” said Classic organizer Al Sutherland. “To have all those teams [eight] from the upcoming Worlds playing here was perfect.
“It was a good setting for them. The players were really happy and the volunteers were awesome.”
As for next season?
“I haven’t decided yet. It’s looking pretty good. It’s just a matter of putting it all together with the sponsors and volunteers, but I’m sure we’ll do it again for year nine,” said Sutherland, who might go back to a 12-team men’s event with eight women’s teams.
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