Men's 3rd Draw - 2nd half

We're following Morris-Ryan match, the TSN feature match, but some of the other highlights have been spectacular through the first five ends. For example, the Nedohin double was fantastic.

As we start the sixth end, Morris and Ryan each ended up taking only one in the last two ends. Morris leads, 3-2.

End #6
A couple of guards and some really nice come-arounds. Morris's 2nd made a beautiful split raise and roll to lie behind the centre-line guard.

Wow! a great shot by Gushue against Ferbey to score two. Meanwhile back in the feature game, more exchange of rocks with a nice Ryan runback; Morris has the rings split, with one behind a guard.

Does Ryan put more spin on the rocks than most curlers? It sure looks that way to me.

There was a bunch near the button with some gentle taps after the third's stones. This end will turn out to be a fun strategic exercise. Cotter moved the two red rocks out. Morris tapped the shot stone of Ryan out from behind the guard. With Cotter's last rock, the Ryan rink went on the offensive, trying to freeze to their shot rock; they came close, but Morris had a long-shot at a double, which was spectacularly made, leaving him counting two. I completely missed the angles they were looking at.

Morris 5, Ryan 2

End #7

Nice guards and ring action from the leads, followed by a couple of heavy clearing shots. As we go thirds' stones, Morris is shot, and Ryan has two in the 8', and there's a Ryan corner guard. Morris's 3rd just made an impossible double, taking out the two Ryan rocks that looked as if they were way across the rings from each other at about the same distance from the t-line. That was the shot of the match so far.

[Meanwhile Martin leads Dacey 10-4; Dacey shakes hands].

After all the congestion, there is now just one Morris rock in the house, to which Ryan froze even though it was in front of the t-line. Morris just cleared the house, leaving Cotter to try to freeze to a rock at the back of the house and out of the rings, but he knocked the backing past the back line, so his rock is wide open for Morris to hit. Cotter threw the hammer through the rings to blank the end.

Morris 5, Ryan 2

End #8

The Morris lead rocks are in the rings, and the Ryan lead set up a corner guard followed by a beautiful come around. Morris took off the guard, and Ryan bumped the reds around in the rings.

[Martin, in an interview, said that at this level, "They make everything."] He sure is right about most shots. I'm very impressed with the high quality of the curling.

Back to the feature match. Morris has three in the rings, and Ryan freezes to the front one. Morris tries a massive take-out, but has a jam-shot. Ryan is shot and tries to freeze to the Morris shot, but bumps it too much. Morris cleared them, so Ryan came down, trying to freeze to the shooter that had been left, but he missed and drifted past it just a bit. Morris hit and stuck on Ryan's shot rock. After an exchange, Cotter tried to freeze to Morris's shot rock, but the rock didn't curl as much as expected. Morris hit it and rolled. Cotter is left with a tough double with the hammer, but got only one.

Morris 5, Ryan 3

End #9

Ryan set up a corner guard and a long guard; Morris came into the rings. Ryan split the Morris rocks in the rings to sit shot. Morris peeled the long guard, so Ryan put another into the rings. We went to third's stones with Morris sitting 2 and Ryan having 2 in front of the t-line as well. The end is set up for lots of action and fun.

Ryan tried to freeze to one of his own rocks, but bumped just a bit. That seems to have happened quite a bit this match. Morris's 3rd cleared out 2 yellows plus a red. Ryan set up a guard, which Morris peeled. Cotter put up a long guard, which Morris peeled. Cotter's last shot overcurled, leaving Morris with a hit-and-stick for two.

Morris 7, Ryan 3 and handshakes.