KAMLOOPS, March 1….Edmonton’s Kevin Koe and Stefanie Lawton of Saskatoon have advanced to the finals of the Strauss Canada Cup, taking place at the Interior Savings Centre.

Saturday morning, in a Page playoff match-up of Section A and B winners, Koe outbattled 2006 Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue of St. John’s, 7-5.

Tied at 5 in the 10th, Gushue, without hammer, tried a hit and roll behind cover with his last stone, but left his shot wide open for a takeout by Koe’s fourth rock thrower Blake MacDonald.

Koe, who won the 2000 Canadian Mixed, now goes to Sunday morning’s final to await the winner of tonight’s semi-final, which will feature Gushue against the winner of the Page 2 vs 2 game between Edmonton’s Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ontario.

Martin qualified by making quick work of Pat Simmons of Davidson in the second men’s tiebreaker to determine second place in Section A, taking five in the first end, then coasting to a 10-2 triumph in six ends.

The knockout punch came early, after a couple of misses by the Saskatchewan crew, leaving Martin with a draw for five with his last rock.

Meanwhile, Lawton, the 2000 Canadian junior champion and third place finisher at the 2005 Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials, handed Calgary’s Cheryl Bernard her first loss, 7-6.  Facing a Lawton counter on the button, Bernard, without hammer, came up light with her final draw, as Lawton didn’t have to throw her last stone.

Lawton advances to Sunday’s final, while Bernard goes to tonight’s semi-final.

In the women’s Page 2 vs 2 game this afternoon, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones, the defending Cup champion and reigning Canadian women’s curling champion, takes on rival Kelly Scott of Kelowna, the 2007 Canadian and world champion.   The winner advances to the 7:00 pm semi-final to face Bernard while the loser is eliminated.

The semi-final winners then advance to Sunday’s finals at 9:00 am PT/12 Noon ET, live on CBC-TV.

The winners of the Strauss Canada Cup not only receive $25,000, but more importantly, also become part of the pool of 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams eligible for the 2009 Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials, which will determine Canada’s representatives for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

The winning teams also earn berths into the 2008 Continental Cup in Camrose, Alberta as members of Team North America and return as the defending Canada Cup champions when the event moves to Yorkton, Saskatchewan next year. 

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