The defending champion Pete Fenson rink broke into the win column for the first time Sunday at the World Team Trials, beating Todd Birr of Mankato 8-4 and Troy Schroeder 6-5 at the Curling Club.
In the women's division Jessica Schultz dropped her opening match 9-4 to Margie Smith of Duluth.
The champs were aided when Craig Brown and Craig Disher suffered their first defeats Sunday night.
Men's Division
In Sunday's morning draw, Brown turned back Greg Eigner 8-2 and Disher beat Ruohonen 8-4. Schroeder beat Barcome 9-3 and Larway stopped Paul Pustovar 9-4 in the other games.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fenson fell behind Birr 2-0 in the third but took the lead with one in the fourth and a pair in the fifth.
After Birr tied it in the sixth, Fenson ran home two in the seventh and never trailed, widening a 5-4 lead with a pair in the ninth and stealing the final point in the 10th.
Brown opened fast to stay unbeaten, laying three in the second and stealing one in the third. Eigner came back with singletons in the fourth and fifth but Brown matched those with a pair in the sixth and ended the match three ends early with another pair in the seventh. Eigner conceded.
Disher also led from the start, taking a 3-0 lead after two and matching Ruohonen's pair in the third with two in the fourth.
The pair traded singletons in the fifth and sixth and Disher closed out the match with a pair in the ninth to end matters early.
Schroeder broke a 3-3 tie with two in the fifth and stole two more in the sixth and one in the seventh and eighth to end the day.
Larway stole three in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead over Pustovar and closed out his match with three more in the seventh.
The veteran Pustovar, a national champion in 1980, 98 and 2002, remained the only winless team in the meet.
ADVERTISEMENT
Evening draw
Fenson scored twice in the sixth to tie 3-3 and matched Schroeder's singletons in the seventh and ninth with one in the eighth and 10th to force an extra end.
The defending champs then stole one in the 11th to win.
Ruohonen never trailed Brown with the match tied three times at 1, 2 and 3. Ruohonen then laid three in the eighth and sealed the 7-5 win with one in the 10th.
Pustovar entered the win column with a 9-6 victory over Disher, opening with three in the first and breaking a 6-6 tie with one in the ninth before stealing two in the 10th.
Barcome also closed strong to beat Eigner 10-7 tying the match with two in the eighth and stealing two in the ninth and one in the 10th to pull away.
It was a similar pattern for Larway in his 9-5 win over Birr. Larway trailed 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4 before going ahead with two in the eighth and stealing two more in the ninth and one in the 10th.
2006 WORLD TEAM TRIALS
ADVERTISEMENT
Men's Division
Third Draw
Birr 002-001-010-0---4
Fenson 000-120-202-1---8
Brown 031-002-2---8
Eigner 000-110-0---2
Ruohonen 002-010-100---4
Disher 210-201-002---8
ADVERTISEMENT
Schroeder 003-022-11---9
Barcome 100-200-00---3
Pustovar 000-002-0---2
Larway 100-130-3---8
Fourth Draw
Fenson 010-002-010-11---6
Schroeder 100-200-101-00---5
Brown 010-100-102-0---5
ADVERTISEMENT
Ruohonen 101-010-030-1---7
Pustovar 301-010-101-2---9
Disher 020-102-010-0---6
Barcome 200-120-022-1---10
Eigner 031-001-200-0--- 7
Larway 100-201-022-1---9
Birr 012-010-100-0---5
Women's Division
ADVERTISEMENT
Schultz, taking over as skip for Cassie Johnson for the defending national championship rink, stayed with Smith through six ends, tied 3-3 at that point.
But Smith scored twice in the seventh and after yielding a point in the eighth ran home three in the ninth to take command.
Joining Smith in the winners column were Aileen Sormunen of Duluth, Patti Lank of New York and Cristin Clark of Washington.
Amy Wright, with Bemidji's Monica Matson and Sarah Lehman curling second and third, overcame a 7-3 deficit to Sormunen with a pair in the eighth and three in the ninth to lead 8-7.
But Sormunen had the hammer and used it for two in the 10th to win.
The 2004 national junior champ made the World Trials when she failed to win the state title in the junior division this year, missing the national meet which also is being held this week.
Lank, dropped a five spot on Norma O'Leary in the third and closed out the match with three in the eighth for a 10-3 victory.
Clark handed Deb McCormick an 8-3 setback breaking a 3-3 tie with a pair in the eighth and stealing one in the ninth and two in the 10th.
McCormick is the 2003 national champ and curled second on Kari Erickson's 2001 national champions from Bemidji.
Bemidjian Natalie Simenson Nicholson is her lead. Nicholson previously curled with both Wright and Lank.
Women's Division
First Draw
Smith 020-100-203-1---9
Schultz 101-010-010-0---4
Wright 101-010-023-0---8
Sormunen 020-202-100-2---9
Lank 005-011-03---10
O'Leary 100-100-01--- 3
Clark 002-010-021-2---8
McCormick 010-100-100-0---3
