Kevin Koe picks up 1st win at Elite 10 tournament

Kevin Koe defeated John Epping 3-up for his first win at the Elite 10 curling competition at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre in Nova Scotia.

Koe, from Calgary, won four of the last five ends Friday afternoon to improve to 1-2 at the match play event. Koe reached the final of the Tim Hortons Brier last week before falling to St. John's skip Brad Gushue.

• The Brier a family affair for the Koes

Epping, from Toronto, fell to 1-2 at the Grand Slam competition.

Earlier, Switzerland's Peter De Cruz (3-1) moved into first place in Pool A with a shootout win over Brad Jacobs (2-1) of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Both teams have locked up playoff spots.

Winnipeg's Jeff Stoughton also reached the playoffs when his team of select players posted a 2-and-1 win over John Morris of Vernon, B.C. Stoughton leads Pool B at 3-0 while Morris fell to 2-1.

Two more draws were scheduled for later Friday. The playoffs start Saturday and the final is set for Sunday morning.