Brad Gushue’s curling team from St. John’s opened its 2018-19 season on a winning note Wednesday, beating Jason Gunnlaugson’s Winnipeg foursome 4-1 in Chatham, Ont.
It was the first draw of the Princess Auto Elite 10, the first event of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.
Gushue and his two-time Tim Hortons Brier championship team of lead Geoff Walker, second Brett Gallant and vice-skip Mark Nichols scored one in the second end and then stole one each in the second and third ends to seal the win.
The Gunnlaugson foursome, like most teams on the World Curling Tour this season, is a new-look team, with lead Alex Forrest, second Denni Neufeld and third Connor Njegovan.
Neufeld curled with Mike McEwen of Winnipeg last season, when that team beat the Gushue squad 4-1 in the Elite 10 final.
Gushue plays Ontario’s Glenn Howard 1:30 p.m. (NL time) Thursday.
