Curling

Add Jeff Stoughton and Crystal Webster to the list of skips in the running to represent Canada at the 2010 Olympic Games.

Stoughton, the No. 1 seed on the men's side, won his third straight game Thursday at the Road to the Roar in Prince George, B.C., becoming the first of four men's teams at the bonspiel to secure a berth to next month's Olympic trials in Edmonton.

Webster and her Calgary fouresome beat No. 1 seed Kelly Scott in the women's A final earlier on Day 3 of competition to nab the first of four women's berths on the line.

"Well, it's obviously just an absolute dream come true," a grinning Webster said after her 9-7 victory over Scott.

"It's what we put this team together for two years back, and it just feels so good to accomplish that goal."

Stoughton earned an extra-ends 8-7 victory over Pat Simmons of Davidson, Sask., to win the men's A final along with teammates Kevin Park, Rob Fowler and Steve Gould.  

"It's just fantastic, I mean this is what we were focused on for the year," said Stoughton, a two-time Brier and one-time world champion.

"Now we can focus on Edmonton. Like I said, there was never an Edmonton unless we got through Prince George. We played three great games and took the easy way."  

Webster and teammates Lori Olson-Johns, Sam Preston and Stephanie Malekoff, the tournament's seventh seed, celebrated in the middle of the rink after their win Thursday, a game they started off with a four-point end and finished with a final take-out that eliminated Scott's chances of tying the game.  

"We've finished strong every single game we've played here, so we're just really proud about that," Webster said.

Scott, the 2007 world champion, has a second shot at earning a berth to the Roar of the Rings. Later Thursday, she beat third seed Marie-France Larouche, a 9-2 victory over seven ends, to advance to Friday's B final. 

Scott will meet ninth seed Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont. McCarville won her morning match-up against Rachel Homan, 8-7, and beat Amber Holland 6-3 later in the day to earn her shot at Olympic trials.

Simmons, the tournament's 10th seed, squares off Friday against No. 2 seed Wayne Middaugh of Toronto, with the winner headed to the men's B final to play for a ticket to the Roar of the Rings.

Six berths to next month's Olympic qualifier in Edmonton are still up for grabs after Webster and Stoughton snapped up the first two.

On the men's side, reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue and his team from St. John's, Nfld., are one loss away from elimination in the triple knock-out tournament.

Gushue suffered his second loss Thursday, dropping a 7-6 decision to Ted Appelman of Edmonton.

Also in the C bracket, where it's do or die, is former Olympic trials runner-up, Kerry Burtnyk, and Kelowna's Bob Ursel, who dropped a 6-4 decision to Middaugh on Thursday.

Burtnyk will meet 12th seed Jason Gunnlaugson of Beausejour, Manitoba, on Friday, with the winner headed to the C final and the loser headed home.   

Eliminated on Thursday were Greg McAulay of Richmond, B.C., and Joel Jordison of Moose Jaw, Sask. 

On the women's side, Cathy King's Edmonton rink suffered its second loss, moving to a record of 2-2, and dropping to the C round. King conceded the match to the Marie-France Larouche rink of St. Romuald, Que., after seven ends, losing by a score of 10-4.

The Mike McEwen rink of Winnipeg found itself in a tight see-saw battle against the Jean-Michel Menard rink of St. Romuald, Que., but McEwen stole singles in the ninth and 10th to earn an 8-7 win.

Holland went up against Sherry Anderson and her foursome out of Saskatoon, carving out an 8-6 win.