Homan improves to 2-0 at Pan Continental curling championship with 13-0 rout of Taiwan

Canada’s Rachel Homan improved to 2-0 at the Pan Continental Curling Championships with a 13-0 rout of Taiwan in Monday’s early draw.

Homan’s Ottawa-based squad opened with the hammer and scored five in the first end, then stole points in five consecutive ends before the teams shook hands.

Canada was scheduled to face China in Monday’s late draw.

Taiwan fell to 0-2.

In other scores from Monday morning, South Korea downed New Zealand 13-3, Japan defeated China 11-6 and the United States thumped Mexico 10-2.

On the men’s side, two-time defending champion Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., improved his record to 3-0 with a 10-5 victory over New Zealand’s Anton Hood.

Canada dictated the game from the first end, taking advantage of a New Zealand miss to make a draw for three. Team Gushue followed it up with a sneaky hit and roll of the side of the eight-foot to hide behind cover, forcing the Kiwis to draw for one in the second end.

Canada shut down New Zealand’s progress in the sixth, with Canada scoring another three points. On Gushue’s first, he played a hit-and-roll (featuring a pillar-to-post sweep from newcomer Brendan Bottcher to hold the line) and followed it up with a hit to score a second three-ender.

Canada gave up a score of two in the seventh end before scoring another three-ender in the eighth end to put the game out of reach, with New Zealand conceding.

In other scores from the third draw, China rocked Taiwan 12-4, the United States beat Australia 9-2, and Japan edged Korea 6-4.

Canada, China, Japan and the U.S. are all 3-0 and tied for the top in the eight-team, round-robin standings.