Saskatchewan's Kleiter and McEwen post victories in early Brier draw

Both Saskatchewan teams posted victories in the early round-robin draw Sunday at the Brier in Kelowna, B.C.

Rylan Kleiter defeated Prince Edward Island's Tyler Smith 7-4 and Mike McEwen held off Nova Scotia's Owen Purcell 8-6.

McEwen pre-qualified for the 18-team event via ranking points while Kleiter won the provincial playdowns.

In other games, Ontario's Sam Mooibroek defeated Aaron Bartling of the Northwest Territories 12-2 and Quebec's Jean-Michel Menard beat Yukon's Thomas Scoffin 7-5.

Two more draws were scheduled for later in the day at Prospera Place.

Round-robin play continues through Thursday and the final is set for March 9.