PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — It was apparent early that Bob Ursel still feels quite at home in Prince George.

The former city RCMP officer, now serving the force in Kelowna, B.C., led his rink to an early 5-0 lead over the Edmonton-based Ted Appelman foursome in the opening draw for the men’s rinks at the Road to the Roar pre-Olympic curling trials underway at CN Centre.

Ursel’s team scored three in the opening end, stole two more in the second frame, and punctuated an 11-7 win with a three-spot in the seventh end. Ursel remains alive on the A-side of the draw and will meet top-ranked Jeff Stoughton in Tuesday’s late draw.

Appelman drops to the B-side, and will face Jason Gunnlaugson of Beausejour, Man., on Wednesday.

Kerry Burtnyk 8 Jason Gunnlaugson 3

Jason Gunnlaugson lists his vocation as a professional poker player — for six ends, he played his cards very well before falling to perennial Brier contender Kerry Burtnyk of Winnipeg.

Gunnlaugson, a relative unknown on the national scene, stayed with Burtnyk, a two-time Brier champ, until Burtnyk put up four in the seventh. The veteran skip had an 8-3 lead in the seventh end when Gunnlaugson decided to shake hands.

The win puts Burtnyk into a late Tuesday matchup with another Winnipegger, Mike McEwen, on the march to the A-side berth in the Roar of the Rings final Olympic tournament, slated for Edmonton in December. Gunnlaugson will play Ted Appelman of Edmonton in a B-side game Wednesday.

Greg McAulay 6 Joel Jordison 4

Moose Jaw skip Joel Jordison was so frustrated at the end of his 6-4 loss to Greg McAulay of Richmond, he burned his final rock and tossed his broom in disgust.

Jordison scored three in the second end and took that lead into the fifth frame, only to see his lead evaporate when McAulay, the 2000 Brier and world champion, scored twice in the eighth end and stole two more in the 10th end to remain in contention on the A-side of the draw. McAulay earned a matchup with Canada’s 2006 Olympic Games skip Brad Gushue late Tuesday, while Jordison loses one of his chances to advance to Edmonton and will play Jean-Michel Menard on Wednesday.

Pat Simmons 7 Jean-Michel Menard 4

Pat Simmons of Davidson, Sask., made a trio of two-point ends stand up — doubles in the first, fifth and seventh ends — in a 7-4 triumph over the St-Romuald, Que., foursome skipped by Jean-Michel Menard. Simmons ran Menard out of rocks in the 10th end, and will meet Wayne Middaugh of the St. George Curling Club in Toronto in an A-side evening draw. Menard drops to the B draw and faces Joel Jordison on Wednesday.

A total of 24 teams are in Prince George — 12 men’s, 12 women’s — vying for four spots each in the final Olympic qualifier event, slated for Edmonton in December. The Road to the Roar in Prince George wraps up on Saturday. Four qualifiers are already through to the Edmonton event.