LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – First place in Pool A is on the line Wednesday morning at the Tim Hortons Brier as the defending champs led by Brendan Bottcher take on sharpshooter Matt Dunstone and his Wild Card 2 rink.

You can watch Dunstone (6-0) do battle with Bottcher (5-0) Wednesday at 10:30am ET/7:30am PT on TSN 1/3, TSN Direct and the TSN App.

Dunstone will clinch first in the pool and earn a berth to the page playoffs with a win while Bottcher will take a major step towards doing the same with a victory of his own.

The two young skips have been front and centre at the Canadian men’s curling championship for the past few seasons and that hasn’t changed this week in Lethbridge as both sides sport perfect records.

Bottcher has been as unflappable as ever, highlighted by a laser-focused win over former teammate Darren Moulding and New Brunswick Saturday night in a tense environment that was not in his favour to say the least.

“I’ve felt like the underdog all six times I’ve been to the Brier, and I would continue to say that this year even though we’re wearing the Maple Leaf,” said Bottcher.

Dunstone, meanwhile, is shooting at an 88 per cent clip and has taken out the likes of Alberta’s Kevin Koe and Ontario’s Glenn Howard.

“I know we’re feeling very at ease here,” Team Dunstone second Kirk Muyres told TSN.ca after a win over Prince Edward Island on Tuesday. “When you got a skipper like Matty who’s dialed in like he is, it puts everyone else at ease and you just watch him do his thing. It’s impressive to watch.”

Wednesday morning’s clash will be a rematch of last year’s semi-final inside the Calgary bubble, a game Team Bottcher won thanks to a highlight reel angle raise game winner by the 30-year-old skip from Edmonton. Bottcher and company would play in their fourth straight final, winning the Tankard for first time, 4-2, over Team Koe.

Muyres is excited to get onto the ice with Team Canada.

“We want a little skin after that semi-final last year. We want to show him that we belong at that top, too. So, tomorrow’s going to be a big one and we’re excited to get it going. If we win that we can finish first in our pool so for us it’s huge.”

Both Dunstone and Bottcher saved their best play for Brier week this season. They each went a disappointing 3-5 at November’s Tim Hortons Curling Trials and haven’t won an event on Tour. Team Dunstone third Braeden Moskowy missed the Trials due to “personal reasons” while Team Bottcher cut their third (Moulding) shortly after the Trials.

Moskowy is back in the fold with Dunstone’s rink and is shooting 88 per cent, the best among regular vices. Patrick Janssen, vice for Team Bottcher, is fitting in nicely in his new role and is just three percentage points behind at 85 per cent.

“I’ve been with them for two years [as an alternate],” said Janssen. “I’ve watched them throw tons of rocks. We have good communication together. It was pretty simple to step in.”

Dunstone beat Bottcher at the Trials in their lone matchup this season, but the 2021 Brier champ has taken 11 of their 16 matchups all time.