Gushue looking for three-peat at Brandon Brier

Brad Gushue and his crew from St. John’s, Nfld., can make history at this year’s Tim Hortons Brier by becoming only the second team in history to win three consecutive Canadian men’s curling championships.

The famous Ferbey Four from Edmonton are the only rink to accomplish the three-peat, winning their titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003 during their dynasty days.

If Gushue and company are going to join Randy Ferbey and his teammates in the Brier record book, they’ll have to do it against a stacked field including three-time Brier champion Kevin Koe, Olympic gold medalist Brad Jacobs, Roar of the Rings finalist Mike McEwen as well as a slew of dark horses like British Columbia’s Jim Cotter, Ontario’s Scott McDonald and Saskatchewan’s Kirk Muyres.

Westoba Place will host the Brandon Brier from March 2-10, marking the first time the national championship has come to Manitoba since Winnipeg hosted the event in 2008 when Kevin Martin stood atop the podium for the third time in his career.

This is how the week breaks down: The 16-team field will be divided into two pools of eight. Each team will compete in round-robin play (seven games) within their pool. From there, the top four teams in each pool will advance to the championship pool. In this round, every rink will play four games against teams in the opposing pool. The top four teams advance to the regular page playoff where the Brier champion will be determined on the second weekend.

Here’s a look at the two pools and each team’s seeding.

Pool A – (2) NO – Brad Jacobs, (3) Wild Card, (6) MB – Reid Carruthers, (7) SK – Kirk Muyres, (10) QC – Martin Crete, (11) NL – Andrew Symonds, (14) PE – John Likely, (15) YK – Jon Solberg

Pool B – (1) AB – Kevin Koe, (4) CA - Brad Gushue, (5) ON – Scott McDonald, (8) NS – Stuart Thompson, (9) BC – Jim Cotter, (12) NT – Jamie Koe, (13) NB – Terry Odishaw, (16) NU – Dave St. Louis

You can watch every single draw throughout the nine days of competition from Brandon on TSN and streaming on TSN Direct.

Before the men’s national curling championship officially kicks off on Saturday, March 2, the 16th qualifier for the Tim Hortons Brier will be decided on March 1 in the Wild Card game between Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher and Ontario’s John Epping.

 

Brendan Bottcher (Edmonton) vs. John Epping (Toronto)

 

Bottcher’s Record: 44-14
Epping’s Record: 49-29

Bottcher and Epping square off in Friday night’s Wild Card game to determine the final spot in the Brier in a rematch of last year’s Brier semi-final match.

Bottcher took the game 6-4 before falling to Team Canada and Brad Gushue in the championship tilt by the same score.

This year, both rinks fell short at their provincial championships, but thanks to a strong showing on the Canadian Team Ranking System, they’ll have one last chance to qualify for the main draw.

Epping edged Bottcher 7-5 in the opener of the Canada Cup in early December before the young Edmonton skip got revenge a week later, topping Epping in the championship tilt of the Canadian Open, 6-3.

Aside from his Grand Slam victory, Team Bottcher also claimed the Canad Inns Men’s Classic in October while Epping has won two events, most notably the Masters of Curling.

The winner of the Wild Card game will be known as Team Wild Card during the Brier and will likely be strong contenders in Brandon after their high-octane efforts last year in Regina.

 

Pool A

 

Team Brad Jacobs (2) – Northern Ontario (Community First Curling Canada)

Skip: Brad Jacobs
Third: Ryan Fry
Second: E.J. Harnden
Lead: Ryan Harnden
Coach: Adam Kingsbury

Season Record: 41-16

The boys from Sault Ste. Marie have had an interesting year to say the least.

Team Jacobs went winless at the Masters of Curling in late October before responding with a first-place finish at the Tour Challenge in their neck of the woods in Thunder Bay a week later.

Then in mid-November, third Ryan Fry was thrown out of the Red Deer Classic for excessive drinking while competing as a spare for another team. Fry took a leave of absence from the team as a result.

With 2010 Olympic champ Marc Kennedy filling in, Team Jacobs captured the Canada Cup in Estevan, Sask., against a stacked field.

They would go on to reach the quarter-final stage at the next two Grand Slams with Fry back on the team.

After all the ups and downs, Team Jacobs are going to a fifth straight Brier following a win over Tanner Horgan in the Northern Ontario Tankard.

Final Word: Team Jacobs have qualified for the playoffs at the Brier four straight years, but have not been able to reach the top of the podium since their first and only Canadian championship in 2013. Is this the year the 2014 Olympic gold medalists finally get over the hump at nationals?

 

Team Reid Carruthers (6) – Manitoba (West Paul Curling Club)

Skip: Mike McEwen
Third: Reid Carruthers
Second: Derek Samagalski
Lead: Colin Hodgson
Coach: Rob Meakin

Season Record: 47-28

At times this season, the joint venture of best buds Reid Carruthers and Mike McEwen has been trying.

They went 0-6 at the Canada Cup in December and failed to qualify for the playoffs in four of five Grand Slam events against elite-level opponents. This has led to lineup changes and plenty of frustration.

However, at the end of the day, the new-look team has reached their goal of playing in their hometown Brier after a recent surge.

Team Carruthers, which now sees McEwen calling the game and throwing last rocks, won the Karuizawa International before Christmas then finished first in Arizona at the Ed Werenich Gold Wrench Classic in late January. This led to a strong showing at the Manitoba provincials, winning their last seven matches to earn the Buffalo crest for the Brandon Brier.

Final Word: McEwen and Carruthers both made the championship pool round at last year’s Brier in Regina as skip of different squads. Can they take it one step further after joining forces this season? One thing is for sure, they’ll have the fans at Westoba Place behind them all week long.

 

Team Kirk Muyres (7) – Saskatchewan (Nutana Curling Club)

Skip: Kirk Muyres
Third: Kevin Marsh
Second: Daniel Marsh
Lead: Dallan Muyres
Coach: Lyle Muyres

Season Record: 43-27

Saskatoon skip Kirk Muyres caused a minor upset at the SaskTel Tankard this year by beating Matt Dunstone in the Saskatchewan final to punch his ticket to the Canadian championship.

The 28-year-old has appeared in four Briers as a third for Steve Laycock, but this will be his first as a captain of his own rink.

The new-look Team Muyres has had a solid run in their first campaign as a foursome, winning 40-plus games, including the Tier 2 Challenge on the Grand Slam circuit.

Saskatchewan hasn’t won the Brier since Rick Folk accomplished the feat way back in 1980 at the Stampede Corral in Calgary.

Final Word: Muyres and company won’t be part of the elite teams at this year’s Brier, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to put them near the top of the second tier. They’re good enough to make the championship pool and could be in the mix for the playoffs if they can upset a team or two.

 

Team Martin Crete (10) – Quebec (Club de curling Etchemin)

Skip: Martin Crête
Third: Philippe Lemay
Second: Éric Sylvain
Lead: Philippe Ménard
Coach: Robert Ménard

Season Record: 17-12

Curling fans have gotten used to seeing Jean-Michel Menard skip Quebec at the Tim Hortons Brier for over a decade.

The 2006 Canadian champion stepped away from the game at the end of last season, opening the door for another curler to lead the province.

Menard’s longtime third Martin Crete is now the man calling the shots for Quebec after he defeated the defending provincial champ in the Quebec playdowns.

This will be Crete’s eighth Brier appearance and first as a skip.

Final Word: You don’t see a Quebec-based team on tour very much, but they still manage to find themselves in the mix at the Brier just about every year. Crete won’t be a deer caught in the headlights with this new role as the talented thrower should keep his province in the thick of things all week long.

 

Team John Likely (14) - Prince Edward Island (Western Community Curling (Alberton) & Charlottetown Curling Complex)

Skip: John Likely
Third: Anson Carmody
Second: Steve Burgess
Lead: Robbie Doherty

Season Record: 7-1 (playdowns)

John Likely defeated two-time defending champion Eddie MacKenzie in the PEI Tankard final and will skip at the Brier for the first time since 2002.

Likely stole a single point in the 10th end to escape with a 6-5 victory.

Third Anson Carmody and lead Robbie Doherty played for MacKenzie at the 2017 Brier in Newfoundland.

Final Word: MacKenzie picked up two wins last year after losing in the last pre-qualifying in 2017 so there’s plenty of room for improvement for P.E.I. Team Likely will do their best to be championship pool contenders in Brandon.

 

Team Andrew Symonds (11) – Newfoundland and Labrador (Re/Max Centre)

Skip: Andrew Symonds
Third: Chris Ford
Second (vice-skip): Adam Boland
Lead: Keith Jewer
Coach: Craig Jewer

Season Record: 8-7

Last year, Greg Smith and his St. John’s rink captivated the Brier fans in Regina as the first team other than Brad Gushue to represent Newfoundland and Labrador since 2006.

Andrew Symonds will try to do something similar this year after a solid week at his province’s Tankard.

Team Symonds has just two tour events under their belts this season, posting a combined record of 2-6 with no playoff appearances.

Final Word: Smith went 1-6 at the 2018 Brier and a similar result should be expected from Symonds in Brandon.

 

Team Jon Solberg (15) – Yukon (Whitehorse Curling Club)

Skip: Jon Solberg
Third: Bob Smallwood
Second: Clinton Abel
Lead: Scott Odian
Coach: Larry Snow

Season Record: 4-1

Yukon’s Jon Solberg will compete in his third Brier and second as a skip after topping Thomas Scoffin in the provincial final.

In his last appearance in 2017, Solberg failed to get out of the pre-qualifying round but will get to play at least seven games this time with the new format.

Final Word: Yukon will once again be in tough at the national championship. Last year, Scoffin finished last in Pool A with a 1-6 record.

 

Pool B

 

Team Kevin Koe (1) – Alberta (The Glencoe Club)

Skip: Kevin Koe
Third: B.J. Neufeld
Second: Colton Flasch
Lead: Ben Hebert
Coach: John Dunn

Season Record: 45-19

Kevin Koe and his crew curling out of the Glencoe Curling Club in Calgary will represent Alberta at the Brandon Brier after beating Ted Appelman in the provincial final.

The 44-year-old will look to win his fourth Canadian championship in just his seventh appearance at the event.

Koe’s squad, which sees B.J. Neufeld playing third and Colton Flasch at second this season, won the opening leg of the Curling World Cup back in September and have lost three finals on the World Curling Tour since, including the Canada Cup and the Masters of Curling on the Grand Slam circuit.

Koe and Ben Hebert missed out on nationals last year in Regina as they were representing Canada at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Final Word: Koe has never been dominant on the Grand Slam circuit (he has four career victories as a skip), but when the Brier comes along you know this skipper will be in the mix by week’s end. In fact he’s been one of the most consistent curlers at nationals during the past decade. Over six career Brier appearances dating back to 2010, Koe has appeared in five finals, winning three of them.

 

Team Brad Gushue (4) – Canada (Bally Haly Golf & Curling Club)

Skip: Brad Gushue
Third: Mark Nichols
Second: Brett Gallant
Lead: Geoff Walker
Coach: Jules Owchar

Season Record: 35-15

Brad Gushue’s rink from St. John’s is looking to become the first team to win three straight Canadian championships since the Ferbey Four accomplished the feat from 2001 to 2003.

Team Gushue took the season-opening Tour Challenge on the Grand Slam circuit in late September but haven’t been able to get into the winning circle, with semi-final losses at the Canada Cup, National and Canadian Open.

The 38-year-old Gushue will appear in his 13th consecutive Brier and has a 23-3 record over the last two years as a champion.

This year will be a tougher go for the Gushue rink with the return to Kevin Koe to the fold after he missed out competing last year in Regina due to Olympic commitments. The two went head-to-head in the 2017 Brier final in St. John’s when Gushue made a draw with his final stone to capture his first Canadian title and send his hometown into a state of bedlam.

Final Word: When you’re on top, everybody wants to be the one that takes you out and curling is no different. Every rink will have their clash against Team Gushue circled on their calendars with the hopes of getting to the champ. Winning No. 3 will be the toughest for Gushue and company, but they’ve proven in the past they come to play when their backs are against the wall.

 

Team Scott McDonald (5) – Ontario (Cataraqui Golf & Country Club)

Skip: Scott McDonald
Third: Jonathan Beuk
Second: Wesley Forget
Lead: Scott Chadwick
Coach: Sean Turriff

Season Record: 54-26

Scott McDonald and his rink from Kingston are having a season to remember.

The foursome have won over 50 games on tour, made the final of the Tier 2 Challenge on the Grand Slam circuit and won the Challenge de Curling de Gatineau in October.

However, their shining moment came at the Ontario Tankard in Elmira, Ont. Team McDonald capped off their perfect 11-0 week with an 8-2 rout of defending champion John Epping in the final. McDonald actually beat Epping three straight times at playdowns, forcing Epping to concede early each time.

Final Word: Team McDonald will be Brier newbies in Brandon, but that doesn’t mean they won’t find success. The Kingston crew is coming in confident after running the table at the Tankard, so there’s no reason to believe this group can’t qualify for the championship pool or even the playoffs. McDonald is the ultimate dark horse of this year’s Brier.

 

Team Stuart Thompson (8) – Nova Scotia (Dartmouth Curling Club)

Skip: Stuart Thompson
Third: Colten Steele
Second: Travis Colter
Lead: Taylor Ardiel
Coach: Kevin Patterson

Season Record: 29-19

For the first time since 2015, Nova Scotia will not be represented at the Brier by a curler named Jamie Murphy.

Stuart Thompson, 26, defeated the three-time defending provincial champion 6-4 in the final.

Team Thompson won their opening event of the season in late September, then followed that up with a strong performance at the StuSells Toronto Tankard the following week against a stacked field. They beat the likes of Glenn Howard, John Epping and Brendan Bottcher that week before losing to Reid Carruthers in the final.

Final Word: Nova Scotia hasn’t been competitive at the Brier since the days of Mark Dacey, but Thompson’s showing in Toronto earlier this season looks promising. Thompson has proven he can beat the big names and if he can get on a similar run in Brandon, anything is possible.

 

Team Jim Cotter (9) – British Columbia (Vernon Curling Club)

Skip: Jim Cotter
Third: Steve Laycock
Second: Tyrel Griffith
Lead: Rick Sawatsky

Season Record: 25-8

Jim Cotter will play in his ninth Canadian championship this season after winning British Columbia with his new vice, former Saskatchewan skip Steve Laycock.

The Vernon native’s best Brier result come in his home province back in 2014 when he and John Morris teamed up to reach the final where they lost to Kevin Koe.

After Morris stepped away following the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, Cotter brought Laycock over from the prairies to keep his rink competitive.

Cotter and his team haven’t played in any Grand Slam events this year, but have made it to two finals, including a victory in Kelowna.

Final Word: Cotter and company have had limited time to gel with their new teammate this season due to a light schedule. However, with plenty of Brier experience among the four, this veteran Cotter rink is still one to watch out for throughout the week.

 

Team Jamie Koe (12) – Northwest Territories (Yellowknife Curling Club)

Skip: Jamie Koe
Third: David Aho
Second: Matt Ng
Lead: Cole Parsons

Season Record: 5-3

Guess who’s back?

Jamie Koe is headed to his 13th Canadian championship after a perfect 6-0 run at the Northwest Territories playdowns.

This will be the 41-year-old’s 11th straight Brier appearance and he’ll have a fresh look in Brandon with some new teammates, namely David Aho who replaces long-time third Chris Schille.

Koe and Schille, along with D.J. Kidby and Brad Jacobs’ third Ryan Fry, were thrown out of a bonspiel in Red Deer back in November due to excessive drinking.

Final Word: The Northwest Territories finished 3-4 last year at nationals, just a game outside of the championship pool. A similar result should probably be expected again this time around, but it will be interesting to see what the new lineup may bring Koe.

 

Team Terry Odishaw (13) – New Brunswick (Curl Moncton)

Skip: Terry Odishaw
Third: Jordan Pinder
Second: Marc LeCocq
Lead: Grant Odishaw

Season Record: 9-2

Terry Odishaw and his Moncton-based rink are headed to the Brier after upsetting James Grattan in the provincial final, 7-4.

Odishaw has been in the game for a while with his first national championship appearance coming in 1991 and his most recent happening in 2012.

Odishaw was an alternate for Russ Howard’s 2002 rink that fell in the semis to Ontario’s John Morris.

Final Word: Odishaw and company will be in tough against a tough field in Brandon. Two wins, maybe three, seems most likely for this Maritime rink.

 

Team Dave St. Louis (16) – Nunavut (Iqaluit Curling Club)

Skip: Dave St. Louis
Third: Peter Mackey
Second: Jeff Nadeau
Lead: Lloyd Kendall
Coach: Barry Westman

Season Record: N/A

Dave St. Louis will lead Nunavut at the Brier for a second straight year.

Final Word: Once again, the goal for Nunavut will be to try to pick up a win during the week, with their best chances coming against a fellow territory or eastern province.