Brier Final Three

REGINA—The clocks don’t change in Saskatchewan. They will change elsewhere, and people will lose an hour of sleep. In Regina, there is the Patch, so no one sleeps.

The Brier’s championship Sunday has arrived, with games at 12 noon and 6:00 p.m. local time (rather than 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.) in order to maintain the same Eastern, Mountain, Western (and Newfoundland) times as Friday and Saturday.

The local Saskatchewan fans have adjusted their schedules so other Canadians can refrain from resetting their watches to a different game time. Prairie folks just don’t want to cause a fuss.

Saturday afternoon brought disappointment for Manitoba fans and hope for the wheat province with a skip born in Manitoba. Matt Dunstone and his team battled back from a 5-1 deficit, but Mike McEwen was able to erase past demons and hold on for a 6-5 win to reach the semifinal.

Mike and his opposing third for Dunstone, B.J. Neufeld, might have thought back to when they were teammates, in the semifinal of the 2017 Brier. Back then a younger McEwen with B.J. at third led 5-3 with hammer against Kevin Koe after seven ends. 

At the time, in only his second Brier, McEwen appeared to be on the verge of reaching the finals against hometown hero and then-winner of zero Briers, Brad Gushue.

Koe stole in eight, forced in nine, scored a deuce to tie in 10 and then stole the semifinal in the extra end.

Fast forward to today and Mike is again trying to face Gushue in the final, except Brad now has won five times and is poised for a sixth.

McEwen had a short runback double for a game-finishing three in the eighth end, but jammed and surrendered a steal. 

In the ninth, rather than a soft weight hit or delicate tap that could risk a steal of two, Mike chose to peel out the mostly open Dunstone stone and give up a steal of one in order to head to the final end tied with the hammer.

Both leads made perfect shots and it reminded us how these unheralded heroes—who carry the brooms, don’t complain, and are rarely shown on television—make these critical shots nearly every time. Ryan Harnden was 93% in this game while Dan Marsh reached 98%.

The setup was not ideal but when they reached skip stones, there was still hope for the Dunstone squad. 

Matt’s last shot rolled inches shorter than intended and Mike could see just enough for a careful hit and stick to capture the win. 

On to the semifinals for host Saskatchewan.

In the evening page 1 vs 2 game, Brad Gushue was on a mission from the start. 

With two opponent stones staggered at the top of the rings, Gushue called for a draw around to the button rather than hit and play for a blank. His shot slipped deep by a hair but Brendan Bottcher was unable to follow down and left a hit for two.

Alberta was able to rebound with a deuce in the next end but continued to chase for most of the game. As they had appeared all week, the teams were evenly matched … but Brad made slightly better shots at opportune moments.

Brendan has won one Brier so far and has the higher world ranking and more consistent play over the past 12 months. But Gushue appears to have planned to peak at this event and is bringing the experience gained from the many lumps he’s taken over the years.

Gushue first won the Brier in 2017 on his 14th attempt. There were 13 years of close calls and near misses, with everyone wondering if it was ever going to happen. With five Brier titles in seven years and another within his grasp, the question has flipped to—when will it not happen?

McEwen will face Bottcher in the semifinal. Brendan and Team Alberta are -140 favourites, despite Saskatchewan having hammer in the first end by way of their round robin record.

Since we already featured a preview of that matchup ahead of the Friday qualifiers , let’s share some Patch photos and stories.

Team Dunstone supporters were disappointed. Grandma Carol Dunstone had tears in her eyes but attempted a smile following my assurances that Matt will win it all next year.

The crew posed for pictures before neatly folding and returning their Manitoba blue hoodies to their respective suitcases, stored until they re-emerge next year in Kelowna.

Turning 40 is often a milestone. In the case of Chad Andrews, a farmer from the hamlet of Hazlet, Sask., there was only one place to celebrate, the Brier.

Chad farms oriental mustard, used in making wasabi. He also helps with the local two-sheet curling rink, providing access to the roaring game for Hazlet’s 100 occupants.

Wife Britny planned more than expected as 40 “Chads” showed up to celebrate the occasion.

Fake beards and matching T-shirts made it difficult to distinguish the real Chad. See if you can spot him in the photo above.

Our final Patch encounter was with a rugby team of beefy nuns and her holiness, the Pope of Saskatoon. 

Blessings to all on this Brier Sunday and good luck to the final three.