By News Room
Apr 15, 2021 7:13 AM
The latest curling event in the Calgary bubble gets underway Thursday, as the Grand Slam of Curling’s Champions Cup begins.
One of the rinks competing will be the Matt Dunstone rink, that finished 3rd for a second consecutive year at the Brier.
The team got to Calgary just as word started to filter out about positive COVID-19 tests that caused a delay at the World Men’s Curling Championship.
Third Braeden Moskowy admitted there was some confusion as to what exactly was happening.
“So we actually found out late Friday night, and we had our flight at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday,” Moskowy said. “So we’re like well what do we do here, we didn’t know, so we came out here and still didn’t know anything Saturday or Sunday really,” he added.
Bottcher shot 97 per cent to lead his Alberta side to a 4-2 victory. Koe s Wild Card Two conceded in the 10th end with no options available to score a game-tying deuce. It s just such a good feeling when you know you ve worked so hard and then you come out and play your best at the biggest game there is, Bottcher said. That s just really a cool and a special feeling.
With about 30 seconds left on the clock, Koe and teammates John Morris, B.J. Neufeld and Ben Hebert briefly studied the house. Facing three stones and with no real chance at pulling even, they decided to call it.
(TSN Curling Twitter)
Saskatchewan’s Brier drought will go on for another year.
Matt Dunstone and his Regina team of Braeden Moskowy, Kirk Muyres and Dustin Kidby lost 6-5 to Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher in the semifinal at the Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary on Sunday.
A Saskatchewan team hasn’t won the Canadian men’s curling title since Rick Folk in 1980. A rink from the province also hasn’t appeared in the Brier final since 1995, when Brad Heidt lost 10-8 to Manitoba’s Kerry Burtnyk.
Bottcher advanced to his fourth straight Brier final, this time against the Wild Card team skipped by Kevin Koe. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Bottcher lost in each of his previous three final appearances.
Saskatoon / 650 CKOM
Mar 15, 2021 11:05 AM
Matt Dunstone s Saskatchewan team finished third at the Tim Hortons Brier for the second straight year. (CurlSask/Twitter)
It wasn’t the result Matt Dunstone’s Saskatchewan foursome wanted at the Tim Hortons Brier, but second Kirk Muyres said the week in Calgary was something the team will never forget.
After finishing 9-3 during round-robin and championship pool play, Dunstone’s team comprising Muyres, lead Dustin Kidby and third Braeden Moskowy placed second in the standings before the three-team playoff Sunday. But Saskatchewan ended up with the same result as the 2020 Brier, though.
A 6-5 loss to Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher left the Regina-based team as the third-place team for a second straight year. Last year, Newfoundland and Labrador snuck past Saskatchewan in the 2-3 Page playoff game en route to its Brier win under Brad Gushue.
Bottcher beats Koe 4-2 to win Canadian men s curling championship for first time
Team Alberta celebrates defeating Team Wild Card Two to win the Brier curling final in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, March 14, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh March 14, 2021 - 10:00 PM
CALGARY - Brendan Bottcher knew it would require a near-flawless performance to deny Kevin Koe a fifth career title at the Canadian men s curling championship.
He was just about perfect Sunday night to finally end a three-year silver streak at the Tim Hortons Brier.
Bottcher shot 97 per cent to lead his Alberta side to a 4-2 victory. Koe s Wild Card Two conceded in the 10th end with no options available to score a game-tying deuce.