Brier Nomad: Saskatchewan skip playing for 3rd province in 4 years
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CP) — Adam Casey has enjoyed a rather nomadic Tim Horton’s Brier experience since making his debut at the national men’s curling championship five years ago.
He made three appearances with Brad Gushue’s team from Newfoundland and Labrador before skipping his own rink out of Prince Edward Island the last two years. Now Casey is back at the Brier with Saskatchewan, becoming just the fifth player to win purple hearts with three different provinces or territories.
“I think ideally you’d stay with the same group of guys and you’d get to know every little intricacy about them,” Casey said Sunday. “But I think that’s not always a reality. You always have that search for the right fit.
“I think that’s what’s been happening to me the last few years.”
Casey and Brier rookies Catlin Schneider, Shaun Meachem and Dustin Kidby are off to a good start at this year’s competition with two wins in their first three games.
They dropped a 6-5 decision to Manitoba’s Mike McEwen in their opener before rebounding Sunday with an 11-5 win over Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher and an 8-3 victory over Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories.
McEwen and Canada’s Kevin Koe lead the round-robin standings at 3-0 after five draws of play. Both teams posted two wins on the day.
Casey, Gushue, Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs and Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy were tied in third place at 2-1.
In the Sunday evening games, Gushue defeated New Brunswick’s Mike Kennedy 5-4 and Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard beat Murphy 10-6. McEwen topped Jamie Koe 6-2 and Ontario’s Glenn Howard dropped a 5-4 decision to Kevin Koe.
Howard, Menard, Kennedy and John Morris, who is skipping the B.C. entry from Vernon-Kelowna, were at 1-2. Jamie Koe (0-3) and Bottcher (0-3) are winless.
The only other men’s players to win three different provincial or territorial championships are Morris (Ontario, Alberta, B.C.), his father Earle Morris (Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario), Ryan Fry (Manitoba, N.L., Northern Ontario), and Chris Schille (N.L., Saskatchewan, N.W.T.).
Based out of the Highland Curling Club in Regina, Casey’s team played a load of bonspiels this season. Casey would try to fly out early when possible and they worked the kinks out in game settings.
Casey upset Steve Laycock to win the provincial title in blowout fashion. With former Brier champion Pat Simmons on board as coach, the team hopes its momentum will continue in St. John’s.
Casey will play Menard this afternoon before a feature evening matchup against Gushue. Round-robin play continues through Friday with the medal games set for March 12.
“I think this team is capable of making the playoffs,” Casey said. “And then one hot skip is all you need to win the thing.”
Casey, a 27-year-old industrial process specialist, won a Canadian junior title in 2009 on a P.E.I. team skipped by Brett Gallant, now a second with Gushue.
Casey joined Gushue in 2011 and made his first Brier appearance the following year in Saskatoon.