Manitoba’s playoff hopes at Brier on life support
It was, of course, the most colossal collapse by Manitoba in 89 years of Brier curling history.
For the first time, thanks to the introduction of a new wild card team in the new 16-team-format, two-pool event, two Winnipeg teams were sailing along like it could be Manitoba I versus Manitoba II in Sunday’s final.
And then the wheels fell off both prairie schooners.
Both Manitoba teams lost both games on the same day of play — the first day of Championship Round crossover games between the top four teams in each pool.
Considering Manitoba’s considerable curling history, that’s inconceivable.
The Buffalo Boys, A & B, dove head first over a cliff like this thing was being held at Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump over in Southern Alberta, not here in the town that came into being known as Pile Of Bones.
Here in the second last draw of the Championship Round, Reid Carruthers went over the cliff, losing 7-5 to Jamie Murphy of Nova Scotia.
“Gut-wrenching,” said Carruthers. “We lost four in a row. That’s pretty gross.
“This is not exactly how I had it drawn up. We tried to focus on ourselves. We obviously had an awful day Thursday.
Mike McEwen broke his own losing streak to stay alive, beating Saskatchewan 6-4 to remaining clinging to the cliff needing a win over Carruthers and an Alberta loss to Northern Ontario to create a tiebreaker Saturday morning.
For McEwen, it was a disaster of epic proportions.
The runner-up in the Roar of the Rings Olympic Trials gave up a steal of five to lose 9-2 to Brendan Bottcher of Alberta on Wednesday evening and then lost both ends of the double dip to open Championship Round play Thursday.
In the afternoon, he was sailing along in control against John Epping of Ontario only to give up two on the ninth and a steal of two on the 10 to lose 8-7.
Then, in the evening, McEwen gave up six on the first end and was eventually allowed to shake hands after six with an 8-1 verdict on the scoreboard.
McEwen was 5-1 since winning the first wild card game the night before round robin play began, defeating a third Winnipeg outfit skipped by Jason Gunnlaugson.
“I can’t recall anything like that happening back-to-back-to-back, certainly not how it happened,” he said.
“I’m not the only one it has happened to. It happened to Brad Jacobs at the Olympic Trials. It happened to Kevin Koe at the Olympics. Things happen to amazing teams.”
But it happened to Manitoba at a Brier.
“We know Manitobans expect a lot from their teams and they should. We have very strong teams. At least we still have an opportunity to still do it the hard way and squeak it out to get into the playoffs,” McEwen said of the chance to go through a Saturday morning tiebreaker.
Meanwhile Carruthers, 4-7 at his only previous Brier as a skip at Calgary 2015, also came out of Thursday’s double whammy day at 5-4, having lost 8-2 to Alberta, giving up four, two and one point on consecutive ends before shaking hands after eight and then getting crushed 7-2 by Brad Gushue in the evening.
All his team could tell themselves was that they had one chance, ironically against McEwen, to at least end their Brier with a win, even if it meant compounding the Manitoba misery.
NO STRESS TEST
For 14 years, Brad Gushue came to the Brier having to answer the questions about how he could be an Olympic champion and have never won one.
Then last year, at home in St. John’s, the Newfoundland and Labrador skip finally won one and went on to win the Ford Worlds in Edmonton.
That, he said, made all the difference in the way this Brier has gone for he and his team of Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker as they ran their record to 9-1 and assured a spot in Saturday evening ’s 1-2 game here in the Page playoff system.
“There’s just been a lot less stress. I’m a lot less nervous. I’m eating better. I’m sleeping better. Everything is better,” the Team Canada skip said when he left the ice with a 5-3 win over Brad Jacobs of Northern Ontario.
That sent Gushue forward to the final game in the Championship Round tied with Ontario’s John Epping, 9-7 winners over Alberta, with only one defeat.
“I’m not exaggerating in saying how much less stress there has been. I’ve been through Olympic Trials and the Olympics and all those Briers and it was nothing like we felt last year. It was overwhelming.”
Winning it is part of it.
“The monkey is kind of off our back. You guys were always asking me when we were going to win this and why we hadn’t won one yet and that’s all gone now. This year it’s an enjoyable experience.”