B.C. boys throw baby weight
Two babies were on the way, so only three could play which led to a historical surrender of seven on the ice.
British Columbia played with just three players in the seedings draw of the Tim Hortons Brier, presented by Mosaic, against New Brunswick on Friday morning because they’d lost two players to expected fatherhood.
After preliminary pool play ended Wednesday night, third Jeff Richard headed home to Kelowna to be with his wife Brooklyn Leitch for the birth of their first child. He joined lead David Harper, who was already there awaiting the birth of his second child with wife Jessica. Harper had bolted midway through their first game Saturday night to catch a plane because it was believed Jessica was in labour. False alarm. So he came back to play Tuesday afternoon before returning afterward.
So that meant not only was alternate Brad Wood called into action, he and regular second Andrew Nerpin would have to throw three rocks each and sweep by themselves.
They fell behind early giving up three in the first end, but it was basically game over when New Brunswick scored seven in the sixth end of a 12-5 win for the Maritime team skipped by James Grattan.
“It was fun. We knew it was going to happen at some point, you just play with what you’ve got. We’re at the Brier, so we’re not playing against club teams. You go out there and take your chances, and sometimes you get licked,” said B.C. skip Sean Geall.
With Harper and Richard on baby alert, British Columbia had just two wins in eight games.
“I don’t know that I’d call (the week) strange. We knew what was going to happen coming in, or at least we had an idea it was going to happen coming in, so we were prepared for what happened,” said Geall. “There’s no excuses. We didn’t play to our potential, and we don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.”
Since he played in every game but one, it’s likely Wood played more than any alternate ever.
“Everybody has been talking about that, that I might have set a record or two just in that matter, playing the most game for an alternate. Plus playing a game as an alternate with a three-man team was kind of different, too,” said Wood, who knew there was a good possibility he’d have to play some, but not seven of eight. “I thought maybe one, maybe two games. I never expected the amount I ended up curling.”