Gushue slow out of the gate at Olympic curling trials

OTTAWA — A team meeting in the middle of the Tim Hortons Brier kickstarted Brad Gushue’s run to national and world titles this year.

Another sitdown session was needed after an early loss at the Olympic Trials. It appears to be paying some dividends.

Gushue picked up his second straight win Monday morning with an 8-6 victory over John Morris at Canadian Tire Centre. It was an intense, rollicking affair that turned when Gushue delivered a tap for four points in the eighth end.

The St. John’s, N.L., skip — who jawed with teammates and opponents alike during the game — pumped his fist and held his stare after delivering the clutch throw.

“We’re doing a lot of things right, we just haven’t gained any traction yet,” Gushue said. “It certainly felt like we were starting to gain it. It would have been a sin for me not to finish it off.”

Gushue gave up three in the third end after ticking a guard, but pulled even in the fourth with a deuce. He chirped at Morris at one point in the fifth, picked up a steal, and gave second Brett Gallant an earful during the mid-game break.

Gushue seemed determined to will his team to victory.

“Sometimes I walk a fine line because I can get a little bit too intense for the guys,” he said. “But they know what I’m like.”

Reigning Olympic champion Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., beat Gushue 7-4 in the evening draw. Gushue, who fell to 2-2, couldn’t recover after giving up three points in the third end due to a picked stone. Jacobs improved to 2-1.

The team’s first loss of the competition was a 6-4 decision to Toronto’s John Epping over the weekend. Gushue used terms like “shocked” and “mind-blown” to describe his teammates’ play in the final end of the opener.