Team P.E.I. misses playoffs
Tyler Smith finishes with 5-3 record at Montana's Brier in Saskatchewan
Tyler Smith was settling into the hack trailing by one to Jamie Koe and team Northwest Territories. He looked up knowing one stone would send him and his team to the playoffs at the Montana's Brier.
He was focused, he knew what he had to throw. There was no outside noise, it was just him on the ice. One shot away from making P.E.I curling history.
It didn't work out the way he planned.
“It was disappointing to lose the way we did,” said Smith. “I knew the weight I needed to throw the stone. I threw the stone and it didn’t curl the way I wanted it to. I made a mistake.”
Despite the loss, Smith and team P.E.I put in one of the best performances the province has seen at the Brier. He finished with a record of 5-3, one game out of the playoffs.
"This was the first time P.E.I. had a record over .500. It stings to lose being only one game away from the playoffs," said Smith. "It was good to see the progress that we've made and hopefully we can keep building on this."
This was the fourth time that Smith has gotten the chance to represent P.E.I nationally at the Brier. Despite the other three tournaments, this one will leave a lasting effect on Smith and his team.
“This has been the best Brier I have been to,” said Smith. “The people, accommodations, arena and the ice were excellent. It is one of the best experiences that I have had in my life.”
Despite it being his fourth Brier, getting the chance to play against some of the best men’s curlers in the country is a dream come true for Smith and his team.
“Being able to play against the guys I grew up watching was amazing. To be playing beside guys like Koe, Gushue and Bottcher it’s surreal,” said Smith. “We were able to stay in the game when we played those guys and it just made the whole experience more memorable.”
Smith said his team felt like celebrities with all the messages of support they received from people here on the Island.
“It was pretty cool. I was getting phone calls and messages from numbers I had never seen before. You see people posting about you and all the comments of support, it was really special to see all the people rally around us and cheer us on,” said Smith.
For Smith and his team this is the last tournament that they will compete in this season. They will take some time off, but they know what the goal is for next year.
“The Brier caps off the season for us,” said Smith. “We are done till next fall and then we will start training and competing in tournaments again. I hope that we will be able to make it back to the Brier next year, that is the goal.”