Defending Brier champs turn to Pfeifer
Canada lead Ben Hebert called his right-knee injury a little tweak. Canada skip Kevin Koe called it a torn meniscus that would require surgery.
Canada alternate Scott Pfeifer can call it an opportunity.
With Hebert watching from the back bench and Pfeifer throwing first stones, Koe guided the defending champs to an 8-5 win over Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy at the Tim Hortons Brier on Tuesday.
A three-point eighth end helped Canada improve to 4-1 in roundrobin play at Mile One Centre. Hebert is prepared to play through the pain as needed but may sit out if the injury flares up again.
“He’s got a torn meniscus in his knee,” Koe said. “He’s going to need surgery after the season or maybe after the event depending how well we (do). So it’s just trying to manage it. He’ll still be playing some games but he’s just not going to be able to play every game.
“We’re going to need him at the end so the decision was made to give him a game off.”
Hebert was walking with a slight limp after the morning draw. The 2010 Olympic champion downplayed the severity of the injury.
“It’s unfortunate but I’m fine,” he said. “I’ll play on some painkillers. No sweat. It’s no big deal.”
Canada was scheduled to return to the ice Tuesday night against Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher.
Manitoba’s Mike McEwen remained unbeaten at 5-0 after topping New Brunswick’s Mike Kennedy, 9-7, in the early draw. McEwen, who threw at a team-low 79 per cent, finished with three straight deuces to salvage the win.
“You’re probably going to have an ugly victory here or there,” he said. “That’s about as ugly as you want to get.”
Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard needed an extra end to edge Ontario’s Glenn Howard, 7-6. Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories picked up his first win by upsetting local favourite Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador, 8-4.
“We’ve got a find way to be a little bit more sharp,” Gushue said. “Maybe get a little bit more edge and maybe come out angry tonight. I’m not sure what the answer is but we’re going to figure it out.”
Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs defeated Murphy, 8-3, in the afternoon to move into second place at 5-1. Kevin Koe was next at 4-1 and Menard followed at 4-2 after his 5-4 win over B.C.’s John Morris in an extra end.
Gushue took a 3-2 record into his showdown with Jacobs on Tuesday night. Saskatchewan’s Adam Casey topped Kennedy, 7-6 in an extra end, to pull even with Morris at 3-3.
Bottcher defeated Jamie Koe, 10-3, to join Murphy at 2-4. Howard was 1-4 while Kennedy and Jamie Koe were 1-5.
Hebert, meanwhile, said he suffered a “little tweak” last month while doing standard training work in the gym.
“If it was my left knee I’d be in a little bit of trouble — my slide knee — but it’s my push knee,” he said. “So I’m confident that I’ll be fine the rest of the way.”
Pfeifer, who curled at 71 per cent, also served as Koe’s alternate at last year’s Brier in Ottawa.
He won four national titles in the early 2000s with the famed Ferbey Four team, but has seen limited elite-level competition in recent years. His last in-game Brier experience came in the 2005 championship game in Edmonton.
“You get out and have a few training weekends with the boys that I got down to,” Pfeifer said. “Really you just try to stay fresh, limber up, and be ready for the call whenever they might need you.”