by If the first seven days at the Tim Hortons Brier was a marathon, then the next two days will be a sprint.
Eighteen teams entered the curling bubble in Calgary last week and theyve been whittled down to the elite eight which will compete in the championship round of the Canadian mens curling championship.
It all starts Friday when Kevin Koe takes on Brendan Bottcher at 2:30pm et/11:30am pt on TSN 1/3 and streaming on TSN.ca, the TSN App and TSN Direct.
The top four teams in each pool will carry their records over and will play four more games against teams in the opposing pool.
With no page playoff this year, only the top three teams will make the playoffs. The top-ranked team after championship pool play will get a bye into Sundays championship contest while the second and third-seeded teams will battle in the semifinals earlier in the day.
Like last months Scotties Tournament of Hearts, entering championship pool play with three losses probably means you need to win out to have a chance to play on Sunday. Its a tough task, but it can be done as proven by Albertas Laura Walker, who ran the table to get into a tiebreaker against Jennifer Jones. She won the game and reached the Scotties playoffs for the first time in her career.
Lets take a closer look at the Briers championship pool and which teams are in the best position.
Looking Good
Wild Card 2 (Team Kevin Koe)7-1
The Pool B winners are in good position to capture one of the three playoff spots thanks to their strong round-robin record.
Kevin Koe led his Calgary-based rink to wins in each of their first six games before dropping their first against Ontarios John Epping on Wednesday night. They struggled early against Quebec, but turned things around in the second half to clinch the top spot.
Were in a good position going in. I like where were at, said lead Ben Hebert on Thursday. [Were at] 7-1 and we control our own destiny to still claim the top spot if we run the table. Thats a good place to be, but were going to have to pick up our game at bit.
Morris on Koe: He gets better with age, he’s a natural leader
Team Kevin Koe are off to the championship round after a dominating win over Team Matt Dunstone. Koe and new second John Morris discuss how their dynamic has changed since their first stint as teammates in the early 2000s.
Weve been playing pretty good, but a few misses out of me and John, not setting us up early enough. We need to get on the same page and make it a little easier on BJ and Kev. If we do that, were going to be real tough to beat.
After a brief hiatus, John Morris is back at the Brier this year, throwing second rocks and holding the broom for Koe. In fact, the two were teammates back in the early 2000s when Koe played vice for Morris.
If the 46-year-old Koe can find his way to the top of the podium Sunday night, he would be the only skip with five Brier Tankards to his name.
Wild Card 3 (Team Glenn Howard)7-1
The story of this years Brier has been 53-year-old Wayne Middaugh.
Middaugh didnt even know hed be competing at this years Canadian championship until last month when a snowmobile accident resulted in multiple broken ribs for former teammate and long-time buddy Glenn Howard.
Howard couldnt play so Middaugh got the call.
SC Backstory: Wayne Middaugh – Turning Back the Clock
Wayne Middaugh had finally come to terms with retirement from competitive curling, but it was a retirement that he didn’t choose. So when his former teammate Glenn Howard posed an unexpected question: “Would you come to the Brier?”, Middaugh couldn’t resist. For the 53-year-old, it was about more than just shaking off a few years of rust. Glenn Schiiler has more in this SC Backstory.
Its a remarkable feat that Middaugh, a three-time world champion, is able to play at all given that he has a titanium rod in his leg after breaking 11 bones during a horrific skiing accident in 2016.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, curlers at Markin MacPhail Centre have had plenty of time to rest and relax between games, simply because they dont have the various responsibilities of a normal Brier. Middaugh credits that factor as one of the reasons why hes been able to stay sharp all week.
Theres nothing that can replace being mentally fresh, said Middaugh on Thursday.
The veteran has been pure vintage inside the bubble, regularly shooting in the high 80s and making numerous highlight reel game-winners. Hes gotten plenty of help from the sweeping due of David Mathers and Tim March while vice Scott Howard is playing some of the best curling of his life in Calgary.
Everything has clicked this week for Team Howard, beating perennial contenders in Brad Jacobs and Mike McEwen en route to a first-place finish in Pool A. They’ve won their last five games coming into the championship pool.
The skip says he isnt feeling much pressure as an underdog this week compared to his heyday.
Must See: Middaugh scores two in 10th for come from behind win
Watch as three-time Brier Champ Wayne Middaugh turns back the clock with his final rock in the 10th end, scoring two to give his rink the 6-5 win.
“Expectations weren’t super high,” Middaugh said. “We knew we could make a lot of shots. We weren’t sure if we could run with the big guys, it turns out if we play really well (we can).”
Howard has been alongside his team for the entire ride as well and has used his coaching experience with Scotlands Eve Muirhead to help where he can, said Middaugh.
Our coach has been outstanding at getting us prepared for every game and every team, said Middaugh. Hes done all the things an awesome coach should do.
It wont get any easier in the championship round with matchups against Koe, Brad Gushue, John Epping and Matt Dunstone.
Right Behind
Canada (Team Brad Gushue)6-2
Must See: Gushue makes delicate split for three
Watch as defending champion and Team Canada skip Brad Gushue makes an incredible split for three points, with his final stone of the fourth end.
The defending champs had a difficult schedule over their first four games, but took care of business in the second half of the preliminary round and are on a four-game winning streak coming into the championship pool.
I think we have been getting better as the week has gone on, skip Brad Gushue said. Were starting to feel more comfortable and more confident in our rock placement which is key for us.
Gushue, 40, has had two perfect games this week and has shot 95 per cent or better in each of his last three games.
A fourth Brier title in five years would only add to Team Gushues legacy as one of the greatest rinks of all-time. It would also allow Gushue to join the ranks of Koe, Randy Ferbey, Kevin Martin and Ernie Richardson as the only skips to win the Brier four times.
Alberta (Team Brendan Bottcher)6-2
Must See: Bottcher makes great in-off to score three
Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher makes a great in-off to score three against Mike McEwen’s Wild Card rink.
Edmontons Brendan Bottcher is in familiar territory at the Canadian championship.
For the fourth straight year, the 29-year-old has led his rink out of the Saville Community Sports Centre into a good position to make the playoffs.
“It’s a long week,” Bottcher said. “It started out OK, I think we’re gaining some momentum here and I hope we can take that through into the last couple days.”
Albertas round robin finale against British Columbia was delayed nearly an hour due to ice repairs, but they were able to get back on track when play resumed to avoid the dreaded third loss. Bottcher made a beautiful game winning takeout with the last throw of the game to pick up the victory.
Bottchers rink became the first in history to lose three straight Brier finals when they fell to Gushue in Kingston last year.
Will they get over the hump in the curling bubble?
Saskatchewan (Team Matt Dunstone)6-2
For the second straight year, 25-year-old Matt Dunstone and his rink are in a good position heading into the championship pool.
“We just accomplished step one of three ultimately,” Dunstone said. “So it doesn’t change. The arena, the rocks, everything stays the same come tomorrow.”
Last year in Kingston, Ont., Team Dunstone had a 6-1 record after round-robin play and ended up with the bronze medal, the best result for the prairie province since 2015.
Whatever happens over the next couple days, Dunstone says his team is just grateful they get to curl at all.
Were out here trying to enjoy this as much as possible because we havent had curling in a year. To come back and not only play, but play on the biggest stage, he said. This is about as good as it gets and thats our perspective going into this. Win or lose thats not going to change, but obviously were going to go out there, compete our asses off and play well.
Ontario (Team John Epping)6-2
Torontos Team John Epping kicked off the Brier last Friday night with a 6-2 loss to Gushue and the defending champs.
Theyve turned things around since and have been one of the better squads inside the bubble, highlighted by a win over previously undefeated Team Koe.
Their skipper is getting hot at the right time as well, shooting 91 per cent or better in the last two games.
Epping lost to Brad Jacobs in the second playoff tiebreaker at last years Brier.
In The Mix
Northern Ontario (Team Brad Jacobs)5-3
For the second straight year, Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie rink will likely have to run the table in the championship pool to have a shot at the playoffs.
A tough 8-6 defeat to Wayne Middaugh in their round-robin finale gave them their third loss of the week.
They had three losses in round-robin play last year as well and still needed to win a pair of tiebreakers to make the page playoff after putting up a 4-0 record in the championship round.
If Team Jacobs was able to do it once, theres a good chance they can find a way to do it again.
The 35-year-old Jacobs has made the playoffs in each of his six appearances at the Brier since winning his first and only Tankard in 2013.
Manitoba (Team Jason Gunnlaugson)5-3
After winning their first five games, Manitobas Team Jason Gunnlaugson dropped their final three round-robin games and will be in for an uphill battle in the championship round.
They lost games to Middaugh and British Columbias Jim Cotter on Thursday after attempting difficult shots with their last throws.
In his first Brier appearance, last year in Kingston, Gunnlaugson held a 5-2 pool play record before losing all four games in the championship round.
Gunnlaugson faces Koe, Gushue, Epping and Dunstone on the schedule over the next couple days.
