#BetweenTheSheets: Playdown Party Approaches Midnight
We have winners, upsets and controversy after a busy playdown weekend
The #TwineTime blog promised you last week you were about to step foot into the playdown party right? Well what a party is has been...and the party on ice is still going folks.
This past weekend we had celebrations, upsets, controversy, debate, welcome back's and implosions. There really was something for us all to like at this party. And the clock is only starting to approach midnight.
With the party continuing on into the night hours, what does the curling world have in store for us next?
What a crazy weekend right? And while we will get into the results and summary of all the action on the ice, lets take some time to focus on the biggest social media story: The Manitoba Scotties.
No I am not even talking about the implosion on the ice, more on that in a moment. I am talking about the off the ice debate waging on through social media over the format. Welcome to a new edition to the #FormatFrenzy discussion we had last year during the World Women's Curling Championships.
The Manitoba Scotties is a full event with 16 teams qualifying and placed into two pools of 8 for a RR portion. The top two teams in each pool advance to the page playoff bracket. But here is the rub.
Common sense would indicate the two pool winners would earn the so-called 1vs2 playoff spot, thus earning the second chance opportunity for the loser to play in the SF. The second place pool winners would then advance to the "3vs4" page playoff game, facing elimination throughout the playoffs. Seems fair, yes?
Not in Manitoba folks. Rather the top four qualifying teams are re-seeded after the RR based on their Last Shot Draw numbers. Yup, re-seeded based on draw numbers during the RR. You could go 7-0 in the RR and find yourself in the 3vs4 game because of your cumulative draw number. Ummmm ok?!
Well this is what happened to Einarson. Ok so she didn't go 7-0 in her pool, she went 6-1. But she did finish first in her pool. Her reward? Dropping into the 3vs4 playoff game to face off against the 2nd place team in her pool, who happened to first survive a TB game. Now of course she won the 3vs4 and the SF to reach the final perhaps making the eye-raising debate mute but this still seems to be a bit of a format issue.
Shouldn't a team who navigates their competitive pool properly to emerge on top get some reward? Image if Einarson lost. They win their pool and are eliminated after one playoff game? Meanwhile, in theory, a 5-2 second place team advances to the SF to play the other 2nd place team. Strong results should yield a reward and the second-chance playoff opportunity.
One argument for the format is the pools might not be balanced and one pool could be stronger than the other. Is that really possible? Aren't the teams seeded and placed in their respective pools based on the seeding? If the pools are imbalanced, this would tell me the system in place seeding teams is flawed and needs to be re-evaluated. You seed the teams. Pool imbalances shouldn't be happening.
Another argument was against a comment this blog made being against the robust format of having a 16-team RR event. It was raised that, for a blog promoting the #growthesport movement, why would I be against a larger field? Fair enough but the debate isn't really around how many teams qualify but rather against the format they are playing. You want 16 teams to allow for more opportunity for more teams and give these teams the chance to competitively curl on arena ice, pick a format that makes sense.
Why are you having 16 teams compete in a RR rather than a triple knockout? 3 losses would still be the threshold for advancing to the playoffs in the RR. This year 3 losses wouldn't even get you into the playoffs. So if a 5-2 record is going to be the bubble, the triple knockout makes sense. Alberta uses the modified triple knockout with a page playoff format for their 12 teams. Meanwhile Saskatchewan uses a RR format with 9 teams. Both work.
If Manitoba wants to stay with 16 teams, have a format accommodating the larger field. Do we really need to see two teams with 1 win battle at the end of the RR, just playing out the event? Sure they get to compete on arena ice but the games are meaningless. What motivation is there? Under a triple knockout, at least every game matters and every team always has a chance to still qualify. Each game, each draw have championship implications.
This isn't about going against the #growthesport movement but rather encouraging those in charge to think about what makes the most sense for the athletes, the fans and the sport. Certainly the current format of having a pool winner knocked down to an elimination 3vs4 game can not be seen as fair and "best for business". But hey, as someone has told me in the past, "what do I know?"
Instead lets get to the celebration part of the weekend. We had an ultimate crowning of Canadian champions...and re-wrote the record books at the same time.
Canadian Junior Men - It was a #TardiParty weekend. Playdown party? Oh I think the Tardi party was where the real fun and excitement was on Sunday night. Tyler Tardi and his B.C. junior champs took down Manitoba's JT Ryan in the championship final to claim the third consecutive Canadian junior title for Tardi and vice Sterling Middleton, the first to accomplish this incredible feat. Tardi was the class of the field, losing only 1 game all week and brought home the 7th title to our Pacific province. The home province celebrated success with Team Rylan Kleiter claiming the bronze medal. Kleiter curled lights out this weekend as well before falling to a very strong and talented Team Ryan in the SF. Hmmm, maybe Tardi should consider picking up Kleiter as his 5th for world's?
Canadian Junior Women - While Tardi won his third straight, Alberta's Team Selena Sturmay did one better than Tardi this year. She won the Canadian junior women's title without suffering a loss going undefeated in the preliminary pool, championship pool and playoffs. Overall Sturmay finished off the perfect 11-0 record knocking off B.C.'s Team Sarah Daniels in the final. Sturmay's victory gave Alberta their 10th junior women's title, now only one behind leader Saskatchewan. Last year's champion, Kaitlyn Jones from Nova Scotia, won the bronze medal.
And how about those upsets, shockers and welcome back moments from the weekend? Here is what you missed at the #PlaydownParty:
#STOH2019
Alberta - Well nobody made a provincial championship look more easy than Chelsea Carey and her team this past weekend. Qualifying for the playoffs from the A-side, Team Carey went a perfect 5-0 en route to defeating Team Kelsey Rocque in the championship final. For Carey this is her second AB title, previously winning in 2016 when she won the national Scotties as well. For front-end Dana Ferguson and Rachelle Brown, this will be their 3rd appearance (previously playing 2014, 2015 with Val Sweeting), and vice Sarah Wilkes will be making her 3rd appearance and 2nd as a player after being on the 2017 AB championship team skipped by Shannon Kleibrink.
Saskatchewan - The finals curse is OVER! After losing the provincial final in 2017 and 2018, plus the SF in 2016, Robyn Silvernagle can finally call herself Saskatchewan champion. For the third straight year Silvernagle finished first in the RR (this year with a 7-1 record) and played in the 1vs2 page playoff. After defeating defending champion Team Sherry Anderson, she awaited the SF winner. With Anderson knocking off upstart Team Kristen Streifel, Silvernagle would extract some revenge on Anderson for the extra end finals loss last year. This time it would be Silvernagle wearing the #StealPants, collecting a single in the 10th end to win 6-5....and taking the winning point while she took a brief bathroom break due to nerves. Silvernagle will make her Scotties debut but will be joined by a Scotties vet, Stef Lawton at vice as Lawton picked up her 5th Sask title.
Manitoba - Drama, drama, drama!! How else does one explain everything that went down in Gimli, Manitoba this weekend? From the above mentioned drama of the competition format to the implosion in the championship final, there was something for everyone to fixate on. When the atomic bomb smoke cleared, Team Tracy Fleury (comprised of skip Fleury and last year's Scotties runner-up remaining of Team Einarson) emerged victorious with Fleury collecting her 1st Manitoba title and now will make her 4th Scotties appearance. Fleury battled back in the final after giving up a huge (and what could have been game ending) 5 in the 2nd end to trail 1-5. Of course then the implosion of Team Einarson happened and Fleury would outscore her opposition 10-1 (yes 10-1!!) in ends 5 - 9 to complete the comeback and take home the title in a dominating end scoreline of 13-7. Could we see a rematch between these two teams in Sydney though? Einarson's Scotties dreams are not over as she has clinched a spot in the wildcard play-in game due to her CTRS standing.
New Brunswick - Welcome back, Crawford. After curling out of Germany for a few years and moving back to Canada, Crawford has picked up right where she left off...back as a NB Scotties champion. Crawford collected her 8th provincial title going 5-0 over the weekend. She finished first in the RR with a 4-0 record and then defeated #TeamUpset contender Team Sarah Mallais in the championship final.
Nova Scotia - #StealPants FTW!! Jill Brothers won her 4th NS title and first since 2016 by stealing the title from defending champ Team Mary-Anne Arsenault in the 10th end. Down 4-5 playing 10 without hammer, Team Brothers navigated a perfect end coupled with a few timely misses from Arsenault to steal 2 points and collect the title. Team Brothers finished 1st in the RR with a 5-2 record, earning the bye into the final. As #TwineTime expected, the NS field was VERY close needing two TB to claim the other two playoff spots as four teams finished tied for second with 4-3 records.
The above teams will be joined by those who have already punched their tickets to Sydney:
Canada - Team Jennifer Jones
Newfoundland and Labrador - Team Kelli Sharpe
NWT - Team Kerry Galusha
Nunavut - Team Jenine Bodner
PEI - Team Suzanne Birt
Quebec - Team Gabrielle Lavoie
Yukon - Team Nicole Baldwin
#Brier2019
New Brunswick - Terry Odishaw will be making his 6th Brier appearance after winning the NB Tankard this weekend in Moncton. Odishaw made his first appearance in 1991 and, now 29 years later, will be making his sixth. Team Odishaw, including now 7-time Brier participant Mike Kennedy at vice, finished first in the RR with a 6-1 record to earn the bye into the championship final. After Team Grattan, skipped by 12-time NB champ James Grattan, defeated Team Scott Jones (with Jones a former teammate of Kennedy at the Brier in 2016) in the SF, Odishaw would defeat Grattan to claim his 6th NB Tankard title and 4th as a skip.
Nova Scotia - We have our #TeamUpset result....kind of?! Team Stuart Thompson ended the three-year reign of Jamie Murphy in the Deloitte Tankard final to claim the #TeamBluenose spot in Brandon. Thompson won his first provincial championship by finishing 3rd in the RR with a 5-2 record, knocking off Team Chad Stevens in the SF before upsetting the defending champs in the final. It was also a bit of revenge for Thompson as he lost the final RR game to Murphy. Now I say only kind of an upset given the outstanding season Team Thompson has had this year on tour. It was only a matter of time for #TeamTealPants to break through and make the Brier.
Team Odishaw and Team Thompson will join the following teams in Brandon:
Canada - Team Brad Gushue
Nunavut - Team Dave St. Louis
PEI - Team John Likely
Quebec - Team Martin Crete
Now here is where #TwineTime needs to swallow some pride and admit to past errors. In previous posts I had indicated the pools for the STOH and Brier were determined based on previous year's results. This is INCORRECT! My bad. My mistake. My error.
Rather the pools will be formed based on the CTRS standings of the teams who qualify. Teams will be seeded based on their ranking with the exception being Team Wildcard, which automatically receives the #3 seed and competes in Pool A. Thankfully #TwineTimeFam member and all-knowing Danielle Inglis was able to set me straight!
The placement games, contested last year by the teams who failed to advance to the championship pool, will be eliminated this year. Those teams who fail to advance will be sent home early (ie: Thursday). I had the impression those games were held last year to determine seeding of pools for the following year when, in reality, they were just games played for a bit of cash for those teams.
This is a bit unfortunate to be honest. I like the idea of placement games. Have the provinces/territories be seeded based on previous years results. Auto set Team Canada as the #1 seed, they are back anyway. If you are going to pre-set Team Wildcard as #3 regardless of who they are, you can pre-set Canada as well and then have all the other teams fall into line based on final standings from the previous year.
What are we worried about? The pools being unbalanced? Well didn't they end up that way last year at the Scotties? The final four playoff teams all came from one pool. At the end of the day, if you are going to win the Scotties or Brier you are going to have to go through 11 other teams and, collectively, still walk away with 4 losses or less to be in contention for the playoffs. Does it really matter what the pools look like for the opening RR?
Now sure upsets may occur in the provincial/territorial playdowns. Last year's Brier finalist, Alberta's Team Bottcher, would be seeded #2 this season based on this proposed format. And yes, Bottcher may not return to the Brier this year. Alberta could crown a new champion, like Kevin Koe. Ok well Koe might not be the best example given his high CTRS ranking anyway. But what if Bottcher and Koe were upset by someone else? Then they would receive the high #2 seed when their CTRS might be sub-Top 10 or lower. Oh no....
Who cares? The argument of pool imbalance could come up every year. But don't we see this in sport all the time? Is it fair some seasons the NHL Metropolitan Division feels stacked compared to the Atlantic Division? What about the NBA with the Atlantic Division proving to be much stronger than the Southeast Division? If we are worried about pool imbalance, wouldn't we change the format to have the Top 8 overall, based on RR record, advance to the championship pool rather than top four from each pool?
There really is no correct answer here. But, with seeding based on previous year's final standings, you at least give those teams eliminated early another game to play Friday (as was done last year) and a game with actual relevance and importance. We are never going to solve the *possibility* of pool imbalance but we can at least make all the games matter and give teams eliminated something to play for.
But hey, I guess we could counter-balance the argument by suggesting teams may not want to win their placement game because it would result in them having an odd-number seeding which could mean they are auto-placed with #1 Team Canada and #3 Team Wildcard the next year, arguably two of the strongest contenders from the get go. On the flip, the pool seeding perhaps wouldn't go by odd and even number ranking either. Maybe Pool A would be #1, #4, #5, #8, #9, #12, #13, #16 and Pool B would be #2, #3, #6, #7, #10, #11, #14 and #15. Thoughts?
Anyway, regardless of seeding and pool placement, we still need to round out our Scotties field and add a few more names to our Brier field. Back in the hack for more playdown previews:
#STOH2019
British Columbia
2018 Champion: Team Kesa Van Osch
Format: 8-team RR with 4 qualifiers into the page playoff bracket.
#Fav
It is always interesting to see how junior champions navigate the move into the women's game. Can they find equal success? Will they compete at the Scotties after a successful junior career? And if so, when? There have been MANY strong junior champs who have made the successful transition. Is this the year we add Corryn Brown's name to the list?
Brown is a former Canadian junior champ (2013) and junior bronze medal winner (2015). Last season she competed in her first B.C. championship, reaching the playoffs with a 5-2 RR record and finishing 3rd. This season she has been the top team from B.C. on tour. The team has qualified in 6 of 7 tour events, collected two tour titles (Maple Ridge, Kelowna), add in another tour final (Abbotsford) and owns a strong 32-10 record overall. And, perhaps even more impressive, owns a 13-4 record against the competition here in Quesnel. The only team to take two wins off them this season? Team Sarah Wark.
#TeamUpset
Can last year's finalist be considered a #TeamUpset contender this year? If so, hand Karla Thompson the flag and watch her fly with it. Last year Thompson finished 1st in the RR with a 6-1 record only to lose the 1vs2 page playoff, win the SF and then come up short in the championship final. This season she retooled the team, adding another competing skip from last year's championship Holly Donaldson at vice. The transition hasn't been the easiest for the new team however. They own a modest 15-14 record on the season and have only qualified in 2 of 5 events. They do have a respectable 4-6 record against the field though and arrive in Quesnel as the final team to qualify, defeating 2019 Canadian junior silver medal winner Sarah Daniels in the last game at the Open Event #2. In a wide-open field, never underestimate a skip who has been to a provincial final and come oh so close to winning the dream of donning the provincial crest.
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
B.C. is always a bit tough to predict. Most the teams competing are rarely seen at #wct events so we are not fully sure what to expect out of them when they get to this event. Which team can navigate the ice conditions the fastest? Which team can get on a role first? Which team can dial it in and just get in "the zone" for the event?
The team who is able to do all three will emerge with the title and punch their ticket to Sydney. This is an experienced field. Many of the teams competing have been here before so that does help. It would not surprise me to see a a 4-3 record in the playoffs or to see 4-3 teams battling in a TB come the end of the RR. On the flip side, it wouldn't surprise me to see a 5-2 record be good enough for 1st place either. This is a tough one to call.
Qualifiers: Team Brown, Team Wark, Team Gushulak, Team Thompson
B.C. Championship: Team Brown def. Team Wark
Northern Ontario
2018 Champion: Team Tracy Fleury
Format: 4-team RR with top two earning a spot in the championship final.
#Fav
Tough not to side with Krista McCarville to return to the Scotties as Northern Ontario champion. She shares the title of most Northern Ontario championships (6 w/ Tracy Fleury) and has become the face of Northern Ontario women's curling (similar to Brad Jacobs for the men). We do not often see McCarville during the tour portion of the season but, when they do compete, they often do well.
The team owns an impressive 16-6 record on the season, including two championship wins from the KW Fall Classic and the Curl Mesabi Classic. They did compete in the Tour Challenge Tier I this season as well, going 1-3 and missing the playoffs. Coming into the provincial championship they are on a 8-game winning streak.
#TeamUpset
The field? Hailey Beaudry, Kira Brunton and Jenna Enge will skip their respective teams to try and take down the 6-time champ. Of the three, only Beaudry has been here before. She competed in the 2017 championship and finished with a 1-4 RR record not playing her final match as it was unnecessary for the standings.
Brunton is fresh off an appearance last week in Prince Albert skipping the Northern Ontario junior women (reaching the championship pool and finishing with a 5-5 record) . She comes to Nipigon with her women's team, different from her junior team. She has some momentum in competing this past week but now has to settle in with three different players with different throwing mechanics and routines she did not have last week.
As for Enge, she was an alternate last season for champion Tracy Fleury and is joined at lead by former Fleury lead Amanda Gates.
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
The Northern Ontario championship has only been contested since 2007 and has only seen two winners: Krista McCarville and Tracy Fleury. With Fleury gone (and winning still) in Manitoba, the only previous champ is McCarville. Can anyone put up a fight to take her down?
At least this beats last year having only 3 teams enter the championships.
Qualifiers: Team McCarville, Team Brunton
Northern Ontario Championship: Team McCarville def. Team Brunton
Ontario
2018 Champion: Team Hollie Duncan
Format: 8-team RR with 3 qualifiers. 1st place earning a bye to the championship final.
#Fav
Hmmmm, I wonder? Obviously Team Homan is the HUGE favourite here. They have won the past 3 #gsoc titles. They have emerged once again as the most dominant team not only in Canada but the world and are back atop the rankings in their favourite #1 spot. Remember this team did not compete here last season as they were the defending Scotties champions and earned the Team Canada spot (but actually were preparing for the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea).
Now lets not just write them into the Scotties field quite yet of course. They still have to play the games. And Team Homan is not immune to upsets (hello 2016!). On the flip side, they already know they will be going to Sydney regardless as they were awarded a place in the wildcard game months ago due to not being able to defend their Scotties title last year because of the winter games. Not that they needed the hand-out mind you, they are the #1 CTRS team (44-12 record on the season too) and earned the invite themselves. If they do falter though, the back door is open. But I am certain they want to walk in the front door...and probably have their biggest fans this week coming out of Alberta (but more on that below).
#TeamUpset
Watch out for Team Murphy! The newly formed team has been quite consistent in their rookie campaign, qualifying in 5 of 7 events entered this season, including a championship title at the Listowel Womens Classic and reaching another final in Kitchener-Waterloo. Overall they are 30-14 on the season and the mother-daughter back end combo seems to be clicking at the right time. You know what they say, a family that curls together stays together.
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
The door was open last year for someone new to emerge out of Ontario, regardless whether Homan won the Olympic trials or not. The Ontario Scotties title would go to a new team regardless. Team Duncan seized the day and won their first title. Now they come to Elmira as the defending champions and must face off against perennial Ontario powerhouse Team Homan. It will be interesting to see how they fare with the targets on their back and the pressure to #DefendTheIce. They are a strong team though, owning a 26-15 record this season and reaching the final at the Shorty Jenkins.
I would also keep your eyes on Team Harrison and Team Tippin. Both teams went through some line-up changes in the off-season but both are looking once again to be strong contenders here and could push the favourite Homan or defending champ Duncan for the coveted three playoff spots.
Qualifiers: Team Homan, Team Duncan, Team Murphy
Ontario Championship: Team Homan def. Team Duncan
Team Wildcard
2018 Representative: Team Kerri Einarson
Format: Top two teams based on CTRS ranking advance to wildcard play-in game held Friday before the Scotties (February 15)
Teams In Contention: Team Homan, Team Einarson, Team Scheidegger
#W2W4
It is pretty straight forward after the results this past weekend. Einarson's loss in the Manitoba final automatically drops them into the wildcard game, the second consecutive year for Einarson. Who she will play comes down to what happens in Ontario.
If Homan wins Ontario, Alberta's Team Scheidegger will go to Sydney for a last-chance battle vs. Einarson.
Or will she? We do have a wildcard in the wildcard pool. Manitoba's Team Darcy Robertson is competing in the third leg of the Curling World Cup this weekend in Sweden. Should she emerge victorious with the gold medal, could she possibly earn enough points to surpass Scheidegger and book a spot in Sydney against Manitoba rival Einarson (should Homan win Ontario)?
Robertson is only 21 points behind Scheidegger for the final wildcard spot. When Homan won the inaugural leg of the Curling World Cup, she picked up just over 60 CTRS points. A Robertson appearance in the final would certainly move her past Scheidegger. For Team Scheidegger, they need to watch the results in Ontario and Sweden this weekend. We can only assume who they are cheering for.
Should Homan be upset in Ontario, they will go to Sydney and battle Einarson for the final spot.
Team Wildcard Prediction: Team Einarson def. Team Scheidegger
#Brier2019
British Columbia
2018 Champion: Team Sean Geall
Format: 12-team modified triple knockout with 4 qualifiers advancing to the page playoff bracket.
#Fav
Do you side with the defending champion here or go with the face who has run the place over the past 10 years?
Sean Geall took home his second B.C. championship last season (first coming in 2009) when he upset defending champion Jim Cotter in the final. Cotter was undefeated in the event entering the final, including A-qualifier and SF victories over Geall. But Geall got the last laugh when he won the title in an extra end. Geall has qualified in 4 of 6 events this season, including a championship win in Kamloops and another finals appearance in Abbostford. He is also 9-4 against the field, including 2-2 vs. Cotter. An advantage for Team Geall is, unlike most of the competing teams in this championship, they are the same team as last year.
Speaking of Cotter, maybe we just label him a co-favourite? Before last year's finals loss, Cotter had won the B.C. title 4 straight years and 6 of the past 7. B.C. has been Jimmy Cotter Land for years and it was almost a given Cotter would represent the province at the Brier. Until last year! Have things changed? Well Team Cotter has changed that's for sure. Gone is John Morris from a few championship years and Catlin Schneider from last year. But while one Sasky boy went back home, another ventured out west. Cotter teamed up with 7-time Sask champ Steve Laycock as vice this season. The Cotter/Laycock combo have been quite successful on tour, qualifying in 4 of 5 events and losing in a TB in the other. They even reached the final of their first event together in Vernon and won their first #wct title together in Kelowna. They are 10-2 against this field, with only losses coming to co-favourite Geall of course. They arrive in Quesnel fresh off a QF appearance at the Golden Wrench last weekend in Pheonix too.
#TeamUpset
This blog has praised this newly formed team a few times over the early part of the season and now it is their time to show their potential. Team Daniel Wenzek could be the ultimate upset contender this week. Wenzek has joined forced with Jared Kolomaya at vice, who many may be familiar with during his competitive curling time in Manitoba. The front end is chalk full of success on this new team as Wenzek picked up Jordan Tardi and Nick Meister. Yes the same Tardi and Meister who were members of the #TardiParty during the back-to-back Canadian junior championship wins in 2017 and 2018. This new team has qualified in 3 of 6 events with a SF result at their season-opening event in Maple Ridge being their best result.
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
This field is full of experience and this should be one of the most competitive and highly contested B.C. provincials we have seen in a few years. The co-favourites Cotter and Geall will be challenged by the likes of Josh Barry (with #TwineTimeFam member John Cullen at lead), past champion Dean Joanisse and #TwineTimeFam member Matthew Blandford among others. And all of these teams are newly formed this season so who knows what to expect. Can they come together in year one and reach the Brier?
But perhaps the biggest eye-catcher of it all will be seeing how now three-time Canadian junior champ Tyler Tardi and his #TardiParty compete this week. They will arrive with little time off in between the emotions of the #3peat win this past weekend and draw one of a provincial championship. Can the junior champs continue the hot streak and claim a B.C. men's title? Or will all the games on the ice, coupled with some travel time, catch up to them? Don't underestimate them...they are a threat for this title folks and could pull the double double in the province this year.
Plus we could get some very interesting 2R A-side games with Tardi vs former teammates on Wenzek. Joanisse vs. former teammate Cullen with Team Barry.
Qualifiers: Team Cotter, Team Tardi, Team Geall, Team Wenzek
B.C. Championship: Team Cotter def. Team Geall
Northern Ontario
2018 Champion: Team Brad Jacobs
Format: 8-team RR with 3 qualifiers. 1st place earns a bye to the championship final.
#Fav
Take a guess? Of course the favourite is going to be Team Jacobs. Jacobs is the 4-time defending champion and has won this title 8 times in the past 9 years. The one year he missed? 2014 because he was a bit busy going on to win gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
This is Jacobs tournament to win (or lose) every year. This team is the face of Northern Ontario curling now and has dominated their competition. While taking the title in 2015, 2016 and 2017 appeared quite easy, suffering only one RR loss COMBINED, last year was a VERY different story. The team struggled at times, finishing a mediocre (for them) 5-2 and needed to win a TB just to make the playoffs. Of course they would do so and knock off previously undefeated Team Horgan in the final. But the region is catching up.
This season has been a bit up and down as well for the boys. On the ice they are 33-15, won another #gsoc title (Tour Challenge Tier I), won the Canada Cup of Curling title and have qualified in 7 or their 8 events played. Sounds like a solid season right? Off the ice they did have the slight distraction over the #RedDeerIncident with vice Ryan Fry. Fry stepped away from the game for a bit, the team continued playing and playing well (won the Canada Cup after all) but did so with super spares joining them and trying to move forward as a team. Fry returned at the Canadian Open earlier this month and seemed to not miss a slide out there as the team reached the QF. Hopefully distractions are kept to a minimum and left off the ice. If so, this team should be in good position to pick up their 5th title in a row. Don't forget, Team Jacobs is sitting in a pretty nice position for the wildcard invite too should they slip up here.
#TeamUpset
There are a few familiar names in the draw here looking to wave the #TeamUpset flag and dethrone the Kings of the North. Names like Jordan Chandler, Dylan Johnston, Robbie Gordon and Mike McCarville are all looking to stake their claim as dark horse champions.
Remember McCarville was on the last NOnt rep not named Jacobs at the Brier, as vice for Team Currie in 2014. Chandler finished ahead of Jacobs in the RR here last year but succumbed to him in the SF as well as lost the 2016 final to him. And Johnston, he finished tied with Jacobs in the RR but lost out in the TB after losing the final in 2017.
But perhaps the ultimate #TeamUpset possibility lies with Team Trevor Bonot. Why you ask? While Bonot is no stranger to success. He did win the 2017 Canadian Mixed Curling Championships and would go on to win a silver medal at the world championships. Oh and Bonot happens to be curling with Al Hackner at vice. Hackner of course is a two-time Brier winner (1982, 1985) and a 9-time Brier participant (including two silver medal wins). Hackner also skipped a team losing the NOnt final to Jacobs back in 2015. Does Hackner have one more run in him, after saying back in 2013 he was "too old for this shite"? Interesting to note, Hackner's first Brier win was in Brandon....same host as the 2019 Brier. Hmmmm?!?
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
The big question on everyone's mind heading into this event is, "Is this the year Tanner Horgan knocks off Brad Jacobs?" As mentioned, Horgan went undefeated in the RR here last year, including defeating Jacobs, but faltered when it mattered most. To make matters worse, Horgan had a 5-4 lead playing 9 with hammer and gave up a steal in 9 and the ultimate steal in 10 to let the title literally slide right out from under him.
Horgan does have a slight line-up change this season however. He is joined by former Ontario Tankard champ Mark Kean (a #TwineTimeFam member remember) at vice and the new team has found some success on tour together. They reached the QF at the Tour Challenge Tier II and, in their final tune-up event at the end of November, reached the final of the NISSAN Curling Classic in Paris, Ontario. Plus, remember Horgan himself is coming here fresh off competing at the Canadian juniors last week. While the end result was a bit disappointing for the Horgan brothers, the high level of competition can only be seen as an advantage leading into this championship. But can he erase the disappointment of last year?
Qualifiers: Team Jacobs, Team Horgan, Team Chandler
Northern Ontario Championship: Team Jacobs def. Team Horgan
Ontario
2018 Champion: Team John Epping
Format: 10-team RR with top 4 advancing to page playoff bracket.
#Fav
Defending champion and #1 on the #TwineTime blog #PowerRankings for a record 18 consecutive weeks....no surprise listing Team Epping as the favourites this week to #DefendTheIce. The current Brier bronze medal holders own a solid 41-26 record on the season, have qualified in 6 tour events and own two championship titles one of which being the #gsoc Masters (the other win coming at the Shorty Jenkins). The team did hit a rough spot in November and December, failing to qualify in any of the 4 events they played, which included the #gsoc Tour Challenge Tier I and National as well as the Canada Cup of Curling. During this time they compiled a surprising 8-12 record.
However, the calendar change to 2019 seemed to right the ship as they reached the final of the Canadian Open in their only event of the year thus far. The interesting thing to watch with this team is, outside playing Team Howard a bunch this season at events (and owning a 3-1 H2H) they have not played against most of their competition this week. They are 1-1 against Team McDonald and 0-1 vs. Team Thomas. Consistently playing the big "elite" teams at the #gsoc level is great but can sometimes work against you in provincial championships when they other teams are familiar with one another and you have not played them all season.
#TeamUpset
There are a few contenders in the #TeamUpset category in Elmira. Team Pat Ferris could be the leading contender though with a strong 30-19 record on the season, qualifying in 4 of 5 events including three SF results. They stumbled a bit in qualifying to get here though, losing to fellow competitors Team Retchless and Team Balsdon, and needed the last chance open qualifier event to nab the final spot in the field. Ferris has been here before though so experience could help him with a young team in front of him.
Another #TeamUpset could be Colin Dow. Dow has played in a provincial final before (2010 with Team Cochrane) and reached his first playoff round as a skip back in 2015. Last season Dow played with #TwineTimeFam member Mark Kean, coming up just short of the playoffs losing the B and C qualifiers (last year the format was a triple knockout remember). Back skipping his own team this season, Team Dow has put together a 27-6 record, qualifying in all 4 events played including back-to-back titles in Ottawa and Gatineau (where they went 12-1 overall).
And also keep your eyes on Team Mark Bice. Bice is a two-time Ontario junior champ and has been knocking on the Ontario Tankard playoff door for a few seasons now, just coming up short the past few years. They are 23-7 this season, including a championship final appearance in Port Elgin. Plus maybe toss them a follow on twitter. You may get to read some very interesting tweets (oh the shade already!! But in good fun of course).
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
Lets be honest, most eyes are going to be on Glenn Howard this week right? Howard is chasing an 18th Brier appearance this week and looking to reclaim the title he lost last year to Epping. The new look Howard, with son Scott at vice, has turned back the clock once again this season. After losing the Ontario title last season people started wondering if Howard was on the down hill slide of his career. Well stop all that talk folks and better be believing Howard is still a threat! The team is 41-24 this season and have qualified in 8 of 11 events, including back-to-back titles in Halifax and Paris, ON where they went on a 12-game winning streak.
But also do not underestimate a few other big names in this field. Team Scott McDonald has put together a solid season on tour, with a championship win in Gatineau and reaching the final of the Tour Challenge Tier II. Greg Balsdon has a new team with him but is a former champion (2014) and the new look Team Charley Thomas, joining up with 6-time Brier participant Adam Casey at vice, could be dark horse threats here.
This is going to be a very tight field and one that should be fun to watch play out.
Qualifiers: Team Epping, Team Howard, Team McDonald, Team Dow
Ontario Championship: Team Howard def. Team Epping
Newfoundland and Labrador
2018 Champion: Team Greg Smith
Format: 12-team modified triple knockout with 3 qualifiers. A-qualifier receives a bye to the championship final.
#Fav
In a wide-open field we give the Fav tag to the defending champion. And why not? Greg Smith wowed the crowd in Regina last year making his debut as a 21 year old. His energy and enthusiasm on and off the ice was a nice change from a (sometimes) robotic and methodical curling event. Plus he did win the Sportsmanship Award after all.
Now with another year under his belt, he wears a different tag this season: Defending Champ. It is never easy to #DefendTheIce and it won't be any easier in an expanded field with some seasoned vets. Team Smith has only played 3 tour events this season, failing to qualify in each and owning a slightly sub-.500 6-9 record overall. However remember 2 of those losses were by default due to travel/weather issues getting to an event in Halifax. It will be interesting to see how the team fares. They certainly were not handed any advantages in the new triple knockout draw. With 4 teams earning opening draw byes, the defending champs were not one of them. Weird right?!?
#TeamUpset
Ummm the field? Honestly most of the teams competing this week have not competed in many tour events this season, if at all. It could be a complete free for all as to who qualifies for the playoffs and who goes home early. There are some familiar names in the field though. Andrew Symonds is back after losing the provincial final last season and he has joined forces with fellow 2018 NL playoff contender Adam Boland at vice.
Trent Skanes and Colin Thomas also return after disappointing 3-5 records last season (last year was a RR format remember). Added pressure perhaps on Thomas who was dubbed as the next King to the Rock Crown behind Gushue a few years ago but saw the crown snatched from him last year by Smith.
There are also a few past NL champs returning to turn back the clock. The last champion not named Gushue (until Smith last season of course) was Ken Peddigrew in 2006. He is back looking for his second title. Rick Rowsell is also in the field, an NL champ back in 2000.
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
Everything and anything could happen at Bally Haly Golf and Country Club this week. When was the last time we saw 12 teams competing for the NL title? It has been awhile! Last year when we saw 9 teams competing we jumped for joy. Now with 12 we are over the moon excited. Of course when perennial powerhouse Team Gushue continues to win the Brier and not have to compete in the provincial playdowns, the door does become wide open and teams are looking to seize the opportunity while it lasts.
Now only will we watch who emerges with the title but, in a sense of #growthesport, it will be interesting to see if some surprises come out of the field here. And, what if Gushue does not #3peat this year at the Brier, will most, if any, of these teams return next season to challenge him once again? Huge opportunity
Qualifiers: Team Symonds, Team G. Smith, Team C. Thomas
Newfoundland and Labrador Championship: Team Symonds def. Team Smith
Team Wildcard
2018 Representative: Team Mike McEwen
Format: Top two teams based on CTRS ranking advance to wildcard play-in game held Friday before the Scotties (February 15)
Teams In Contention: Team Koe, Team Jacobs, Team Bottcher, Team Epping, Team Howard, Team Dunstone
#W2W4
All eyes will be on the Ontario and Northern Ontario championships. With perennial favourites Team Jacobs and Team Epping looking to #DefendTheIce but also in the wildcard running, their results will play a huge role in who gets the second chance opportunity.
Paying particular close attention will be Team Koe and Team Bottcher in Alberta. With the assumption being one of those two teams will emerge from Alberta next month, the other should be a shoe-in for a wildcard play-in invite. If so, only one spot remains up for grabs. Should Jacobs falter this weekend, he knows he should have the wildcard back door spot open for him. Should Epping falter, while he better hope Jacobs doesn't and the prognosticators picking Koe/Bottcher in Alberta are correct.
As for outliers Team Howard and Team Dunstone, they would need some help but it is not out of the question. For Howard, a loss in Ontario coupled with wins by Koe/Bottcher, Jacobs and Epping could hand him the final invite. For Dunstone, he is going to need the same results as Howard; however, he may need Howard to miss the playoffs in Ontario while Dunstone himself at least making the Sasky final. Of course, similar to Team Robertson above, Dunstone is playing in the Curling World Cup this weekend. Should he emerge with the title in Sweden, or at least make the final, he could find himself right in the thick of wildcard discussions next week. Not impossible but is it probable? #StayTuned
Team Wildcard (Very Early) Prediction: Team Bottcher def. Team Epping
Hope you aren't suffering any playdown party hangovers yet rock heads....there is still A LOT more curling coming at you this week. Come Sunday we will know our Scotties field, minus Team Wildcard but at least we will know who will be battling Team Einarson for the final spot in the field. We will also fill in 4 more spots on the Brier board.
What say you? Who are your favourites to emerge with provincial titles this upcoming weekend? Who are you cheering for? Any #TeamUpset contenders I may have overlooked? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and/or on social media.
To those competing this weekend, good luck and good #curling.
#BellLetsTalk
As a reminder, Wednesday January 30, 2019 is #BellLetsTalk Day. Join the conversation on social media and in person to support mental health awareness and initiatives while helping to end the stigma. For every text, call, tweet, social media video view, facebook frame and snapchat filter used, Bell donates $0.05 to mental health initiatives in Canada.
A movement started in 2011, #BellLetsTalk Day is the last Wednesday of January and has now raised over $93M in funding. Yes that number is $93,000,000!! For more information, to learn more about #BellLetsTalk and find out how you can get involved visit the #BellLetsTalk Day page.
As someone who loves the sport of curling (well all sports really) but continues to battle through mental health personal issues, this day is extremely important. If every one of you who reads this post goes on to just tweet #BellLetsTalk on Wednesday a few times during the day, we collectively can have a huge impact and voice supporting mental health and erasing stigma many of us still feel today.
On January 30, let's talk!
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