#PowerRankings W14

#BetweenTheSheets: Spooktacular Weekend in North Bay

The GSOC Hall of Champions welcomes new additions

It was a double dose of history this weekend in North Bay, Ontario. Or should we say #HIStory and #HERstory was made.

Tracy Fleury and Matt Dunstone etched their names into the Grand Slam of Curling record books, claiming the season-opening major, The Masters.

For one it was a home town celebration in front of close family and friends. For the other it was a boyhood dream come true.

The Hall of Champions has two fresh new faces and the sport is better off because of it.

Heading into the opening #gsoc event of the season the talk focused on the same routine big names: Koe, Jacobs, Gushue, Edin, Bottcher, Jones, Homan, Hasselborg, Muirhead. These past slam champions draw the biggest hype and often get tabbed as the favourites.

And for rightful reasons. The resumes speak for themselves. Multi-slam champions. World Champions. European Champions. Brier and Scotties winners. Why would you not go with the resume?

But this #ROCKtober added an extra spin of #Spooktacular when the rocks came to stop in North Bay. Two new champions emerged. Two fresh faces who have been on the cusp of breakout results in the past but have faltered in some of the biggest games. They would not be denied their moment this year.

Tracy Fleury has been to 4 Scotties. She played in last year's event, suffering a tough TB loss to B.C. and missing out on the Championship Pool. She has also played in 2 grand slam finals. Again, coming up short in the big game and missing her chance to enshrine her name on a fancy trophy. The last slam final was less than 12 months ago, when Fleury would lose the Tour Challenge.

But this would be different. Both of her previous slam finals were in Ontario. She lost the 2015 National in Oshawa. Last year's Tour Challenge was in Thunder Bay. Both times she had crowd support. Family and friends cheering her on. Both times she lost to rival Homan.

No Homan, No Problem. With Homan failing to make the playoff bracket, the curling gods smiled down on Fleury and granted her the one she is owed. Fleury has been considered an up and comer for a few seasons. A skip well-liked by fans and competitors. A skip many believe had the pedigree to win a slam. To win a Scotties. The question was could she bust through the door after knocking quietly for the past 4 years.

In North Bay she put it all together. Look this team has been on the steady upswing all season. A QF result last weekend in Portage. A SF finish in Calgary the weekend prior. A finals appearance a few weekends before in Edmonton. Not to mention a season-opening win in Winnipeg and another finals appearance the next time they stepped on the ice at the Shorty Jenkins.

This win should not be a surprise to anyone based solely on resume this season. But yet it still felt like an underdog story. She came in as a dark horse favourite with a history of slightly underperforming on the biggest stages or in the biggest games. The blog warned you though in the preview this team was trending upwards and should have been considered the most dangerous team in the field.

Photo Credit: Kristin MacCuish

Fleury went 3-1 in the RR, defeating past Scotties champions Carey and Homan along the way (both of whom failed to reach the playoffs). She knocked off #TeamUpset contender Stern in her opener. Her one loss? To Japan's Yoshimura! In the playoffs she knocked off Stern once again before taking out two-time slam winner and current European champion Team Hasselborg. And she would get the ultimate revenge in the final against Yoshimura, winning the one battle that meant the most.

With her mom in the crowd cheering her on, tears flowing on the sidelines, Fleury was flawless in the final. Shooting 91% herself with her team collectively coming in at 86%, it was a decisive victory. A fresh face to add to the women's grand slam legacy. And a victory for the nice guys out there!

But hold up, this isn't just a #HERstory moment. And it isn't just a win for one of the nice guys. How about a #HIStory moment and a second win for the nice guys? The Spooktacular Spectacular continued later on Sunday afternoon when Saskatchewan's Matt Dunstone pulled a David vs. Goliath moment (based on resume at least) defeating Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue in the final.

For Dunny, he played light's out all weekend. Did you see some of the shots he made in the RR? Or what about navigating the tight port in the SF vs. Scotland's Bruce Mouat? He was a human highlight reel all week. The stones aligned. The curling gods were on his side.

For Dunstone, his team entered the event as a dark horse. Being placed in the same pool as the previous two world champions (Edin, Gushue) and the team looking for a 4th straight slam win (Bottcher), one could easily start seeing the team become the long shot just to reach the playoffs let along claim the title.

Dunny was Destiny! From the opening win vs. Gushue to the defeat of Bottcher to the hot hand shot of the year candidate vs. McEwen, you could feel the energy changing. A new superstar was emerging. Sure the team lost the final RR game vs. Edin (nothing to hang your head on given Edin's resume) but they still entered the playoffs with confidence but also a sense of the unknown.

Dunstone does not exactly have the best slam record, lets be honest. Prior to this season he had competed in 15 slam events and only qualified 3 times, failing to win a playoff game. In North Bay, Dunstone turned history into #HIStory.

The #TwineTime blogs sat down with #TwineTimeFam member Matt Dunstone to discuss his team's HIStoric Grand Slam of Curling Masters win. We talk what it means for the 24 year old to win his first major, being the face of the #NextGen, restoring winning ways in Saskatchewan (as a Manitoban), displaying raw emotion on the ice and (of course) "the hat":




Thank you once again to Dunstone for taking time on a late Monday night, after curling a mixed doubles game earlier in the evening no less, to connect with this blog. Dunstone has been one of the original supporters of #TwineTime since inception and I am beyond excited to see him and his team find success at the slam level. As we say, "good things for great people!"

And for those interested in downloading the above interview, visit HERE to do so.

ICYMI, the screen shot image discussed in the interview and posted on twitter is to the right. The outpouring of emotion. The guard being let down and just living the moment and letting those emotions take over. This is why we love sports. This is the champion we want. This is what the Grand Slam of Curling means to the #NextGen and to guys like Matt Dunstone. As fans of not only curling but sport in general we say Thank You to Dunny for letting us experience this emotion with him. Just let that picture sink in for a moment and tell me you do not get the feels from it.

As for that tweet, the updated stats remain over 300 likes, over 20 retweets, just shy of 12,000 impressions and almost 1,800 total engagements. People are with you on this celebration train Mr. Dunstone and we are living for it!

By the way, remember the #IceBubbleWatch for the upcoming Canada Cup? Remember who this blog pegged as the favourites to claim those final two spots in the field? Yup, they just won a grand slam major! Think they earned their ticket into the field?

But Team Dunstone and Team Fleury were not the only teams celebrating the pre-Halloween weekend. A few other teams had a #Spooktacular weekend of their own. And a few teams, well, they were just #Spooked.

#GunnerRunback

#Spooktacular 👻

• When (Tier) II Becomes (Tier) I - Just over a year ago Japan's Team Yoshimura was competing in the Tour Challenge Tier II final. Fast forward to last weekend and they were competing in their first major final. How about that for #growthesport? This team has been almost methodical in the rise up the rankings (Power Rankings have been saying it for some time now). And speaking of last year's Tier II, what about the team who defeated Yoshimura in that final? Switzerland's Team Stern qualified for their first #gsoc playoff this past weekend as well. But this is also credit to the importance of the Tier II slam event. We have seen it before with Kerri Einarson. Now we are seeing it with Yoshimura and Stern. #TeamUpset no more for these Tier II, I mean Tier I, teams!
• The New Face to Run B.C. Place - As our men's Masters champion pointed out above, Corryn Brown's team is on a roll. They picked up the Kamloops Crown of Curling title this past weekend defeating China's Team Han in the final. Team Brown was perfect on the weekend, going 7-0. The win marked their second straight #wct title and the team is now riding a 13-game winning streak. This team is heating up at the right time and has become the clear favourite for the B.C. title this season. They just need to keep the momentum going and not lift the foot off the gas pedal.
• Japan Success in B.C. - Team Matsumura came to Kamloops as a tune-up event for the upcoming #PACC. They came away with their tour-leading 3rd title of the season. After losing the A-SF to Team Geall, Matsumura qualified from the B-side to reach the playoffs and then knocked off home province favourite Team Tardi in the final. Chalk the favourite tag on this team now for the #PACC title.
• #HoppSchwiiz Again (Again) - All they do is win! Switzerland seems to get a shout-out in this section every week. De Cruz. Tirinzoni. Now add Irene Schori and her team to the winner's circle. Schori knocked off comeback queen Julie Hastings (a #TwineTimeFam member remember) in the final to win the Gord Carroll Curling Classic in Whitby. Schori went a perfect 7-0 on the weekend, including a SF victory over another #TwineTimeFam member Danielle Inglis.
• Ackland Wins Atkins - Abby Ackland extracted some revenge on Beth Peterson in the championship final to win the Atkins Curling Supplies Classic on Monday. Peterson had defeated Ackland in the RR but Ackland got the last laugh.
• Calvert Climbing - Chalk up another tour title for Braden Calvert and company. Calvert won the Atkins Classic Monday afternoon by defeating USA's #YoungBucks Korey Dropkin in the final. Calvert went 7-0 on the weekend and is trying to keep chase with former MB junior rival Dunstone for the final spot at the Canada Cup. Keep your eyes on this team at the Tour Challenge Tier II.
• #HeieNorge - Norway has a new face to keep your eyes on folks. Maia Ramsfjell defeated home favourite Iveta Stasa-Sarsune to win the Latvia International Challenger. Ramsfjell is the sister to Magnus Ramsfjell and the daughter to three-time world champion and Olympic bronze medal winner Eigil Ramsfjell. The curling blood runs deep in this Norwegian family.
• #SwedishVikings - No we are not talking about perennial powerhouse teams Edin and Hasselborg. We are talking about Daniel Magnusson though. Magnusson, also hailing from Edin's home of Karlstad, went 6-1 over the weekend to claim the Latvia International Challenger title. Magnusson defeated Switerzland's Team Lottenbach in the final. Lottenbach was 6-0 heading into the championship final but could not finish off the perfect weekend. Magnusson, only 19 years old, is the #NextGen Team of the Week with this result. And if you think the name sounds familiar, you may recognize Magnusson as the alternate for Team Edin at the European and World Championships last year. In addition Magnusson has skipped his team to back-to-back bronze medals at the Swedish Championships.
• Jonesing For Perfection - What a start to the season for New Brunswick's Scott Jones! Two events. Two championships. Only two losses. Impressive. Jones and company collected their second straight title to open the season this weekend in Moncton, winning the Atlantic Superstore Monctonian Challenge. Jones defeated Team Cyr in the final. Jones is now 11-2 on the season as they prepare to represent New Brunswick at the Tour Challenge Tier II next weekend. A dark horse contender? And speaking of the event in Moncton, 8 teams finished the RR with 2-3 records and tied for the final 2 playoff spots. How crazy is that? Every team, at the end of the RR, technically was still in the playoff hunt based on their record. Of course TB procedures decided who advanced but when was the last time you saw an event where the RR wrapped up and, based on final standings, EVERY team was still in playoff contention?!
• #QRollCall - A round of applause for the following teams, in addition to those already mentioned above, who successfully reached the playoff bracket in their respected events this past weekend. Advancing to the SF: Team Tirinzoni, Team Hasselborg, Team Mouat, Team Epping (Masters), Team Harrison (Whitby), Team Wark, Team Thompson, Team Joanisse, Team Craig (Kamloops), Team JCR, Team Robertson, Team Birr, Team Birchard (Atkins), Team Babarykina, Team MacDonald, Team Pollonen, Team Thune (Latvia), Team Cochrane, Team Gratten (Moncton). Advancing to the QF: Team Fujisawa, Team J. Jones, Team Einarson, Team Paterson, Team Jacobs, Team Howard, Team Bottcher (Masters), Team Koana, Team Jackson, Team K. Jones, Team Murphy (Whitby), Team Wood, Team Geall (Kamloops), Team Chambers, Team Friesen, Team Dilello, Team Grassie (Atkins), Team Poddubnay, Team Stabulniece, Team Turmann, Team Rudzite, Team Jasiecki, Team Vonda, Team Raev, Team Truksans (Latvia), Team MacDougall, Team Desjardins (Moncton).

#Spooked 😱

• Muirhead Mystery - What happened to Eve Muirhead in North Bay? Coming off a QF appearance in Portage the previous week and just missing the playoffs in Calgary the week prior, Muirhead seemed to have some positive momentum coming to North Bay. And then...SPOOKED! Muirhead finished The Masters as the only team failing to pick up a W, thus picking up no points and no money. Sure, to her credit, 3 of her 4 losses came to playoff teams but still. Muirhead is a 4-time #gsoc champion and had qualified in 7 of her previous 9 slams dating back to the 2016-17 season. This was a shocker!
• Still Here....Barely - Well there was lots of talk heading into The Masters about the ranking system (or over the past few years from this blog, just sayin'). The final few teams who just made the cut (Team McDonald, Team Shuster, Team McEwen) were perhaps a bit under the microscope. This was their opportunity to silence the critics a bit and make a statement. How did they do? Collectively they went 2-10. Yikes! For Shuster, over the past 4 seasons he has played 17 slam events and qualified 5 times. And a few of those events he went winless. In the past two seasons McEwen (nee Carruthers) has played EVERY slam event but has only qualified 4 times. 4 out of 14. The McEwen/Carruthers streak is now 9 of the past 10 slams failing to reach the playoff round. Maybe, just maybe, we do need to spice it up a bit and add a relegation portion to the slams, at least for the following event.

With a major slam event in the books, carrying 2000 points to the winners, and a few other events on tour could we see some changes on the Power Rankings mountain this week? We do have one new #1 and a few Top 5 debuts....but it might surprise you.

#PowerRankings

WOMEN

1. Team Homan - 7720 (LW: 1)
2. Team Tirinzoni - 6955 (3)
3. Team Einarson - 6770 (2)
4. Team Fleury - 4653 (HM)
5. Team Hasselborg - 4360 (4)

Hon. Mention: Team J. Jones, Team Fujisawa, Team Stern, Team Kovaleva, Team Yoshimura

Welcome to the Top 5 Tracy Fleury! Fleury has been moving at a steady pace up the rankings mountain for a few weeks now but the victory at The Masters finally bumped the team into the Top 5, sitting at #4. But do not rest on those results. Fleury reached the Tour Challenge final last season so she has some points to defend in Nova Scotia next weekend.

World champion Team Tirinzoni was playing with house money this weekend. Last year the team did not compete at The Masters so every win was just points on the board for the Swiss foursome. The run to the SF was cherry on the sundae and helped the team move up the rankings once again, now sitting at #2. From hovering around #4 most of the season, moving up to #3 two weeks ago, the champs are rolling along now and are closing in on that coveted #1 spot.

Welcome to the Top 10 Team Yoshimura! The run to The Masters final pays off for the Japanese team as they crack to top portion of the mountain to sit #10. Similar to Fleury though, they have some points to defend at the Tour Challenge and it won't be easy.

Congrats as well to Team Stern, who not only reached their first slam playoff bracket but the result moved them up to a career-high ranking of #8. Stern cracked the Top 10 last week with their tour title and continue to be a team on the rise. Watch out for them at the Tour Challenge. But again, lots of points to try and defend.

Dropping down this week includes Team J. Jones, falling just outside the Top 5 and back in #6 now. Another drop was Team Carey, who fell from #6 down to #11 after failing to qualify in North Bay. But the biggest drop was Team Scheidegger. Scheidegger was just outside the Top 10 before The Masters and, after losing the TB, took a tumble down the mountain to sit #17.


MEN

1. Team Bottcher - 6583 (2)
2. Team Koe - 5515 (1)
3. Team Paterson - 5382 (3)
4. Team Mouat - 5380 (4)
5. Team De Cruz - 4595 (HM)

Hon. Mention: Team Dunstone, Team Gushue, Team Jacobs, Team Edin, Team Epping

We have a new #1! The Bottcher Express rolls back to the apex of the mountain after a two-week drop behind main rival Team Koe. Of course this should not be a huge surprise. While Koe was trying to defend points earned for reaching The Masters final last year, Bottcher was playing with house money after not qualifying for the field a year ago.

Couple in Bottcher reaching the playoffs while Koe lost a TB and it quickly adds up to a new #1 on the mountain. And Bottcher has just over a 1000-point lead so he could be holding the top spot for a few weeks, regardless of the outcome at the Tour Challenge.

Surprised by the rest of the Top 5? You shouldn't be. Interesting to note Team Mouat and Team Paterson defended their points earned from last year, with Mouat reaching the SF and Paterson reaching the QF. They sit with the same point totals from a week ago and Paterson retains the slimmest 2-point lead over their Scottish rivals for the #3 spot.

And welcome back to the Top 5 Switzerland's Team De Cruz. Crazy how the rankings work sometimes, hey? De Cruz failed to qualify in North Bay but, similar to Bottcher, played with house money and the two wins actually moved them back into the #5 spot.

But pressing hard is Masters champ Team Dunstone. Dunstone was previously ranked #10 back in weeks 8 and 9 but then fell out of the rankings and have not been able to make up ground since. Well a major victory will make up ground and then some as Dunny moves all the way up to #6 and just over 200 points behind De Cruz to reach the Top 5.

World champions Team Edin continue to slowly make moves on the mountain, just in the opposite direction. From #3 to open the season to #4 for a few weeks down to #6 for a few more and now sitting at #9, the #SwedishVikings are in danger of falling outside the Top 10 since week 6 of last year. Since that time Edin has only been outside the Top 5 twice heading into this season. Can the boys turn it around? They underperformed at the Tour Challenge last year so they have opportunity to gain points before trying to defend the points earned at the European Championships. As we say, #StayTuned!


AND the blog cannot forget to mention the newest addition to the #TwineTimeFam was announced this past weekend. Welcome Kara Thevenot, lead for Saskatchewan's Team Silvernagle. You can download the latest #TwineTime podcast and hear from the newest member of the family HERE.

Thanks again to Thevenot for talking with me prior to departing for North Bay and competing in the Masters this past weekend. Welcome to the fam!!

#StayTuned

This is an exciting weekend rock heads. We have our first continental championship. The Pacific-Asia Curling Championships take to the ice in Shenzhen, China. 10 men's and 8 women's teams will compete, representing 10 nations. Included in the entry list is the men's team from Nigeria. #Broomzila becomes the first African nation to compete at the #PACC.

The blog will have a full #PACC preview with predictions this weekend.

Plus this may be the middle weekend between two #gsoc events but do not think that means no curling. Quite the opposite actually. There are 3 men's events this weekend. And these events have some major points with one being a #Tour1000 and the other two being #Tour500.

For the women, there are 5 events taking place, including one #Tour1000 alongside one #Tour500 and three #Tour250.

The #TourLifePredictions post slides into your house later in the week as well.

Happy Halloween 👻