#BetweenTheSheets: Playdown Party Rages On
Completing the Scotties field and adding to the Brier
How are you holding up rock heads?
Staying hydrated? Still full of energy? Still dancing the night away in celebration of provincial and territorial championship victories?
Well I hope you have all learned the number one rule of party raging: Pace Yourselves!!
The #PlaydownParty2020 is just warming up with last week's action and the music is still bumping, the drinks are still pouring and the celly's are still coming.
Ready for more?
ICYMI the Playdown Party officially kicked off last weekend with a full preview of provincial Scotties and Tankard action. If you missed the kick-off, take a quick look back at the opening act HERE.
Worth noting the blog made some pretty accurate predictions along the way too...and a few missed the mark.
Now some teams have already earned their secret door pass into the elite Canadian championship party while others just secured their invite this past weekend.
Who is already packing their dancing shoes to the BIG DANCE and who punched their ticket recently? Lets get caught up on the updated Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Tim Hortons Brier fields.
#STOH2020
Alberta - Team Laura Walker: The #PowerRankings don't lie and Team Walker was not to be denied this weekend in Okotoks. Walker went undefeated en route to claiming her first provincial title defeating Team Rocque in the final. They were the class of the field the entire competition and will be a dark horse threat in Moose Jaw. Special shout-out as well to lead Nadine Scotland for collecting her first title after coming close so many times in the past. Good things to good people! And the #TwineTimeFam continues to be well represented at this year's Scotties with Walker and Scotland.
New Brunswick - Team Andrea Crawford: She's Baaaaccckkkk! Andrea Crawford will be making her 9th Scotties appearance in Moose Jaw after claiming another New Brunswick championship this weekend. Crawford went undefeated over the weekend, posting a 5-0 RR record before defeating main provincial rival Team Quillian in the final. Crawford has been consistent in finishing one or two games out of a playoff spot in her previous Scotties appearances, including a few 6-5 and 5-6 records under the old format. Last year she finished 3-4, just missing out on a TB for a spot in the Championship Pool.
Nova Scotia - Team Mary-Anne Arsenault: Speaking of returning vets, Mary-Anne Arsenault will make her 14th Scotties appearance this year. Arsenault and company finished 1st in the RR with a 6-1 record before knocking off former teammates Team Colleen Jones for the Nova Scotia title. After losing in the provincial final last year, Arsenault reclaimed her throne and will be a Championship Pool threat in Moose Jaw. Remember last time she competed at the Scotties she took home a bronze medal (2018).
Quebec - Team Noemie Verreault: Team #NextGen became #TeamNotYet at the Quebec provincials this weekend. Team Verreault created their own #TeamUpset story when they knocked off pre-event favourite Team St-Georges in the final. Both teams did finish atop the RR with 5-2 record; however, St-Georges earned the bye to the final due to the RR victory between the two. Verreault defeated Team Girard in the SF before surviving a close championship final 3-1 victory, including a steal of 1 in 10 to solidify the title.
Saskatchewan - Team Robyn Silvernagle: The Sask curling rivalry continued as Team Silvernagle and Team Anderson met in the championship final for the 3rd straight year. Anderson won in 2018. Silvernagle won in 2019. Who would take home the rubber match? A 3 in 4 and #StealPants in 8 proved to be the difference makers as Team Silvernagle #DefendTheIce defeating Team Anderson in the championship final. Team Silvernagle will now be the home team at #STOH2020 in Moose Jaw as #TeamGreen. Heavy hearts all around the province and this provincial championship though as thoughts and prayers to the Jenkins family. Aly Jenkins, lead for Team Anderson, passed away in October giving birth. A reminder to hold your loved one's close and remember curling is just a game.
Already dancing:
Canada - Team Chelsea Carey
Newfoundland and Labrador - Team Erica Curtis
PEI - Team Suzanne Birt
Northwest Territories - Team Kerry Galusha
Nunavut - Team Lori Eddy
Yukon - Team Hailey Birnie
#Brier2020
Nova Scotia - Team Jamie Murphy: It was revenge and reclaim weekend in Nova Scotia at the provincial championships. Team Arsenault reclaimed her title lost the year prior and Team Murphy followed suite. Murphy finished the RR 6-1, good enough for first place and a bye to the championship final. The team would defeat Team Kendal Thompson for the title, scoring a big 4 in 9 to seal the victory. Murphy will be making his 6th Brier appearance in 2020. At his last appearance in 2018, Murphy reached the Championship Pool and ended with a strong 7th place finish.
Quebec - Team Alek Bedard: #NextGen denied once again! Leading into the provincial championship many, this blog included, believed junior to men transition Team Vincent Roberge was ready to cease the title and become the new face of Quebec curling. Not so fast said Alek Bedard! Bedard took the long road to the title. After finishing the Preliminary RR with a 5-1 record (losing to Roberge), the team advanced to the Championship Round and would finish in 3rd place with a 7-2 record. Roberge knocked off Team Ferland in the page playoff 3vs4 game and then defeat former champion Team Fournier in the SF before getting the rematch with Roberge. Roberge was 8-1 overall and the 1st place team heading into the final. Bedard scored a big 3 in 5 to open a lead and never looked back, picking up single #StealPants in 6 and 9 for the 7-2 championship win. Bedard and company collected their first Quebec title and will look to continue the #TeamUpset trend in Kingston.
Yukon - Team Thomas Scoffin: Team Scoffin made short work on the three team RR in Whitehorse, going 4-0 and collecting his second Yukon title. Due to the team going undefeated in the RR, no playoffs were required. Scoffin, a former Yukon and Alberta junior champion, will represent the territory for the second time after previously winning the Yukon title in 2018. Last year Scoffin lost in the Yukon final. Scoffin finished 2-6 at his Brier debut in Regina.
Already dancing:
Canada - Team Kevin Koe
PEI - Team Bryan Cochrane
Nunavut - Team Jake Higgs
Congratulations to all the teams who have qualified for the upcoming Canadian championships. We are seeing a nice blend of familiar and debut names to both fields in Moose Jaw and Kingston.
Let the drama continue with more provincial/territorial championship action this week.
#PlaydownPredictions
#STOH2020
British Columbia
2019 Champion: Team Sarah Wark
Format: 8 team RR with Top 4 advancing to Page Playoff.
#Fav
The #PowerRankings have helped determine the #Fav tag in the past, why not continue here? In doing so it is hard not to consider Team Corryn Brown and her foursome from Kamloops as the favourites this year. The team has two #wct titles under their belts, won back-to-back in October where they also went on an impressive 14 game winning streak. They reached an additional final at the China Open and made the SF at the Tour Challenge Tier II. They currently sit #25 on the Power Rankings and own a solid 39-16 record for the season. The only knock on this team? Haven't we been saying they are the future face of B.C. curling for the past few seasons only to have them come up short when it matters most? They lost the SF in 2018. They lost the final in 2019. Can they finally go one game better and claim their first provincial championship?
#TeamUpset
Continue the #NextGen movement as potential #TeamUpset flag bearers? Why not? And in doing so Sarah Daniels is the perfect skip to wave the flag at this year's championship. This may be her B.C. Scotties debut but do not underestimate a young curler who has the makings of a future champion. If you remember, last year Daniels reached the finals of the Canadian Junior Curling Championship. And while she may have come up short, sometimes our biggest lessons come from our toughest losses. The team has only qualified in 2 of 5 tour events this season but they did reach a championship final at their season opener in Maple Ridge. Does the team have the complete game, physically and mentally, to survive a long RR event? They did at Canadian juniors. And they come here as the underdog, which plays to their advantage. They could surprise a few of the contenders here.
What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
Who can carry the B.C. flag into Moose Jaw and get B.C. curling back on the competitive map as a contender? Sarah Wark and company found some success last year when they knocked off Team Fleury in the TB to advance to the Championship Pool. A slide in the right direction. But can any of these teams prove to be a dominant force in the province and continue pushing B.C. curling in the right direction? This is a wide-open field with a handful of contenders. There are past champions (Wark, Dailene Pewarchuk, Karla Thompson). There are regular contenders (Diane Gushulak, Brette Richards). And there are up and comers looking to make a name for themselves (Brown, Daniels). If we have learned anything from the past few provincial Scotties tournaments it is to expect a very tight RR where a few teams could finish 4-3 and we could see some TB action.
Qualifiers: Team Brown, Team Wark, Team Richards, Team Daniels
British Columbia Championship: Team Brown def. Team Wark
Manitoba
2019 Champion: Team Tracy Fleury
Format: 12 team RR with 2 pools of 6. Top 2 in each pool advance to Championship Pool. Top 3 from Championship Pool advance to playoff bracket with 1st place team earning a bye to the final.
#Fav
Can we pick just one #Fav here? All eyes will be on the Top 3: Team Einarson, Team Fleury, Team Jones. If we look at the Power Rankings, these teams currently sit #2, #3 and #6 respectfully. To actually pick one of them as a favourite over the other two would be grasping at straws really. All three of these teams are legit, and equal, contenders for the title. Fleury won her first #GSOC title this year at The Masters. Einarson reached the Tour Challenge Tier I championship final. And Jones...well what can we say about Jones? They also reached a #GSOC final this season at The National. Fleury is the defending champ. Einarson won the title in 2016 and lost the Wildcard play-in game last season. Jones has won this title 8 times. Who gets hot at the right time might be the difference maker here.
#TeamUpset
We know the Big 3 will be considered Championship Pool locks. That means we have 1 spot remaining. But who gets it? Jones and Einarson were drawn into the same pool meaning those other 4 teams (including past provincial finalist Darcy Robertson) are already in trouble. It also means opportunity is knocking for another team from Fleury's pool. There are 2 big contenders: Team Cannon and Team Peterson. Theresa Cannon and her new squad (well former Team Robertson with the addition of Raunora Westcott at lead) are having a solid rookie season. They currently sit #16 on the Power Rankings and reached a tour final early in the season (Mother Club). Beth Peterson has qualified in 6 of 8 events, including a championship appearance at the Atkins Curling Supplies Classic and a SF showing at the Tour Challenge Tier II.
The now Cannon, former Robertson, team reached the SF last year (including a RR victory over eventual champ Fleury) and lost the final the year prior. They have been here before and found success. Peterson lost in a TB last year to advance to the playoffs. Both of these teams are VERY capable of making a playoff run.
#W2W4
The field? When you have such a trio of heavy hitters you almost forget to look at the remaining competitors. But that might just play into their advantage. We already discussed the advantage for Cannon and Peterson in one pool with Team JCR and Team Watling also being dark horse contenders. The other pool will be fixated by Einarson/Jones but if either slips up in another game the door opens for someone else potentially. Darcy Robertson, with her new team, and Abby Ackland (who made the playoffs last year) could also fly under the radar here and surprise.
Interesting to note, in the past 3 years the team to lose the 1vs2 PPG has lost the SF against the winner of the 3vs4 PPG. And that 1vs2 winner has gone on to win the title 2 of those 3 years. A blessing to play in the 1vs2 game....unless you lose!
The Big 3 look like playoff locks but there is strong talent in Manitoba and a handful of contenders could surprise the favourites. This should be a fun party to attend!
Qualifiers: Team Fleury, Team J. Jones, Team Cannon, Team Einarson
Manitoba Championship: Team Fleury def. Team Einarson
Northern Ontario
2019 Champion: Team Krista McCarville
Format: 7 team RR with Top 3 advancing to the playoffs. 1st place RR team earning a bye to the final.
#Fav
Krista McCarville! Northern Ontario is Krista McCarville Country! McCarville is a 7-time Northern Ontario champion. She has a Scotties silver (2016) and bronze (2010) medal to her resume. And she reached the Scotties playoffs last year, losing the 3vs4 game to provincial rival Team Homan. McCarville and company may be the biggest #Fav heading into any provincial Scotties (well maybe Kerry Galusha could debate this). The team has played 3 tour events this season. They have reached 3 championship finals. They have one title (Curl Mesabi), which happens to be their last event. They enter the Northern Ontario playdowns on a 7-game winning streak. Yikes!
#TeamUpset
The field! No question about it. In fact this is a completely new field for McCarville to face. None of these teams competed here last year. The only player on the other 6 teams with real playdown experience is Amanda Gates, competing at lead on Team Krysta Burns. On the flip side, it is exciting to see 6 other teams step up to take on the big dog. 2016, 2017 and 2019 were 4 team fields and 2018 was only a 3 team field. This is a great sign for #growthesport....assuming these teams/players stick around. McCarville cannot win forever right? Right? RIGHT?!
#W2W4
Only two names have ever won a Northern Ontario championship: Krista McCarville and Tracy Fleury. 2020 marks the 14th championship. McCarville has 7 titles. Fleury, before shifting to Manitoba, won 6. Can anyone step up and challenge the champ?
Although, with the rest of the field flying the #TeamUpset flag, two of those teams will make the playoffs. One of those teams, maybe even both, probably had to grind out a tough RR just to make it there. Never count out a team who gains some momentum and confidence entering the playoffs. Upsets happen folks...it is why we play the games. Will it happen here though? I am not so sure.
Qualifiers: Team McCarville, Team Burns, Team Croisier
Northern Ontario Championship: Team McCarville def. Team Burns
Ontario
2019 Champion: Team Rachel Homan
Format: 9 team RR with Top 3 advancing to the playoffs. 1st place RR team earning a bye to the final.
#Fav
Well tough to bet against a 4-time Ontario champion, 3-time Scotties champion and 1-time world champion in the field? Rachel Homan is always going to be considered the #Fav at the Ontario Scotties until someone steps up and knocks her off...and does so continuously. Not an easy feat! Homan will be looking to #DefendTheIce in Cornwall, oddly enough something she has never done. Usually when Homan wins an Ontario championship she goes on to win the Canadian championship as well and then we don't see her at the following year's Ontario championship. Not this time. Homan lost the Scotties final last year, in an epic fashion, and now much do something a bit foreign to her and win an Ontario title back-to-back. It has not been the best of seasons for Homan, by Homan standards of course. They team sits #7 on the Power Rankings. They have failed to even reach a #GSOC playoff bracket, let alone win a grand slam title. Of course they did win the Canada Cup, arguably the biggest win on tour this season. They are still the #Favs but they also look a bit vulnerable right now.
#TeamUpset
Looking for a dark horse team to surprise a few of the familiar names and make a playoff push here? Look no further than Megan Balsdon. Team Balsdon has put together a solid season this year. They have qualified in 5 of 7 events, including a championship final appearance at the KW Fall Classic. They also reached the QF at the Tour Challenge Tier II. They own a solid 27-15 record for the season and they are 3-0 against teams in this field (albeit they haven't played many of these teams this season). Balsdon competed at the Ontario championship in 2019 when, as vice for Team Tippin, she reached the championship final before losing to Team Homan. If Balsdon and her front-end, who also played on the same Team Tippin finalists, can draw on that experience they could surprise here.
#W2W4
Homan may draw the headlines but there are some strong contenders here. Hollie Duncan is a former champion (2018). Julie Hastings, a #TwineTimeFam member, makes her return this season and is also a former champion (2015). Danielle Inglis, another #TwineTimeFam member, reached the championship final in 2018. Jestyn Murphy finished 3rd here last year and reached the final of the Tour Challenge Tier II this year. Susan Froud has experience having played in 6 Ontario provincials. Similar argument of Jacqueline Harrison, whome Froud used to play with. And Chelsea Brandwood made her debut last year here and is looking to build on that performance. This is, from top to bottom, one of the strongest fields we have seen at an Ontario championship. If you are expecting Homan to steamroll this competition, you may be in for a surprise. It will not be that easy.
Qualifiers: Team Homan, Team Duncan, Team Inglis
Ontario Championship: Team Homan def. Team Duncan
Team Wildcard
Format: Top two teams who did not win their provincial/territorial championship based on CTRS advance to wild card play-in game held Friday February 14 before the start of the event
Teams In Contention: Team Einarson, Team Fleury, Team J. Jones
#W2W4
Pretty simple here. Watch what happens in the Manitoba Scotties. The two teams who do not win the Buffalo will earn tickets to Moose Jaw as play-in game competitors. One of them, likely, will be coming off a Manitoba Scotties finals loss while the other would have been eliminated earlier.
Team Homan currently sits 4th on the CTRS but is too far back to be considered here. We know the Team Wildcard play-in game will be a battle of Manitoba. The question remains which two teams it will feature?
Team Wildcard Play-In Game: Team J. Jones def. Team Einarson
#Brier2020
British Columbia
2019 Champion: Team Jim Cotter
Format: 16 team triple knockout with 4 qualifiers advancing to Page Playoff.
#Fav
We are going to buck the trend here folks. #NextGen is not the #TeamUpset in B.C. but rather the #Fav. Watch out for Tyler Tardi this week. We all know the resume of Tardi with the multiple Canadian and Junior championship runs. But this is the big year. Tardi made the decision to forego his final year of junior eligibility to make the leap to the men's game and compete for the big prize: The Brier! Will it pay off? Time will tell.
But it has been a solid rookie men's tour campaign for the 21-year-old. The team reached 3 championship finals this season and picked up a title in Vernon (def. Team Cotter in the final). They are 36-18 on the season and own an impressive 11-3 record against the field. This team knows how to win. They know how to play as an underdog. They know how to play as a favourite. And they are familiar with their competition. They lost a C-side SF last year here. If they can build off that experience, they are going to be dangerous. Expect a deep playoff run for this young team.
Plus Tardi is the newest member of the #TwineTimeFam. The blog talked to him about the transition to the men's game and preparing for the upcoming provincial championship in our podcast interview. You can listen/download it HERE.
#TeamUpset
Is this the year for Jason Montgomery? Some curling fans across the country may not be familiar with Montgomery but you should start taking notice. Montgomery lost the provincial final last year. He reached the SF the year prior. Outside of Jimmy Cotter he has been one of the most consistent challengers at this event over the past few years. But can he finally break through? We have only seen this team at 3 tour events this year but they did reach a championship final (Abbotsford) and a QF (Kelowna). They are only 4-6 against the competition this season but the familiarity of your foes always is an advantage.
#W2W4
Can anyone knock off Cotter and end his stranglehold on the B.C. title? Or, on the flip side for Cotter fans, can Cotter continue his domination of the B.C. championship? Cotter has won 7 of the past 9 provincial championships, only missing out in 2013 and 2018. And in 2018 he was runner-up. It equates to Cotter playing in 8 of the past 9 provincial finals, including the past 6 straight. Jim Cotter is the face that runs the place. The team started strong this year, reaching back-to-back championship finals. However they did lose those finals to two major contenders here this week: Team Geall and Team Tardi. Since those loses the team has been a bit inconsistent. In their past 5 events they have 1 SF and 1 QF finish. They are 15-7 against the field this season though. The question is whether Cotter can continue to dominate the B.C. curling landscape or is this the year he is tripped up?
Qualifiers: Team Cotter, Team Tardi, Team Montgomery, Team Geall
British Columbia Championship: Team Tardi def. Team Cotter
New Brunswick
2019 Champion: Team Terry Odishaw
Format: 8 team RR with Top 3 advancing to playoffs. 1st place team in the RR earns a bye to the championship final.
#Fav
A team with two former NB Tankard champs anchoring the back end and having won two titles this season plus reach another final sounds like a #Fav to me? Team Scott Jones is the leader of the pack heading into this year's Tankard event. In 5 events this season they have reached 3 finals and won 2. They also lost a TB at the Tour Challenge Tier II. Their season record is 19-11, which included a remarkable 11-2 start to the season when they picked up back-to-back titles. Jones is a two-time champ, having won the 2016 and 2017 title as vice with Team Mike Kennedy. Jones now skips his own team and added 2015 champ Jeremy Mallais as his vice. The first year combo seems to be working. Jones reached the SF here last year with his former team. Expect him to be hungry to reclaim the title.
#TeamUpset
#NextGen NB star Rene Comeau is back for his 5th straight NB Tankard with his 4th different team. Last year Comeau, the multi-NB junior champ, competed in the provincial championship with this current formation in their rookie campaign together. The result was a bit disappointing, finishing 1-6 and well outside the playoff picture. Enter Year 2. What can they accomplish? We have only seen them compete in 2 tour events but they did reach the SF and QF so, qualification wise, it has been a perfect season. They also own a respectable 8-5 record on the season, which includes a 5-3 record against the competition. They have basically been playing fellow NB teams all season so familiarity is there. Comeau dominated the junior scene in New Brunswick but we are still waiting for the transition results on the men's side. A playoff run here would be a nice slide forward.
#W2W4
Jimmy The Kid Grattan of course. For curling fans who may not be as familiar with some of the names coming out of Atlantic Canada, I bet you they at least know the name Jamest Grattan. Outside of Russ Howard, who won 6 NB Tankard titles, Grattan is the name curling fans most identify New Brunswick curling with. And why not? The guy has won 12 NB titles. In the last three years Grattan has reached the SF (2017), won the title (2018) and reached the final (2019). Anything short of a playoff appearance here would be considered an upset. But he also has looked vulnerable and is no longer the slam dunk winner of the NB Tankard as he once was. He only has 1 title in the past 5 years. Can he reclaim the throne or is another team (or even former champ) ready to create their own legacy story?
Qualifiers: Team Grattan, Team Jones, Team Odishaw
New Brunswick Championship: Team Jones def. Team Grattan
Newfoundland and Labrador
2019 Champion: Team Andrew Symonds
Format: 9 team RR with Top 3 advancing to playoffs. 1st place team in the RR earns a bye to the championship final.
#Fav
Brad Gushue is back. And I don't know if anyone in NL men's curling is happy about it. Gushue has been away the past two NL Tankards due to winning the Brier and returning the following year as Team Canada. Gushue's reign came to an end last year and thus he is back in the NL championship scene looking to continue his domination. Prior to Gushue winning the Brier in 2017, he had won 11 straight NL titles. 11! Go back to 2003 and he had won 14 of the past 15. Yowzers! Hmmm we talked above about McCarville and Galusha dominating, maybe Gushue is the most dominant provincial/territorial champion of all-time. The provincial GOAT. Is there any reason not to expect him to win here again this year? Gushue sits #8 on the current Power Rankings. The team reached the SF at the past two grand slams (The National, Canadian Open) and reached the final at the first two (The Masters, Tour Challenge). Oh and he is Brad Gushue after all.
#TeamUpset
The field. Pretty simple here. See above as to why.
#W2W4
Andrew Symonds could be a dangerous contender though for Gushue. The defending champion has qualified in 3 of 4 tour events this season. They reached a championship final in their first event of 2020 and reached the QF at their tune-up event (Golden Wrench). They own a solid 17-11 record on the season, including 5-3 against the competition. BUT they have not faced Gushue!
And special shout out to #TeamEnergy Greg Smith. No, not because he is a member of the #TwineTimeFam...that is just an added bonus. But because he is also a previous champ. Smith won the title in 2018, the first year of the post-Gushue Brier win. Last year he had the target on his back as defending champ. This year he can enter with no added stress and play it out. Never turn your back on someone who has tasted victory in the past.
Qualifiers: Team Gushue, Team Symonds, Team G. Smith
Newfoundland and Labrador Championship: Team Gushue def. Team Symonds
Northern Ontario
2019 Champion: Team Brad Jacobs
Format: 8 team RR with Top 3 advancing to playoffs. 1st place team in the RR earns a bye to the championship final.
#Fav
Do you even have to ask? Obviously the defending champ is the overwhelming favourite. Team Jacobs went through their first line-up change since the 2012/13 season. Long-time vice Ryan Fry headed south to join Team Epping but the call was made out west to convince Marc Kennedy to come out of retirement (which lasted a hot minute if that). The results have been almost perfect. The team has won three straight #GSOC events: Tour Challenge Tier I, The National, The Canadian Open. They are the hottest men's team on ice right now (Team Hasselborg is probably the hottest overall adding in that Euro win). Not to mention Jacobs has won this title 5 straight years and 9 of the past 10. The only year he didn't win? 2014 because he was a bit busy winning Olympic gold. Hmmmm maybe Brad Jacobs is the provincial champion GOAT?
#TeamUpset
Ummm everyone else? No?
#W2W4
Ok I kid above, sort of. There are actual potential contenders in this field. Look at Jordan Chandler. Chandler reached the SF in 2018. This year he has joined forces with Trevor Bonot. Bonot lost in the TB last year. Or what about Sandy MacEwan? MacEwan has played vice for Chandler the past few seasons. When Chandler left to join forces with Bonot, MacEwan took over the role of skip and is not a fellow playoff contender. Chandler vs. MacEwan could be a nice sub-plot rivalry here too. MacEwan has actually put together a solid season, winning a tour title back in October and owning a collective 16-6 record this season. Both teams could pose a challenge to Jacobs. And remember Jacobs has suffered some surprising defeats here in the past. Only two years ago he needed to survive a TB just to make the playoffs before going on a run and claiming the title. And last year he also needed the extra SF game en route to the title. Could we be in for an upset or two in the RR? It would make for a more interesting week that's for sure. And remember, should Jacobs come down with the upset bug this weekend, they are a lock for the wildcard play-in game.
Qualifiers: Team Jacobs, Team MacEwan, Team Chandler
Northern Ontario Championship: Team Jacobs def. Team MacEwan
Ontario
2019 Champion: Team Scott McDonald
Format: 9 team RR with Top 3 advancing to playoffs. 1st place team in the RR earns a bye to the championship final.
#Fav
To the surprise of nobody, John Epping comes to Cornwall with the #Fav target on this back. And rightfully so. Epping won the prestigious Canada Cup at the beginning of December, booking his ticket to the Roar of the Rings. But Epping has also qualified in 6 of 8 events this season. They started the season with back-to-back championship wins in Oakville and Cornwall. And, as a tune-up for the provincial championship, they reached the final of the Canadian Open only a few weeks ago. Epping also has the ace up his sleeve knowing should he be unsuccessful here, he is probably a lock for the wildcard play-in game. Although see last year and how that worked out I suppose?! Best not press your luck and just punch your direct ticket right?
#TeamUpset
Looking for a #NextGen athlete to rally behind and wave the #TeamUpset flag this week? How about Matthew Hall? You may remember Matt Hall from last year's Canadian junior championships when he left his home province of Ontario and traveled out west to join Tyler Tardi's team in B.C. The decision ended up being a wise one as he, with Team Tardi, won the Canadian and World junior title. Fast forward and Hall has returned to Ontario, formed a new team, is back to skipping and is looking to make some noise at the Ontario Tankard. Ok so there have been growing pains this season, the team has only qualified in 1 of 7 events. But perhaps this team needed that long to gel? Never count out a Canadian and World champ....plus a member of the #TwineTimeFam. But that is not why he got this mention remember.
Special shout out to Pat Ferris and Jason Camm. If Hall falters, either Ferris or Camm (or both) could surprise. Both are having strong seasons on the Ontario Tour and both teams have been gaining some confidence building up to this moment. Can either seize the day?
#W2W4
Only 3 teams make the playoffs. The Big 3 (Epping, Howard, McDonald) are all considered the main contenders. Can any of the other 6 teams step up and knock one (or more) of them off and "steal" a playoff spot? Don't bet against it. Ontario is notorious for producing some surprising champions in the past. How many of you saw Team McDonald winning last year? Ok well this blog did but still. What about Greg Balsdon in 2014? Mark Kean in 2015? And Keaner is back with a new team this year looking to turn back the clock. Plus the favourites do not always win, ain't that right Mr. Epping and Mr. Howard?!
Qualifiers: Team Epping, Team Howard, Team Ferris
Ontario Championship: Team Howard def. Team Epping
Saskatchewan
2019 Champion: Team Kirk Muyres
Format: 16 team triple knockout with 4 qualifiers advancing to the Page Playoff. A vs. B qualifier equates to 1 vs 2 and C vs C equates to 3 vs 4.
#Fav
They brought a Grand Slam of Curling championship back to the curling heartland of Saskatchewan. How could we not name Team Dunstone as the favourite heading into this year's provincial championship? We saw earlier in the season how #DunnyIsMoney when he played light's out to win The Masters championship. Can he replicate the feat this week? Lets also be real here. Dunstone does not enter this event with a ton of momentum or confidence. Since their Masters win they have failed to qualify in any event, a streak now spanning 5. Of course those 5 events are #gsoc and Canada Cup events but still. Combined they are 7-18 since The Masters win and now sit 26-25 overall. But here is the positive. Their own worst enemy truly has been themselves. They are not being outcurled and swept off the ice in those events. They are curling well. In fact their games at the Canadian Open were some of the best curling they have done all season. But sometimes that is how sports go. You play average and win. You play your best and lose. And sometimes you play well and win. Dunstone and company have the skill and confidence to win this title. All of these guys have been to the Brier before. They can all get back. But they have to find their rhythm and confidence. This is a triple knockout event. You can have one bad game and still be ok. Two bad games and you in trouble. Which Dunstone team shows up?
#TeamUpset
Watch out for Team Meachem this week. Shaun Meachem has been there before. Remember when he won the 2017 Sask Tankard, upsetting favourite and defending champ Steve Laycock in the final? Meachem is back this year and looking to rekindle the spark from 2017 and wave the #TeamUpset flag along the way. This blog has been slowly watching this team throughout the season, starting with their season opening championship win in October. Since then they have collected another title along with SF and QF finishes. They are 24-14 on the season and could be one of the most dangerous under the radar teams in the field.
Should Meachem falter, keep your eyes on Josh Heidt and Kody Hartung. Both of these teams are strong playoff contenders and should be in the mix come playoff weekend. I would not be surprised to see one in the A-final and one win the B-final. Which goes where? I will leave that up to you to guess but either option wouldn't surprise me from either team. By the way, what about Brad Heidt? A former champ is back in the field. As we say, never discount a former champ. And Jeff Hartung? Imagine a Final Four of all Heidt's and Hartung's?
#W2W4
Can Kirk Muyres continue his Sasky magic? Muyres has claimed the Sasky title 5 of the past 6 years, including the past 2. Even more impressive is the most recent championship wins were with completely different teams. Last season Muyres made the big move to skip from vice and, in his rookie season, once again won the Sask title and booked another spot in the Brier. The other Sask titles maybe were predictable. He entered the event with the top team and expectations were high. Last season, not so much perhaps. And he still won. The team is back trying to #DefendTheIce. They have some strong results this season, highlighted by the Tour Challenge Tier II SF (of which they were the defending champs). They might be flying a bit under the radar for a defending champ but this is a wide open field. And Muyres seems to have the Midas Touch at this event.
Qualifiers: Team Dunstone, Team Meachem, Team Muyres, Team K. Hartung
Saskatchewan Championship: Team Dunstone def. Team Muyres
Team Wildcard
Format: Top two teams who did not win their provincial/territorial championship based on CTRS advance to wild card play-in game held Friday February 14 before the start of the event
Teams In Contention: Team Jacobs, Team Epping, Team Gushue, Team Bottcher, Team McEwen, Team Dunstone, Team Gunnlaugson, Team McDonald
#What 2 Watch 4 (#W2W4)
A very strong argument could be made where we will see a repeat Team Wildcard play-in game from the past with two Manitoba teams facing off (2018). We already know it will happen on the women's side, could the men make it 2-for-2? Heck we could even see the same two skips as 2018 face off once again here in 2020, with slightly different teams of course. It is WAY to early to predict now but two Manitoba teams facing off is a strong possibility. BUT be weary the Ides of March....something spooky is going to happen this weekend to one of those #Fav teams. Most have this game as a back pocket option. One is going to need it!
Team Wildcard Play-In Game: Team Epping def. Team McEwen
It should be worth noting the Northwest Territories championship is also set to take place this week. Unfortunately, as of publish time, no information was made available via the NWT Curling site or on social media. Being unsure of the field, no formal preview could be included. However, the blog will go on record and predict a Team Jamie Koe victory.
Hope you all caught up on some sleep early in the week rock heads. You are going to have your eyes crossed in many directions for the end of the week and during the weekend with all these playdowns.
What say you? Agree? Disagree? Who do you think punches their card to the Big Dance?
Share your thoughts and predictions with other curling fans and continue the Playdown Party!
#StayTuned
The blog returns next week for the #PlaydownAfterParty as we finalize the Scotties field in Moose Jaw (including knowing who advanced to the Wildcard play-in game), get caught up on the Brier field in Kingston and preview those final provincial championships.
Party on Garth....
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