#Brier2021 Power Rankings - Day 3

 #BetweenTheSheets: The Champs Are Here

Pool A implodes, Pool B champions hold strong

It has been a Tale of Two Pools through the opening days of action inside the #IceBubble.

While one pool is in a dog fight to see if anyone wants to actually finish in first, the other is being run by past champions chasing #HIStory.

We have had upsets. We have had blowouts. We have had blank ends....oh have we had blank ends.

But, most important, we have Brier action on TV and curling back in our lives after a short break.

Defending champions Team Gushue and past champions Team Koe has quickly established themselves as the class of Pool B. And, really, are we surprised? We expected Pool B to produce little drama and thus far the cream has risen to the top.

Of course there are some up and comers lurking. And a #TeamUpset or two looking ready to pounce.

What about Pool A though? Yowie Wowie!

Alberta picks out their own stone for a surprising loss to Manitoba. And the result itself is not as big of a surprise as the method in which it happened.

New Brunswick is sitting atop the standings in the ultimate #TeamUpset result of an opening weekend. They are not just winning but they are looking very good in doing so. Just ask a pre-event favourite Wildcard 1.

Speaking of WC1, they were facing an 0-2 start, which almost eliminates you from the playoff picture, after just one day of action. Luckily Northern Ontario was feeling charitable and forgot to play a full 10 end game in handing WC1 a win.

Does anyone want to emerge from this pool with less than 2 losses and have a fighting chance for the playoffs?

We knew this pool would be a fight. We knew it would be tough. But I don't know if we expected the upside-down mixture of results we saw after the opening day of action for these teams.

On the positive side, this is going to be fun for the fans. And maybe for the athletes? Possibly?! Stressful for sure. Fun? Ok maybe fun is not the right word. This is going to get interesting!

Lets take a look at the updated rankings mountain based on results through the opening two days. These initial rankings are a mixed bag in a way of teams playing themselves up the mountain and, perhaps more surprising, more teams actually playing themselves down.

Note, the number in parenthesis is the pre-event seed assigned in the Brier 2020 Preview blog post.

#PowerRankings

1. #TeamCanada - Team Gushue (2): The defending champs are looking strong and in fine Brier form. Gushue opened up the Brier curling 100% in the systematic W vs. contender Ontario Friday night. They got pushed Saturday afternoon against Quebec though. There were some misses and Quebec was not afraid to go head to head with them. It was a grinder win and probably the type of early win the team needed. Being pushed by a lower seeded team and avoiding the upset can give you a quick wake up call after playing near perfect the night before. This team still looks like a favourite to #DefendTheIce. But they are in for a battle Sunday night. Up Next: WC2

2. #WC2 - Team Koe (8): Tough team to read right now. We did not get a ton of highlight coverage of their games thus far. However, they are sitting 2-0 so what more could you ask for? Neither games were strolls down the ice as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland pushed them and played them tough. Could it be good to grind out early wins or does it leave more questions on how prepared they are slightly struggling against the lower seeded teams in the pool? 2-0 is good. But we don't really have a sense of where this team is at yet. Which can also be dangerous since it is Kevin Koe. Up Next: PEI, CAN

3. #TeamAcadia - Team Grattan (13): Well, well, well. Look who sits tied for first place atop Pool A with a 2-0 record?!? Who saw this coming? James Grattan and the boys have looked great thus far. The Saturday morning win vs. WC1 was deemed an upset and I don't think many people thought they could follow it in the night draw against BC. To their advantage, BC was stepping foot on the ice for the first time. New Brunswick was going off the momentum high of an upset win and beaming with confidence. Boom! Grattan is 2-0 and looking good. Is it still going to be a battle to reach the Champ Pool? Of course. However, if they take care of business against the two territorial teams in their pool, they will have 4 wins. If they find 1 more win along the way, #TeamAcadia waves the #TeamUpset flag right into the Championship Pool. The #TwineTime preview said to never discount Jimmy The Kid and here we are. Up Next: AB

4. #BuffaloHunt - Team Gunnlaugson (7): You all had Manitoba tied for top spot in Pool B going into Sunday action right? Of course you did! I must admit, I may have undersold my man Jason Gunnlaugson in the preview. My bad. Sometimes you just get lucky and that is what happened in their opener vs. Alberta with Bottcher picking out his own stone and leaving Gunner the open draw to the paint FTW. And the team followed up the "surprise" win with a night cap W over Yukon. So far, so good. A key to success during a week-long event is momentum and Manitoba has it in spades right now. If they can keep it going, watch out. The down side, they do not play on Sunday so they have to sit and chill in the hotel, or visit the arena and watch some games, with their next game scheduled for Monday morning. Up Next: BYE

5. #WC3 - Team Howard/Middaugh (9): Did you forget Team Howard/Middaugh are in this field? We can't blame you if you did. They have played one game and it was Saturday morning, not exactly the prime time to attract attention from curling fans. And they don't play again until Sunday afternoon. Only two games through the opening three days and at weird draw times. But hey, they picked up the win and sit 1-0 in a topsy-turvey Pool A. Wayne Middaugh did not miss a beat in the opener either, curling 85% in the W over NWT. This team may be flying right under the radar a bit early on and I think they are quite happy to do so. There has been some dramatic results already. When the drama starts happening you are quite happy to sit back and watch it explode all around you. Up Next: YK

6. #ABStrong - Team Bottcher (5): Nobody is probably more disappointed to be sitting 1-1 after the first two days of the Brier than Brendan Bottcher. And rightfully so, if we are being honest. They could be one missed pick stone away from actually being 2-0. On the plus side, it was game one so lots of time to shake it off and get right back into challenger mode. They played tough and angry in the night game at the expense of poor #PolarPower. We say early losses can be blessings in disguise for a long week. This could be the case for Alberta as they put more games between the Champ Pool and the opening loss. Big opportunity in the next game to level up the field even more. Up Next: NB

7. #TeamGreen - Team Dunstone (6): Well what can you say? This team SHOULD be 2-0. They dominated Nunvut in their opening Friday night. They controlled Ontario Saturday afternoon and really gave the game away in the final two ends. This will really highlight the mental growth of this team moving forward. To lose a game you know you should have won can either be demoralizing or motivating. Props to second Kirk Muyres here. He brings a huge level of communication, honestly and positivity to this team...and they may need that more than anything right now. Lots of week left. Up Next: NL

8. #FearTheMoose - Team Jacobs (#1): Well, that was...interesting. What happened to Brad Jacobs Saturday night? It was not the Jacobs we are used to seeing as he struggled in the loss to WC1. Of course credit to the opposition but the moose was loose for the end of the game and McEwen picked the pocket of Jacobs for the win. Missed opportunities. You had the chance to sit 2-0 early. Plus, and perhaps more importantly, you had the chance to put a Champ Pool contender in an 0-2 hole to start their campaign. Pool A folks....Pool A! Up Next: NWT

9. #WC1 - Team McEwen (4): Ok so many expected WC1 to probably be 1-1 after two days of action. Sure, those same majority of people may have expected the results to be reversed from the actual on the day but tomato - potato. You are 1-1 and right in the hunt. And, more importantly, you avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. The team still does not look overly confident but perhaps the "steal" of a win over one of the pre-event favourites will light the spark we have not seen out of Mike McEwen in awhile. McEwen is most dangerous when he finds his swagger and gains his confidence. This win might be the igniter fluid. Up Next: BC

10. #CurlON - Team Epping (3): If you told John Epping he would be 1-1 after the opening two days, which saw his Ontario team face Team Canada and Saskatchewan, I think he would smile and take the record. Alas, here he is. BUT, this team is not curling great. The opener vs. Gushue, they looked like they were playing a practice game for fun and the seriousness wasn't there. Sure, relax and have fun, especially when things were not going great, but it was also too chill. Saturday afternoon they come out a bit flat again and did not look great vs. Saskatchewan. Luckily for them, Dunny and company were in the giving mood as they handed the W to Epping on a platter in the last few ends. Avoiding the dreaded 0-2 start was huge. What they do with the thank you win will be interesting. This team does not look like they have hit their stride yet. Up Next: NS, NU

11. #Labelleprovince - Team Fournier (12): This is pretty much where we expected Quebec to be after their first two games. They are sitting 1-1. We know they have the potential to fly the #TeamUpset flag in Pool B and make a push for Champ Pool qualification. They are playing great. They had a battle in their opener vs. NL and then they pushed the defending champs in game two. They were actually tied with Gushue heading into the 9 before giving up 3, which ultimately deflated the upset balloon. If the horses can get on a roll though, watch out. Their next two games on Sunday could help make that happen. I would keep my eye on this team folks. They look primed to upset one of the "higher" seeds sometime this week. Up Next: NU, PEI

12. #TeamBluenose - Team Murphy/McDonald (10): Sitting .500 through the opening two days, while playing with a new skip, is a pretty solid start. The team struggled early in their opener vs. WC2 but you have to think that has a bit to do with just coming together as a team. Scott McDonald stepping in as skip can be tough. Where do you put the broom for players you have never played with? Not to mention just reading new event ice and having to play Team Koe. They rebounded nicely Saturday afternoon vs. PEI and look to be gelling now. This is a team who can fly under the radar a bit but can be a Champ Pool qualifier if they get all their rocks in a row. Still a bit of an unknown with them but trending upward....for now. Up Next: ON, NL

13. #TeamPacific - Team Laycock (11): The boys from #TeamPacific had a small moment of #HIStory stepping on the ice in their opening game Saturday night. Jim Cotter, Steve Laycock and Rick Sawatzky were all celebrating their 100th Brier game played. A great accomplishment and milestone. Unfortunately they ran into a confident Team Grattan. The game itself was fairly even but tie game coming home without hammer is a pretty tough hill to climb. The boys have experience, obviously, so we will see if they can rebound here. They sure would like to do better than last year's 2-5 result. The schedule gods sure messed with them as well. One game through the opening two days and Sunday they only play one game as well. Only 2 games through the opening weekend makes it a bit tough to gain any momentum. In comparison, the majority of teams in Pool B will have played 4 games by the end of Sunday. Up Next: WC1

14. #TheRock - Team Smith (14): If you go by only the stats, you would think Greg Smith and company are struggling. And yes, their numbers are not great and they are sitting 0-2. However, they may be outcurled on the stat sheet but both games have been close and Smith could easily be 2-0 right now as well. The opener Friday night against Quebec came down to Smith's final rock and only being able to score 1. Saturday afternoon they actually had the lead vs. WC2 after a steal in 6 and almost pulled the upset against the mighty Kevin Koe. Sitting 0-2 is tough, seeing your name at the bottom of the standings. However, when you know you have been in the games and have had chances to knock off those seeded teams above you, there are positives to take out of the record. Up Next: SK, NS

15. #TheIslanders - Team MacKenzie (15): PEI had the opening draw off so we only have one game to go off of for the Power Rankings. It was a tough opener for them Saturday afternoon vs. Nova Scotia. The Bluenosers were coming off a tough opening draw loss but at least had been on the ice and chucked some rocks. PEI was just not as ready for the game NS threw at them and the 11-4 loss reflects that. Eddie MacKenzie has been here before so the team can rebound but it won't be easy against tough Pool B competition. Up Next: WC2, QC

16. #PolarPower - Team Skauge (16): You gotta feel for Greg Skauge. You finally win the NWT title and you start off your rookie campaign against legend Wayne Middaugh (subbing in for Glenn Howard) and three-time finalist Brendan Bottcher. Not to mention you get an angry Bottcher coming off a loss of a game he should have won. Now they get an angry Jacobs team coming off a loss the night before. Poor NWT. But remember, this is the Brier so if you cannot find the Bingo squares, maybe you are the Bingo square. It isn't that the team is curling bad. The problem is, where is the defense? Giving up ends of 3 and 4 points, multiple times over two games, will always make it hard to win regardless of who you are. They need to tighten down when they don't have hammer and start trying to force a single rather than get sucked into these big score ends for the opposition. Up Next: NOnt

17. #PurplePower - Team Mikkelsen (17): Speaking about teams who are giving up too many big ends, Yukon is having a similar issue. In two games they have scored a total of 8 points but allowed 20. This averages out to a game score of 10-4 in the L column. You cannot expect to win many games with those averages. Mikkelsen is a rookie team so hopefully the learning curve kicks in soon but, with this field, the learning curve is VERY steep. Up Next: WC3

18. #TeamArctic - Team Mackey (18):  Tough to move up the rankings when you only play one game, in the opening draw, and get dominated by a strong Saskatchewan team. It will be interesting to see how the schedule impacts this rookie team. They had the entire day off on Saturday, which can be good to help distance the bad loss Friday night or can leave you festering alone in a hotel. You think the advantage would have been just getting right back on the ice with another game to stay on top of ice conditions and line calls and all the technical aspects of the game. We will see how they respond Sunday morning vs. Quebec. Up Next: QC, ON

#StayTuned

The blog will return with updated Power Rankings throughout the week. There may also be a podcast episode drop or two to look forward to. Share your personal #PowerRankings with the blog in the comments below or via social media.

Also, the Midterm Grades episode will return after the conclusion of the preliminary RR with Special Guest Casey Scheidegger.

Good luck and good curling....