#BetweenTheSheets: WFG Masters Preview
Plus an update to the weekly Power Rankings
Before we update the Power Rankings, lets look back on the results which could shake up the mountain.
#TheRunback
Men
🥌 DEKALB Superspiel - Team Dunstone (MB) def. Team Carruthers (MB). Add another chapter to this budding rivalry series between Matt Dunstone and Reid Carruthers. Dunstone goes a perfect 6-0 to capture the title, having qualified for the playoffs via the A-side and defeating Team Calvert (QF) and Team Wiebe (SF) before the final. Carruthers, who lost an A-qualifier, rebounded quickly to reach the playoffs via the B-side before coming up short against their Manitoba rivals. Carruthers did avenge their A-qualifier loss in the SF with their defeat of Team Shuster after knocking off Team Chambers in the QF.
🥌 Stu Sells Brantford NISSAN Classic - Team Ferris (ON) def. Team Asselin (QC). Ferris, who took the long #CSideGrind path to the playoffs, knocked off Team Purcell (QF) and Team McEwen (SF) to reach the final. Asselin, who entered the final with a perfect 5-0 record, qualified via the A-side and knocked off Team Deruelle (QF) and Team Horgan (SF) in the playoffs. Ferris defeated two of the three A-qualifiers (Purcell, Asselin) en route to claiming the title. Asselin defeated the other A-qualifier (Horgan) in the SF.
🥌 Curling Stadium Alberta Curling Series - Team Parent (AB) def. Team Hansen (AB). Parent went 5-0 on the weekend, with a 3-0 RR record before recording a SF (def. Team Vavrek) and final win. Hansen went 3-2 on the weekend with both losses coming at the hands of Parent (RR and final). Hansen knocked off Team Adams in the SF.
🥌 King Cash Spiel - Team Yanagisawa (JPN) def. Team Pierce (BC). Both teams entered the final with identical 5-0 records, following up 3-0 RR records with QF and SF victories. Yanagisawa knocked off Team de Jong (QF) and Team Montgomery (SF) while Piece defeated Team Robbilard (QF) and Team Morozumi (SF) to reach the final.
Women
🥌 DEKALB Superspiel - Team Ackland (MB) def. Team Martin (SK). A battle of #TeamUpset contenders in the final? The blog preview warned you not to sleep on Team Ackland! After losing their opening game of the event, Ackland would not suffer another loss. The team reached the playoffs via the B-side and knocked off Team Scheidegger (QF) and Team Grandy (SF) to reach the final. Martin took the quick path to the final, reaching the playoffs via the A-side and playoff wins over Team Gray-Withers (QF) and Team Jones (SF).
🥌 Stu Sells Brantford NISSAN Classic - Team Gim (KOR) def. Team Inglis (ON). Gim suffered a surprise opening game loss to Team Zemmelink, turned it around and went undefeated for the rest of the event. They reached the playoffs with a 2-1 RR record, survived a TB (def. Team Armstrong), knocked off Korean rivals Team Kim (QF) and earned revenge against Zemmelink (SF) to reach the final. Inglis, who also went 2-1 in the RR, also survived a TB game (def. Team Heggestad) before defeating Team Ladourceur (QF) and Team Howard (SF).
🥌 Curling Stadium Alberta Curling Series - Team Yamamoto (JPN) def. Team Hartwell (AB). Another #TeamUpset final? The 2022 world junior curling champions had no problem navigating a women's tour event. They went 3-0 in the RR, earning a bye to the SF and knocking off Team Stiksma to reach the final. Hartwell also earned a SF bye after an equally impressive 3-0 RR record and defeated Team Skrlik to make the final.
🥌 King Cash Spiel - Team Jackson-Baier (BC) def. Team Jensen (BC). Both teams qualified for the playoffs with 3-1 RR records. Jackson-Baire defeated Team Gushulak while Jensen knocked off Team Birnie in SF matches to reach the final.
Mixed Doubles
🥌 Winnipeg Open - Mixed Doubles Super Series - Team Peterman / Gallant (AB) def. Team Kitz / Stewart (SK). Both teams reached the final with undefeated records, having won their RR pools with identical 4-0 records and earning byes to the QF. Peterman/Gallant's road to the final included victories over Team Einarson/Einarson (QF) and Team Dodds/Mouat (SF). Kitz/Stewart's playoff path to the final included wins over Team Thevenot/Kalthoff (QF) and Team Matsumura/Tanida (SF).
Not a bad weekend of #TourLifePredictions for the little blog. The blog was correct on Team Dunstone and Team Gim winning their events, respectfully. And self-props on calling out Team Ackland.
Can we also comment on how nice to was to have dual men's/women's events happening on tour this weekend?
We do not often see one event feature both a men's and women's draw at the same time, in the same venue at the same event but we saw it happen THREE times this past weekend.
Now if we can only get those tour event purses to be equal as well.
For example, the DEKALB Superspiel offered a men's purse of $36,000 while the women's event offered a purse of $24,000.
The King Cash Spiel in Maple Ridge saw a women's purse of $5,700 while the men's purse was $11,400.
On the flip side, lets give props to the events in Leduc and Brantford though.
The men's purse in Brantford was $15,000 as was the women's purse, with both having an equal entry fee of $750.
In Leduc, both total purses totalled $10,000, with equal entry fees of $800.
This is not to "call out" or "come down" on those hosting committees and tour event organizers. Sponsorships and other financial factors will always come into play when determining an event purse, including the entry fee.
But we can still hope for more financial equality in the sport. This still remains an outstanding Call To Action for curling.
With some major tour events wrapping up competition this past weekend, and many top teams competing, these results are going to cause some teams to make a climb while others to slip up.
#PowerRankings
Women
1. Team Dupont (1) - Team Dupont is enjoying the Euro championship celebrations back home, which included going right back to work the following Monday. But I hear there are some pancakes coming their way...
2. Team Tirinzoni (2) - The world champs and Euro runners-up will be looking to extract some revenge on their opposition in Oakville this week.
3. Team Gim (5) - The Koreans did not take kindly to their little dip in the rankings last week so they went out and won another tournament and make a move back towards the top. Can they win their first slam and claim the #1 spot?
4. Team Homan (3) - Back on the ice this week at the slam and coming in as semi-defending champ (Fleury) and most recent slam champ (Tour Challenge).
5. Team Fujisawa (4) - Back on slam ice, again a title contender and again waiting to see when this team will make their first slam final. The Pan Continental title should boost the confidence.
6. Team Scheidegger (7) - A solid QF appearance in Winnipeg should give some momentum heading into Oakville.
7. Team Ackland (NR) - Many people may not "agree" with this high of a ranking of Ackland but put some respect on their name. The DEKALB field is always strong and it is one of the top events on tour each season. They also reached their fourth final of the season and finally won the last game of an event to take home a tour title. Rather than come down on a team for their ranking on the mountain, how about we praise a team for how hard they have worked? It isn't always about the "slam" teams remember!
8. Team Einarson (6) - They took the women's team weekend off for some of the members to compete in MD in Winnipeg. Props to skipper Kerri on reaching the QF with her husband.
9. Team Yamamoto (NR) - Well, who saw this coming? The 2022 world junior champs are making their mark on the women's tour already. We have not seen this team on tour ice since September BUT they have been putting up consistently strong results on the women's tour. A finals win in Kitama at the ARGO Graphics Cup at the beginning of September followed up with a 3rd place finish at the ADVICS Cup in Hokkaido a week later and now another tour title last weekend in Leduc. This was also their first trip out of Japan this season for a tour event. The #NextGen is coming...
10. Team Morrison (8) - The Euro bronze medal winners hold on to their Top 10 spot but it might not last long with the upcoming slam.
Hon. Mention: Team Grandy, Team Martin, Team Inglis, Team Jones, Team Hasselborg
Men
1. Team Mouat (1) - Most of the lads took some time off after their Euro win, except skipper Bruce who was back on the ice this past weekend in Winnipeg reaching the SF of the MD event with partner Jenn Dodds. Is there a team beaming with more confidence right now?
2. Team Dunstone (3) - Well, maybe one team! Dunstone goes back-to-back with tour titles after claiming another one in Winnipeg this weekend. And knocking off a few Manitoba rivals has to be good for the confidence heading into 2023. But before they get too far ahead, they have a slam this week. Can Dunstone win 3 in a row and his second slam? #DunnyIsMoney after all, right?
3. Team Schwaller (2) - The Swiss also took some time off to reflect on their Euro silver medal performance and prep for Oakville. Always dangerous with this lineup.
4. Team Koe (4) - Bring on the slam. Can #NextGen rising star Tyler Tardi win his first #gsoc title this week?
5. Team Retornaz (5) - No longer a #TeamUpset at Euros but still a #TeamUpset on slam ice?
6. Team Gushue (6) - Haven't seen the boys from The Rock in a few weeks but expect another playoff appearance this week in Oakville, right? Sky is blue, water is wet, Gushue makes the playoffs.
7. Team Whyte (7) - The social media darlings of the week after busting a rock in practice. According to them, the shot was supposed to be a draw too?! Always get excited to see this team on slam ice.
8. Team Yanagisawa (HM) - The Japanese champs seem to have rebounded from their tough bronze medal loss at the inaugual Pan Continental Curling Championships. Last weekend they lost a final to rival Team Morozumi and this week they went one game further and won a tour title in Maple Ridge. Again, they may not be a slam team but that does not mean we underestimate them.
9. Team Carruthers (NR) - Welcome back to the Top 10! It has been some time since we have seen the new look Manitoba foursome in the Top 10 but they made a climb up the mountain with their DEKALB results. Lots of positives and momentum heading into a slam too. A dark horse champion perhaps?
10. Team Shuster (HM) - In the Top 10 then in Hon. Mention and now back in the Top 10. It was a solid weekend of curling for the three-man Team Shuster this past weekend in Winnipeg, qualifying A-side and reaching the SF. Slowly making their move back up the rankings and gaining confidence once again.
Hon. Mention: Team Edin/Eriksson, Team Dropkin, Team Bottcher, Team Asselin, Team Ferris
With the majority of these teams competing in Oakville this week for the WFG Masters, and knowing where they rank on the mountain heading into the final #GSOC event of 2022, bring on the preview.
Note, the slams format remains the same with teams drawn into pools but their RR games being against the teams from another pool (i.e. Pool A vs. Pool B, Pool C vs. Pool D).
The blog wrote about this format after the BOOST National, proposing a better RR play format where teams still play the 3 teams in their own pool but with the final RR game actually switching to a #Sweep16 playoff game.
All 16 teams advance to the playoff bracket with the RR being played for seeding. I still think this adds a bit more excitement to the final RR draw and what is wrong with all 16 teams advancing to a playoff bracket? These are the best teams in the world, right?
The #TwineTime suggestion and argument may get no traction from those "big" names who make decisions but something worth discussing for the fans.
But I digress...
WFG Masters Preview
Oakville, ON
2021 Champions: Team Mouat (men), Team Fleury (women)
Format: 16 teams divided into 4 pools of 4. Top 8 qualify.
MEN
#Fav:
Scotland's Team Mouat is coming off a huge Euro championship, which they were able to #DefendTheIce. And they come to Oakville looking to do the same as defending champions.
But Manitoba's Team Dunstone may have the upper hand overall for momentum, confidence and earning the #Fav tag.
They have won back-to-back finals. They have reached FOUR straight finals, including the Tour Challenge.
They have reached 5 finals this season. And their other two events? SF results.
No longer flying under the radar and making a move up the #PowerRankings mountain.
Should we just pencil this team in for at least a SF finish now?
#TeamUpset:
Norway's Magnus Ramsfjell is going to be the #TeamUpset flag bearer this week in Oakville.
The young lads will be making their #gsoc debut but should not be underestimated.
They come to Oakville fresh off making FIVE straight SF or better tour results, dating back to early September. They have reached three finals and won one title (Curling Masters Champery).
And while they have yet to play the teams they are drawn against in the RR portion (Dunstone, Dropkin, Epping, Gushue), they are familiar with a few other teams in this event.
Against teams in this field (including Edin, Mouat, Whyte, Retornaz, Hoesli, Schwaller), the team owns a season record of 7-6. They will not be intimidated by their opposition but their opposition may be unaware of just how good this team can be.
#W2W4:
Keep on eye on pool W/L distribution this week.
Will we see one pool dominate another, causing a few teams from one pool to be 3-1 or better while the other pool sitting mostly with 1-3 results?
We have seen in the past an entire pool finish 2-2, which just seems weird for playoff qualification.
If pool results end up skewed one way, maybe the #TwineTime idea of going back to playing the 3 teams in your own pool with the final RR game being replaced by a #Sweep16 playoff round might just be worth considering.
Thoughts?
#PopcornMatch:
Dunstone vs. Mouat (Draw 5 - Wed. morning) - #1 vs. #2 on the Power Rankings. And this is just a RR game. Is this the new rivalry we should all be paying attention to?
Bottcher vs. Koe (Draw 7, Wed. afternoon) - Speaking of rivalries, the Bottcher vs. Koe rivalry continues. The players may look a bit different from seasons in the past but the rivalry remains heated and activated.
Edin/Eriksson vs. Retornaz (Draw 7, Wed. afternoon) - A rematch of the Euro bronze medal game, won by Italy's Retornaz. Same teams (with Daniel Magnusson in the Edin/Eriksson lineup), same result? Or do the #SwedishVikings earn some revenge?
Carruthers vs. Dunstone (Draw 11, Thurs. afternoon) - The all-Manitoba rivalry will write another chapter in the RR. Can Carruthers earn revenge this time for the DEKALB loss? Carruthers took the first final they played, #PBInvitational, and Dunstone took the last. On the season, Dunstone leads the H2H 4-1.
Qualifiers: Team Dunstone, Team Gushue, Team Mouat, Team Koe, Team Edin/Eriksson, Team Retornaz, Team Schwaller, Team Whyte
Championship: Team Dunstone def. Team Mouat
WOMEN
#Fav:
Team Homan won the last slam and Tracy Fleury is the two-time defending (skip) champion here after winning in 2019 and 2021 (Master was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19). Rachel Homan is a three-time champion here (2012, 2013, 2015) and reached the final in 2016 and 2018.
Team Tirinzoni are the world champs and want revenge for their Euro finals loss.
Team Fujisawa is fresh off a PCCC win.
Team Einarson has reached both #gsoc finals this season and, dating back to last season, is now at four straight slam finals with a championship win at the 2022 Champions Cup.
But the team who might just be the top #Fav among them all is Korea's Team Gim.
Gim is 44-17 on the season. They have played 61 games already and it is only early December.
They have three tour titles to their name, including winning their last two events (Autumn Gold, Stu Sells Brantford).
And their slam results this season have been progressively better with a QF result at the BOOST National and a SF result at the Tour Challenge.
Should we expect them to go one better at the WFG Masters?
#TeamUpset:
Team Grandy is going to be considered an early #TeamUpset flag bearer pick here. They are back in the Tier I slam world after winning the Tour Challenge Tier II.
Now their Tier II win did not qualify them for this field, they earned that the old fashion way of points and rankings.
Their Tier II win actually booked them a spot in the Canadian Open; however, they are likely to miss that #gsoc event as the schedule overlaps with the B.C. Scotties.
How horrible does that feel? Lets hope they at least are handed a spot in the season ending Champions Cup for their Tier II win to make up for scheduling, which they had no control over.
Also note skip Clancy Grandy has won this slam before, back in 2016 as vice with Team Allison Flaxey.
But, aside from Grandy, keep your eyes on Switzerland's Team Jaeggi.
They may be a modest 24-17 on the season but this is a grinder team. A team who is not afraid of rocks in play, giving up big ends but scoring big ends back and making teams work for their wins if they are going to get them.
They have reached 3 tour finals this season as well. They came up short in each final but they are making deep runs in big events, including the Autumn Gold. And they reached the QF this past weekend in Brantford to prepare for this event.
They are also 5-5 this season against the field. Could they surprise everyone with a playoff run here?
Chalk up another Swiss team to be weary off.
#W2W4:
Parity!
We saw more parity than ever before at the European Curling Championships. The women's field was highly contested with any team in the field capable of beating any other team.
We should see similar here in Oakville.
A case could be made for any of the 16 teams in this field to not only make a push for the playoffs but a deep run towards the championship. It is that close to call folks.
And is this not what we love to see in sport?
Yes, I have seen the "complaints" on social media about how many international teams are in the field (also known as ethnocentric complaining for less Canadian teams in the field).
But, curling is NOT a Canadian sport folks. It is an INTERNATIONAL sport.
Teams earn a ticket into this field through results. No different than the theme for the Power Rankings: consistency, consistency, consistency.
Continue to put up strong results, you get rewarded.
And how can you fault teams like Team Gim or others who have played SO MANY events this season to earn the ranking points to be rewarded with slam invites?
If you "fav" teams are not in the field, maybe they just are not playing enough events?
Of course I know it is not THAT simple of an argument and comparing "professional" athletes paid to curl to some Canadian athletes who have jobs while curling is not fair. But it is also the system we have in place and we have to ride with it.
From a place of positivity, why not enjoy how strong and equally-matched this field is?
Could Einarson or Homan or Tirinzoni go undefeated in claiming the title? Sure.
Could any of them also take a few losses and miss the playoffs? Certainly.
For this field, perhaps what to watch for is the theme of #ExpectTheUnexpected?!
#PopcornMatch:
Jaeggi vs. Tirinzoni (Draw 3 - Tues. afternoon) - An all-Swiss battle as we make room for three Swiss teams being in the top echelon of women's curling (with Team Keiser). From 2010 to 2016, Silvana and Michele played against one another 33 times with Michele earning the slight 17-16 H2H advantage. They have not played against one another since 2016 though. Both with different teams. Both coming into this game with different storylines. Both re-igniting a Swiss rivalry. Plus, remember current Team Jaeggi vice Irene Schori used to play vice for Silvana Tirinzoni from 2009 - 2012.
Hasselborg vs. Tirinzoni (Draw 8, Wed. evening) - The European rivalry we have all come to expect and love to watch. Dating back to 2007, Tirinzoni owns the skippers edge over Hasselborg 27-25. Tirinzoni won their only game this season, at Euros. Hasselborg took both games at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Tirinzoni took both back at the 2022 world championship. This rivalry is as close as it comes and we will add another chapter to it in Oakville.
Einarson vs. Grandy (Draw 12 - Thurs. evening) - This should be a TV game. The Canadian champs, who look to still be the class of Canadian curling, against the dark horse up and coming contender looking to get B.C. curling back on the map. If Grandy is to make a move towards a playoff spot, a W here would go a long way towards making that happen. Pressure on Einarson more here?
Einarson vs. Fujisawa (Draw 15 - Fri. afternoon) - We saw a classic battle between these two teams in the SF at Pan Continental. I was at this game and the drama was through the roof. It was intense and it was fun. Einarson will be eyeing some revenge here. Lets hope we see more battles between these two great teams.
Jones vs. Lawes (Draw 15 - Fri. afternoon) - Oh doggie, this is going to be a good one. Ok, the luster might be off a bit with Kaitlyn not playing due to motherhood but this is still a game worth watching and, probably, going to be the TV game. Selena Njegovan takes over skipping duties while Laura Walker moves in at vice. This game could decide a playoff spot, a TB spot or be a de facto elimination game. It is just too bad we miss out on the Kaitlyn vs. Jennifer match up fans have been waiting for all season. It still hasn't happened, oddly enough. Manitoba Scotties final perhaps?
Qualifiers: Team Einarson, Team Fujisawa, Team E. Kim, Team Scheidegger, Team Homan, Team Tirinzoni, Team Gim, Team Hasselborg
Championship: Team Gim def. Team Einarson
Take note, the Canadian Senior Curling Championships are underway in Nova Scotia. Check out the action, results and updated standings at the event site HERE. And get caught up on the event preview, with predictions, from #TwineTime in last week's PREVIEW post.
The World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event wraps up this week as well. The field has been narrowed to 8 as of Monday: China, France, New Zealand, Netherlands, Finland, Austria, Spain, Turkey.
Of these 8, 4 will earn a ticket to the 2023 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.
Who are your picks to advance? The #TwineTime blog predicted 6 of the 8 playoff teams, with all 4 qualifiers still competing. Can the blog go 4 for 4?
Stay up to date on all the results at the official event page HERE.
#StayTuned
The #TwineTime podcast makes a return to your ears this week rock heads. Who is the SPECIAL guest? The podcast episode will drop later this week. 🤗🤗
To those competing at the slam this week, good luck and good curling.
And a friendly reminder, feel free to join the #TwineTime facebook group HERE.
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