Playdown After Party 2023

#BetweenTheSheets: Welcome To The Playdown After Party

The Scotties field is finalized and the Brier adds a few more party-goers

How are you holding up rock heads?

This past week was ACTION PACKED with curling coverage from the Prairies to The Rock.

Social media was flooded with curling chatter, from the return of a past provincial champ in Saskatchewan to the Battle for the Buffalo in Manitoba to returning vets in Ontario, Northern Ontario, Nova Scotia and PEI.

Not to mention the Brier field added a few names to the bingo card.

Curling fans were streaming left, right and centre to watch as much action as possible and the athletes competing did not disappoint.

Are you ready for more?

The Playdown Party may be starting to wind down a bit but the After Party is just getting ready to be lit.

Who is already packing their dancing shoes to the BIG DANCE and who punched their ticket recently? 

Lets get caught up on the updated national championship fields.

#STOH2023

#TeamGreen - Team Silvernagle: The Return of the #SilverSquad! Last team in, last team standing. Robyn Silvernagle needed the long path to Estevan to compete at the Sask Scotties but once there, it was like the past champ never left. With Silvernagle's pregnancy and the COVID-19 pandemic, we had not seen her on the competitive ice for some time. Now, celebrating the birth of her son and (hopefully) COVID being in our rearview mirrors, Silvernagle reassembled a team and reclaimed her Sask title. The team qualified for the playoffs via the B-side before losing the 1 vs. 2 game to Team Martin. They knocked off 5-time Canadian senior champ Team Anderson in the SF and earned revenge on Martin in the final. Martin had defeated Silvernagle in the A-SF as well as the page playoff game. This is Silvernagle's 3rd Sask title, having won in 2019 and 2020. As a side note, Silvernagle announced early in 2023 she is expecting once again. Wishing her and the family all the best during the pregnancy and in the future.

#BuffaloHunt - Team Jones: Team Zacharias was able to #DefendTheIce in Manitoba, just with Queen Jennifer Jones now at the helm. Combine the two and it appears to be the perfect recipe for championship glory. Heading into the Manitoba Scotties, everyone knew it would be a tight competition between a handful of very strong teams. When the last rock finished spinning, it was domination station for the champs. They went 5-0 in the initial RR, 8-0 heading into the playoffs and won the final over Team Ackland to claim the title with an undefeated record. For Jones, the 2023 Scotties will mark her 17th Scotties appearance.

#FearTheMoose - Team McCarville: Redemption and Revenge are a dish best served cold and where else would you prepare said dish than on the ice in Northern Ontario?! Krista McCarville remains Queen of the North and will play in her 10th Scotties after winning the Northern Ontario title. McCarville had a minor slip up mid-RR, losing a game to Team Croisier, but would rebound and never lose again. The team finished 1st in the RR with a 5-1 record, defeated Team McCormick in the 1 vs 2 PPG and took home the title with a championship final win against Team Burns. The 2022 Scotties runner-up is back folks!

#CurlON - Team Homan: When Team Homan took an early RR loss to Team Harrison/Flaxey, some party goers on social media were wondering if change was in the air in Ontario. Homan silences those thoughts quick, reeling off 6 straight wins to capture the Ontario Scotties title with a finals victory over Team Duncan. Homan will be making her 9th Scotties appearance in Kamloops while Tracy Fleury will be making her 6th. As an aside, special thoughts go out to Team Warriner, who had to withdraw mid-competition due to positive COVID-19 tests on the team. The #NextGen team, who qualifier for the Ontario Scotties as the top U-25 team in the province, is hopefully recovered and will have the opportunity to compete at this event again in the future.

#TeamBluenose - Team Black: Christina Black is quickly establishing herself as the face that runs the place, namely Nova Scotia women's curling. Black was dominant at the NS Scotties, winning the A and B-side events of the triple knockout. Yes, the team fell in the C-side SF to Team Hilliard but would gain revenge in the game that mattered most, defeating Hilliard in the SF and thus making the final irrelevant. Because Black won the A and B-side events, she needed to be defeated twice in the playoffs. Black said "no thanks" and won the title with the SF victory. For Black, she will be making her 5th Scotties appearance.

#TheIslanders - Team Birt: Not many are as dominant in their province as Suzanne Birt and 2023 is no exception. Birt took the shortest path possible in claiming the PEI Scotties title. With only 4 teams competing in the triple knockout event, Birt won the A, B and C-side events, cancelling out the need for a playoff as she finished the event with a perfect 6-0 record. The team defeated Team Morrow in the A and B finals before claiming the title with a C-side victory over Team London. Birt, who throws final stones but has Marie Christianson skipping, will be making her 14th Scotties appearance. Christianson will be making her 6th Scotties appearance.

#TheRock - Team Curtis: Team Curtis and Team Strong have established a nice rivalry on The Rock. Both teams wrapped up the RR with identical 3-1 record, splitting their games in the double RR format. With 2021 champ (and 2022 delegate) Team Hill eliminated at 0-4, Curtis would defeat Strong in the NL Scotties final, scoring 4 in 9 for the 11-8 victory. Curtis will be making her 6th Scotties appearance and first since the tough TB loss in 2018, where the team came so close to advancing to the Championship Pool. Welcome back Stacie Curtis!

#WC: When Championship Sunday wrapped up its results, the final piece of the Scotties puzzle was revealed with the wildcard selections. Team Lawes (WC1), Team Scheidegger (WC2) and Team Ackland (WC3) were selected based on their CTRS rankings and will compete in Kamloops. And yes, this does mean 4 Manitoba teams will be chasing a Scotties title this season. All 3 teams have had strong seasons and are deserving of these selections. Could one of them follow the sliders of Team Gushue last season and become the first Scotties #WC winner?

Already dancing:

#TeamCanada - Team Einarson
#TeamPacific - Team Grandy

#ABStrong - Team Skrlik
#Labelleprovince - Team St-Georges

#TeamAcadia - Team Kelly
#PolarPower - Team Galusha
#TeamArctic - Team MacPhail
#PurplePower - Team Birnie

With the field finalized, the pools have been determined as well. They are as follows (seed):

Pool A - (1) Canada, (4) WC1, (5) BC, (8) Nova Scotia, (9) Alberta, (12) PEI,  (13) Saskatchewan,  (16) Quebec, (17) Nunavut 

Pool B - (2) Ontario, (3) Manitoba, (6) WC2, (7) WC3, (10) New Brunswick, (11) NWT, (14) Northern Ontario, (15) Newfoundland and Labrador, (18) Yukon

First glance would appear to show Pool B being a bit more stacked, especially given the results of last year. The silver and bronze medal winners (NOnt, NB) are together alongside 2022 playoff team NWT...and those three teams are all lower seeded teams. They happen to draw the experience of past champions in Ontario and Manitoba, Scotties experience of WC2 and the dangerous dark horse of WC3.

Not to diminish the competition in Pool A however. The 3-time defending champs are joined by up and coming BC, dark horse Nova Scotia, #NextGen Alberta and past Scotties medal winners in PEI and Saskatchewan. Never count out the resume of WC1 and the up and coming potential from Quebec.

The blog will break down the field in more detail in the preview post. #StayTuned

#Brier2023

#FearTheMoose - Team Horgan: The return of Brad Jacobs may have led the headlines but after he went 0-3 in the qualifier games, the competition opened up and #NextGen brothers Tanner and Jacob Horgan walked right through the door. Team Horgan took the long way to the championship though, reaching the playoffs through the #CSideGrind. But, once there, they knocked off Team Carr and Team Bonot (SF) to reach the final. In the final, they would thwart the efforts of Team MacEwan to win the title. It would be the second straight Tankard final loss for MacEwan, losing to Jacobs last season. Horgan will have no sympathy though as he has been in the same slider in the past, losing the Tankard final in 2018 and 2019. Horgan will technically be making his 2nd Brier appearance, after being selected as 5th man with Team Jacobs in 2018. 2023 will mark his 1st Brier as a player and skip. He will have experience with him of course, namely in the form of 2021 Brier champ and three-time runner-up Darren Moulding at vice. Shout out to the Horgan family as both brothers qualify for the Brier alongside sister Tracy Fleury reaching the Scotties. It was a Championship Sunday to say the least for the Horgan clan.

#CurlON - Team McEwen: Speaking of new teams making noise, hello Team McEwen! Another example of a team who may have been one of the last teams to qualify, they ended up being the last team standing. Mike McEwen shifted his attention to Ontario this season to join up with long-time friend Ryan Fry. The team has had an up and down season but turned on the jets in the provincial championship. After going 5-0 in the RR, they would suffer a loss in the Championship Pool when Team Howard defeated them. Howard would sit 8-0 and advance to the final as the #1 seed while McEwen needed to defeat Team Epping in the SF for a rematch. The tables were turned in the final with McEwen dominating, wearing the #StealPants in the opening 3 ends for an early 4-0 lead en route to the 8-3 championship final result. McEwen, who many remember waited a long time to reach the Brier field after near misses in Manitoba, claims his 1st Ontario title in his 1st attempt and will be making his 7th Brier appearance. Fry will be making his 14th while Brent Laing will make his 15th.

#TeamBluenose - Team Manuel: New face, who dis? Get to know Matthew Manuel folks as the #NextGen made his mark at the 2023 NS Tankard, claiming the title to advance to his first Brier. Manuel started the competition slow, losing his first game in the triple knockout format. The team regrouped quickly however, winning 7 straight games to take the B and C-qualifier spots in the championship playoff bracket. Needing to be defeated twice, Team Purcell would knock off Manuel in an extra end in the first game to force the decider Monday morning. A back-and-forth close game resulted in a #StealPants in 10 for Manuel in a tie game and the 5-4 championship win. Nova Scotia will have new faces as the captain of the Bluenose in London.

#TheIslanders - Team Smith: After being assigned as PEI rep for the Brier last season, Tyler Smith and company may have entered the PEI Tankard feeling they had something to prove. They were not really "defending" champions, although Smith did win the 2021 title as vice with Team MacKenzie. This time though Smith was skipping and wanting to earn his ticket to London. Smith came out blazing early, winning the A-side and booking a spot in the playoffs. The team would lose the B-qualifier to Team Higgins but would earn revenge with the C-side win. Smith and Higgins would advance to the playoff bracket with Smith only needing 1 win in 2 games to claim the title. Smith was in control throughout the first playoff game, winning 9-5 to claim the title. The #NextGen PEI star will make his 3rd straight Brier appearance.

#TheRock - Team Young: With Brad Gushue already in the Brier field as Team Canada, the NL Tankard field was wide open once again. The 2023 final would come down to a matchup between the most recent champions: 2022 champ Team Nathan Young vs. 2021 champ Team Greg Smith. Young booked his spot in the final with a 1st place RR record of 6-1. Smith (4-3 RR record) took the long way to the final, having to survive a TB vs. Team Symonds (and needing to beat them in the final RR game to secure a TB spot) and defeat Team McNeil Lamswood in the SF. In the end the 2022 champs would #DefendTheIce and add a second NL Tankard title to their up and coming #NextGen resumes.

Here are the teams already dancing:

#TeamCanada - Team Gushue
#TeamPacific - Team Gauthier
#Labelleprovince - Team Asselin
#TeamArctic - Team Higgs
#PurplePower - Team Scoffin

And the drama continue with more provincial/territorial championship action this week. Refresh those drinks and keep those dancing shoes on. This after party invitation has your name on it curling fans.

#PlaydownPredictions

#Brier2023

#TeamGreen

Estevan, SK

2022 Champion: Team Flasch

Format: 12 team triple knockout with 4 qualifiers advancing to the page playoff.

#Fav

The champs are back to #DefendTheIce and see if lightning can strike twice on Sasky ice.

Team Flasch electrified the Brier audience in Lethbridge last year with their deep playoff run, a run not many expected but loved to watch happen.

Now Flasch, Catlin Schneider and the Marsh Brothers (Kevin and Dan) will be looking to return to the Brier in London and finish what they started last year.

Flasch has had a modest season this year, sitting with an overall record of 28-25. They had 2 SF results early in the season and did reach the QF at the #GSOC Boost National.

They have also had flashes of struggles, including failing to qualify at their most recent events: Masters and Canadian Open.

They arrive in Estevan as the favourites but, on the flip side, they are 1-6 in the past two events including a 5-game losing streak.

Are they ripe for the picking by their opposition or can they right the storm clouds and send lightning bolts through their competition?

#TeamUpset

We have already seen a few #NextGen stars rise up and win provincial championships, can they same happen in Saskatchewan?

If so, watch out for Daymond Bernath. The young team from Saskatoon has had a few strong tour results this season, including 2 finals in Regina and Martensville.

The team did go 0-5 at the season-opening U25 Next Gen Classic in Edmonton but has since put together a solid competitive season. They arrive here off a 3-3 record at the Sask Curling Tour Players Championship a few weeks ago in Swift Current.

And Team Bernath are the 2022 Canadian Junior Curling Championships bronze medal winners.

Also, special shout out to another Saskatoon-based #NextGen team to watch in this field: Team Ede.

Logan Ede and his squad arrive here fresh off winning the Sask Junior Curling Championship title just over a week ago in Swift Current.

They qualified for this field before the Sask junior championships, going 4-0 at the Last Chance Qualifier event, knocking off their fellow competitors here Team Heidt and Team Muyers.

They have some momentum and confidence in their sliders and are playing with house money...always a dangerous combination.

#W2W4

Similar to the women's Sask Scotties field, this is a very WIDE OPEN championship.

Yes, Team Flasch will be dubbed the #Fav but, as noted above, they are not coming in riding a wave of momentum.

And there are a few hard hitting contenders ready to knock them off the throne.

7-time Sask champ and 10-time Brier participant Steve Laycock has returned to his home province with a new team and looking to regain the green jacket.

Laycock will be joined by Shaun Meachem at vice. Laycock and Meachem exchanged Sask Tankard final victories in the past with Laycock winning the final over Meachem in 2016 and Meachem extracting revenge in the 2017 final.

6-time Sask champ Dallan Muyres is back as well, this time skipping his own team.

And what about another #NextGen stud named Rylan Kleiter? While Kleiter is still searching for his first Sask Tankard title, he is a 4-time Sask junior champ and has been a star on the rise the past few seasons.

Team Kleiter currently sits #20 on the updated CTRS standings.

But the main challenger may be Team Knapp. Currently sitting #16 on the CTRS standings, the team from Regina has won 4 tour events this season, including the SCT Players Championship leading into this event. In their other 2 tour events entered, they reached the SF.

Team Knapp may be the most dangerous under the radar team ever in this competition. Curling fans outside of Saskatchewan may not be familiar with the team but they might know the name "Knapp" by next weekend.

Also watch out for Team Carss (#20) and Team Hartung (#23). Both have had solid seasons to date and could become title contenders.

Familiar with the name Jason Jacobson? For those outside Sask, you may not be. But those who have paid attention to the Sask Tankard the past few seasons will be.

Jacobson has reached the playoff bracket in 2022 and 2020, each time qualifying via the #CSideGrind. Jacobson is not to be overlooked and could once again become a dark horse challenger.

Qualifiers: Team Flasch, Team Knapp, Team Hartung, Team Laycock 

Saskatchewan Championship: Team Flasch def. Team Knapp

#PolarPower

Fort Smith, NWT

2022 Champion: Team Koe

Format: 4 team double RR with Top 3 advancing to modified page playoff. 1st and 2nd place advance to PPG with winner advancing to final and loser playing the SF against 3rd place in the RR.

#Fav

Jamie Koe. Need we say more? He is the King of the North. The Jon Snow of Northern Canadian curling if you will.

Koe will be attempting a pretty remarkable feat this year. If he is able to win the NWT title once again, he will have won 10 straight championships, dating back to 2013. Note, Koe did not compete in the 2021 NWT championship due to COVID-19/Quarantine protocols.

Overall, Koe has competed in 15 Brier championships over his career.

With twin sister Kerry already booking her spot in the Scotties, can Jamie follow and put the pressure on older brother Kevin in Alberta next week to complete the Koe Family Sweep once again?

#TeamUpset

The field? Seriously!

#W2W4

Can anyone defeat Jamie Koe?

Fun Fact: Jamie Koe is 43-0 at the NWT Men's Curling Championship.

Since the new format was launched in 2015 with NWT having their own territorial championship as an auto qualifier for the Brier, Koe has not lost a game.

Remember he did not compete in 2021 but competing in 2015-2020 and 2022 has seen him build an overall record of 43-0.

We can talk about level of competition and blah, blah, blah but to win 43 straight territorial championship games over 7 years competing is a remarkable stat.

And lets remember he has had 5 different lineups during that same timeline.

The 2023 lineup will be the same as 2022 with Koe joined by vice Glen Kennedy, second Cole Parsons and lead Shadrach Mcleod.

2021 champion Greg Skauge will be the main challenger, having lost the NWT final to Koe last season as well as in 2019 and 2016.

Qualifiers: Team Koe, Team Skauge, Team Delorey

Northwest Territories Championship: Team Koe def. Team Skauge 

#WC

2022 Representatives: Team Gushue (#WC1), Team Dunstone (#WC2), Team Gunnlaugson (#WC3)

Format: Top three teams who did not win their provincial/territorial championship based on CTRS.

Wildcard Watchlist: Team Bottcher, Team Dunstone, Team Koe, Team Carruthers, Team Epping, Team Flasch, Team Sluchinski

#W2W4

Epping's loss in the Ontario SF did not do any favours for those on the WC watchlist. Nor any favours for themselves as now they must play the agonizing wait game and see what happens, notably in Alberta and Manitoba.

With both of those championships not set to hit the ice until Feb. 7, eyes will be on Saskatchewan this week.

Team Epping did move ahead of Team Flasch this week on the CTRS standings due to their Ontario Tankard result. However, the difference between the two teams is only 8.75 points. A strong showing by Flasch, even if not winning the Sask title, will move him back ahead of Epping next week.

With 2 Alberta and 2 Manitoba teams occupying the Top 4 spots, and odds landing one of those teams win in each of those provincial championships, the WC3 spot could come down to how Flasch performs this week and if they are able to retake the position ahead of Epping.

For Epping, you have a duality argument. Do you cheer for Flasch to win the Sask title and eliminate him from the WC discussion? Or do you hope he goes 0-3, eliminated early and you stay ahead of him on the CTRS standings? I know where I would lay my odds on those arguments.

Wildcard Picks: Team Koe, Team Carruthers, Team Epping

#StayTuned

The Brier field has a few dance card spaces left to be filled. The blog will return next week with previews of provincial championships in Alberta, Manitoba and New Brunswick.

And, of course, the blog will have a full 2023 Scotties preview, with predictions, sliding out of the hack before the first rock is thrown on Friday February 17.

Take note, the Japanese Curling Championships are underway in Kitami, Japan. Team Fujisawa and Team Yanagisawa are trying to #DefendTheIce and hold on to their championships.

Fujisawa is fending off main contenders Team Kitazawa and challengers Team Kanai and Team Sasaki.

Yanagisawa is trying to fight off Team Abe and Team Morozumi as main contenders for the title.

Follow along all the action with up to date results HERE. Games are also streamed on the Japan Curling Association YouTube page HERE.

Until then, and for those competing this week, good luck and good curling.

And the party rages on...