#Brier2024 Preview

 #BetweenTheSheets: Brier 2024 Preview

Ready to Rock in Regina

The dawning of a new era is upon us curling fans.

The red cups will be no more on the Brier ice as Tim Hortons is no longer a sponsor.

Bring on the baby back ribs? Imagine ribs on ice?

Welcome to the Montana's era.

No, no not the state of Montana just below Alberta and Saskatchewan.

We are talking about the restaurant chain: Montana's BBQ & Bar.

Under Tim Hortons sponsorship, we would see red cups and timbits everywhere.

What will we see under Montana's sponsorship? Ribs, french fries and caesar's?

Some people, my brother included, might actually like that offering more.

But this is a sign change is coming. Whether we are ready for it or not is another question.

#STOH2024 Review

Lets first congratulate our new #TeamCanada: Team Homan.

They were the dominating team throughout the Scotties in Calgary last week. Heck, they won the championship with a perfect record.

Rachel Homan becomes the first skip to win the Canadian championship with 2 perfect records (2014, 2024). It also happened to be her 4th Scotties title.

Hmmm, I wonder if 4 is her lucky number? If not, maybe it should be.

But were we really surprised with the result? Homan has been the dominant team all season.

They entered the Scotties with only 5 losses on the season. They leave the Scotties still with only 5 losses on the season (and only 1 vs. Canadian opposition).

Now they turn their attention to Sydney, Nova Scotia for the 2024 World Women's Curling Championships.

Can they do what nobody else has done in the past Olympic cycle and knock off Switzerland's Team Tirinzoni?

They will also face stiff competition from Sweden's Team Hasselborg and Italy's Team Constantini, just to name a few.

And of course, in speaking of change, Homan's win ended the Drive for Five for Team Einarson.

It was a bumpy start to the championships for the incoming Team Canada, one in which no factual information has been provided so speculation will not be made in this blog space.

Regardless of the start, Einarson and company showed true poise and professionalism in stepping on the ice all week, blocking out the distraction rumblings and rumors and trying to #DefendTheIce yet again.

All 4 members of the team represented the Maple Leaf with pride throughout the week and we should applaud Team Einarson for their run of Team Canada over the past 4 years.

And remind ourselves, they will be back and hungrier than ever before.

Oh, and there was a little retirement notice going on last week at WinSport. Did you hear about it?

Jo-Anne Rizzo has stepped away from the competitive women's game, playing in her final Scotties this year. From Ontario to #PolarPower, Rizzo will be missed on the ice by fans across the nation.

She is quite the cornhole player as well folks. I lost back-to-back games to her in The Patch. Maybe this should be her new sport?

Of course, the big news out of the week was the retirement of The GOAT, Jennifer Jones.

Being in attendance all week, the anticipation of Jones' last Scotties stone was building and emotions were starting to amp up.

It was unfortunate her final stone ended up being a miss to cost her the championship but the ICON will always live on.

Jones' resume speaks for itself. The emotions from players, peers and athletes spoke louder than any words could...not only inside the Winsport Arena but across the world from the curling community.

How does one sum up the career and impact Jennifer Jones has had on the sport?

The best response is the simplest: THANK YOU!!

So we have change coming from all angles.

New Brier sponsorship.

New Canadian champions.

Saying goodbye to fan favourites.

And saying hello to new competition formats?

Before we dive into the field, including Power Rankings, previews and predictions, there are a few hot topics we need to discuss.

Qualification Matters?

Heading into the season, Curling Canada announced a new qualification standard for the Scotties and Brier.

Gone were multiple backdoor....errr, I mean...wildcard spots. Now there would only be 1 spot up for grabs post-playdowns.

Welcome the Pre-Qualifiers! 2 teams, not already named Team Canada of course, who topped the CTRS would earn a direct spot into the field. No playdown party needed. They were handed the Golden VIP Ticket to the big show.

But would the VIP pass translate to success on the national scene?

We only have the Scotties to judge thus far and the results are in. YES!

The 2024 Scotties finalists were the 2 pre-qualifier teams: Team Homan and Team Jones.

Any worries around not competing at a playdown championship and arriving "cold" were quickly eliminated as the week went on.

Team Homan didn't even lose a game.

Oh, and that #WC spot in the field? Well that went to Team Cameron at the Scotties.

How did they do? Bronze medal.

So our Top 3 were 3 teams who did not win a provincial/territorial championship AND only 1 of them even competed in playdowns.

Wanna talk about change? These results only heighten the argument of some who claim a Canada Cup-style event should really decide our world championship representative over the traditional provincial/territorial championship system.

If a similar result takes place at the Brier in Regina, will it become the second nail in the coffin for the current state of affairs?

Time will tell...but the clock may be getting close to striking midnight.

And, for some of us "traditionalists", we are going to be turning into pumpkins very soon. 

Qualifying Format Reminder

When people began looking at the playoffs during the Scotties, to say there was confusion is an understatement.

Top 3 teams still qualified for the next round, similar to last year.

But now we have (yet again) a NEW modified playoff bracket. ICYMI, check it out 🠉🠉

NOW the Top 2 in each pool advanced to the "second chance" opportunity game with 1st place playing 2nd place.

Winners go to the 1 vs 2 PPG. Losers are still alive, advancing to face off against the 3rd place teams from each pool.

What may have confused people was the naming convention. What are we even calling these games?

Quarter-finals? Qualification round? Championship qualifiers? PPG qualifiers?

The format itself is not inherently bad, in fact it can make sense. It does reward teams for finishing Top 2 in their pool.

It also gives life to a 3rd place team. Their backs are against the wall but they still have hope.

Heck, Team Cameron turned 3rd place in the RR into 3rd place overall.

We need to have a distinct naming convention for these games. And something not with the name "qualifier" in it.

Does #TwineTime have the answer? No. Does anyone? Apparently not.

Maybe the initial games should be the Page Playoff Games. Winners advance to the playoffs after all.

The current page playoff games maybe should be renamed as the QF games. Even the 1vs2 is, essentially, still a QF game. Winner gets a bye to the Final, loser drops to the SF.

The 3vs4 game is for sure a QF game. Winner to the SF, loser goes home.

Maybe the answer is simple. We just swap the current naming conventions around and stick with popular sport playoff lingo overall.

Top 3 advance to the Page Playoff Games. The survivors advance to the QF and so on.

But it cannot be just that simple, can it?

#ByeByeTB

As was feared when tiebreaker games were sent to the wayside, we saw a muddle of teams tied for one final playoff spot in Calgary and the Draw Shot Challenge numbers eliminated a mittful of teams.

And were fans happy about it? Hardly (unless you were cheering for Team Lawes of course).

Both pools in Calgary had ties for the final playoff spot.

Pool B saw Team Cameron and Team Brown finish with identical 5-3 records. Cameron advanced due to the H2H RR win.

Yup, makes sense. We like this. H2H should matter.

But what about Pool A?

5 teams finished with 4-4 records. This means 7 of the 9 teams in this pool were playoff eligible by the end of the RR.

The Top 2 (Alberta, Team Canada) finished with 7-1 records, clear above the field.

But 5 teams at 4-4 fighting for 1 playoff spot? Yikes!

What about the H2H? Shouldn't that solve it?

Well that was what everyone may have assumed would happen when this new rule came into effect.

The teams in Pool A said "hold my beer".

The H2H ended with all 5 teams sitting with identical 2-2 H2H records. Nobody had the advantage. Nobody was eliminated.

Enter Last Stone Draw. The LSD nobody wanted to take.

Manitoba - Lawes survived. Northern Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and BC - Brown went home.

We get the argument. LSD matters. There are no tiebreakers at major international competitions anymore. Either find your draw weight or go home.

BUT, are these the same people saying we want wildcard and pre-qualifier teams in the field because we hate seeing "good" teams not compete at the Scotties/Brier and only the "best of the best" should be here?

You want the "best of the best" to compete but you also want to see the "best of the best" go home via LSD?

Here, have some cake and eat it too.

Yes, TB draws are a pain for logistical reasons, especially on all those people working behind the scenes like TSN, ice crew, volunteers, etc.

BUT, this is OUR national championship. And there is a Friday morning open slot still in the current draw.

Can't we compromise at least?

In the situation we saw in Calgary, how about we at least take the Top 2 from the large tie scenario and send them into a Friday morning draw? At least narrow it down and let them fight for the final spot.

Last year we saw 4 teams tie for 2 playoff spots, requiring 2 TB games to determine the final 2 playoff spots.

This year we saw 5 teams tie for 1 playoff spot and no TB game to determine the final spot.

If we are arguing for the best teams competing, we are going to get parity results. It is what we have seen in back-to-back Scotties now.

The teams are all equally as good. They are all capable of beating one another.

We want the best. We are getting the best. So shouldn't we also give them the best system for success?

This is NOT that system.

And, back to the international competition argument. Will all due respect to every other nation competing in the sport, depth of field and competition level is unmatched when Canada enters the conversation.

We don't HAVE to be the same as the international competition format.

We are not losing world championships because our national champions cannot draw to the button and dominate LSD. This seems more of a red herring argument than factual.

We already have the best teams in Canada competing at our national championships.

We are sending the best of the best to the world championships year after year.

Format changes at our national championships, especially when they happen year after year after year, are not the reason behind this new "lack of gold medal wins" concern Canadians have with the sport.

We may want to dig deeper than surface level. Celebrate our national championships for what they are and embrace the teams who win the right to be here.

And lets not send them home early because of cm or mm results!

#Brier2024 Preview

To kick off the preview, welcome the return of the Power Rankings.

Note, these are the Power Rankings according to #TwineTime so they may, or may not, align with the world rankings and/or CTRS. For reference, each teams CTRS spot is noted.

After the Power Rankings, lets break down the pools and offer up some predictions.

#PowerRankings

1. #PQ1 - Team Bottcher (#1)

Season Record: 46-17 (Qualified in 9 of 9 events, 5 finals, Won 3 titles)

How They Qualified: Highest CTRS points at the end of 2022/23 season

Key To Success: Defense Wins Championships?

When you don't give up a ton of steals, you are more often walking off the ice as winners.

This season, Team Bottcher has a Steal Defense stat of 0.10 (or 10%). Only 10% of the time they are letting a team steal on them.

Look at the season record. They have played 63 games this season. That is a lot of curling...and a lot of ends played. And, in all those ends played, only 10% of the time they are giving up a steal.

At last year's Brier, Bottcher only allowed 2 steals against. 1 in the Championship Round game vs. former teammate/rival Darren Moulding and 1 in the 10th end of the SF vs. Team Dunstone.

That last steal vs. Dunstone sent him home with a bronze medal. The memory will linger this year.

But if they continue the trend of not giving away stolen points, they are going to be very hard to beat.

2. #PQ2 - Team Dunstone (#4)

Season Record: 34-16 (Qualified in 6 of 8 events, Won 1 title)

How They Qualified: Second highest CTRS points at the end of 2022/23 season

Key To Success: May The Force Be With You

Dunstone's success against the field was his ability to force his opposition when they had hammer.

Dunstone only conceded 27 points in his 8 RR games, leading the field in Points Against (second closest was Team Bottcher's 37 points against).

Dunstone also only lost a total of 18 ends in the RR, leading the field once again (second closest was Team Bottcher with 25).

Oh, and Dunstone led the field in Points For in the RR, scoring 80 points (second closest was Team McEwen with 70).

Those are impressive stat categories to lead the field in...and will contribute to wins quickly.

If he can do the same this year, he may be able to replicate his RR success from last year and go one game better this year.

Remember, last year Dunstone went 10-0 against the majority of the field but 0-2 vs. Gushue.

3. #TeamCanada - Team Gushue (CTRS #2)

Season Record: 35-14 (Qualified in 6 of 7 events, Won 1 title, Won Pan-Continental Gold)

How They Qualified: Defending Brier champions (def. Team Dunstone in 2023 final)

Key To Success: Control The End

Some may say Gushue got a bit "lucky" in last year's 1 vs 2 game vs. Dunstone, when Dunstone blanked ends 7, 8 and 9 to come home with hammer down one. Gushue stole the 10th and punched his ticket to the final. The same "luck" may not strike twice.

Gushue was one of the leading teams in blank ends at the 2023 Brier (6 total, T3rd overall).

Gushue plays a smart strategic game in getting out of an end early if it doesn't look promising.

Controlling the ends again this year, blanking when needed, playing the scoreboard, can be a huge key to their ability to #DefendTheIce this year.

4. #WC - Team Koe (#3)

Season Record: 43-23 (Qualified in 5 of 10 events, Reached 4 finals, Won 2 titles)

How They Qualified: Highest CTRS points of non-qualified teams at end of playdowns (lost AB final)

Key To Success: Blank Page

Kevin Koe is a curling engineer. He analyzes the game from every angle and possibility.

And while some may say he is over-analytical, his ability to read the game often goes in his favour.

At last year's Brier, Koe led the field with blank ends in the RR (9 total).

To say Koe is patient is an understatement. And that patience can remain his ace in the pocket.

If the middle section of the squad, Tyler Tardi and Jacques Gauthier, can also navigate their sophomore Brier feelings into positive results on the ice, this Koe team will be very dangerous.

We already saw what a "last in the field" team can do at the Scotties. Could we see the same in Regina?

Sidenote: How many of you thought "Clock Management" would be the Key to Success? It can't be, he already knows how to do that. It is everyone watching in the stands that is nervous about it.

 

5. #TeamGreen - Team McEwen (#6)

Season Record: 48-24 (Qualified in 7 of 11 events)

How They Qualified: SK Champion (def. Team Kleiter in final)

Key To Success: Ride The (Green) Wave

Being the home team can be added pressure...or added support.

Alberta's Team Sturmay rode the Alberta wave right into a Top 4 finish at the Scotties.

Can Saskatchewan's Team McEwen do the same?

Look what Mike McEwen did last year as Ontario champion.

The Brier was in London, ON and, as the home team, he guided Ontario to a "surprise" 4th place finish.

In 2019, McEwen was the home team as Manitoba champion in front of the Brier crowd in Brandon. They team reached the Championship Round and finished 5th place overall.

Regina also has some positive memories for him. He won the wildcard game at the 2018 Brier and, once again, guided his team to the Championship Round and a 5th place finish.

McEwen seems to thrive when the fans are on his side. He will have plenty of fans supporting him in Regina when he dons the green jacket.

And you know Colton Flasch and the Marsh brothers will have plenty of family and friends in the stands supporting them too.

Could this be a "special" year for Saskatchewan curling fans?

6. #BuffaloHunt - Team Carruthers (#5)

Season Record: 36-25 (Qualified in 6 of 9 events, 1 final, Won PointsBet Invitational)

How They Qualified: Manitoba Champion (def. Team Calvert in final)

Key To Success: Tilt The Scales To Your Advantage

Last year, Carruthers missed the Championship Pool with a 4-4 RR record.

And all the important stats lingered around the .500 mark as well: 51/47 (Points For/Points Against), 34/31 (Ends Won/Ends Lost), 8/8 (Blank Ends, Stolen Ends).

This year, look at the average Points For / Points Against: 7/6.

Everything hovers around the .500 mark. And while Carruthers is on the plus side at least, the scales are not tipped as far in his favour compared to some of the competition.

Carruthers needs to tip those stat scales into a larger advantage. If even one of those stats can lean more towards the Manitoba champions, it could mean the difference between an early exit once again or playing closing weekend.

7. #ABStrong - Team Sluchinski (#7)

Season Record: 38-23 (Qualified in 7 of 11 events, Won 2 titles)

How They Qualified: Alberta Champion (def. Team Koe in final)

Key To Success: Survive The Rookie Vibes

Team Sluchinski accomplished what many thought may never happen. Someone not named "Martin" or "Koe" or "Bottcher" won the Boston Pizza Cup.

They broke through a tough Alberta championship and now will represent the province in Regina.

Last year was heartbreak as they were the "first team out" for one of the WC spots.

This year, they took fate into their own hands and ensured no heartbreak (of course, after Carruthers won Manitoba, Alberta finalists Sluchinski and Koe were both in the Brier field regardless).

But it feels much more deserving to be in the field as a provincial champion.

Now the question is how they handle the pressure. You are Alberta champions after all.

They can take motivation from fellow rookie champ Team Sturmay and their outstanding results this past week at the Scotties.

Maybe Alberta lightning strikes twice on the prairies at Canadian championships?

If we look at H2H records this season against the field, Sluchinski is 7-10 overall. But those wins include victories over frontrunners Bottcher and Dunstone, fan fav McEwen (twice) and provincial rival Koe (including both wins at the Boston Pizza Cup).

8. #TeamPacific - Team Schneider (#15)

Season Record: 35-25 (Qualified in 5 of 10 events, Reached 2 finals)

How They Qualified: B.C. Champion (def. Team Montgomery in final)

Key To Success: Welcome Home Skipper

Catlin Schneider may curl out of B.C. but his heart is in Saskatchewan. He is a Sasky-born athlete after all. And he has 3 previous Brier appearances representing his home province (2017, 2020, 2022).

His "coming home" will be a unique one as he will curl in front of family and friends but NOT be the home town team. Will Regina fans still embrace a local Sasky boy even though he curls out of B.C.?

Schneider will not only have a home town feel to embrace but this is also his 1st Brier as a skip. The expectations and weight of the event will hit different. Pressure will mount and fall on his broad shoulders.

Having friendly fans around him might help offset those pressures though, making this team a dangerous "fly under the radar" team to watch out for.

9. #CurlON - Team Howard (#12)

Season Record: 26-15 (Qualified in 4 of 6 events, Won 1 title)

How They Qualified: Ontario Champion (def. Team King in final)

Key To Success: Glenn Howard / Mat Camm

We saw Howard coaching Team Jones at the Scotties last week in Calgary. Is he ready to go for the Brier in Regina?

In the media guide, Howard is listed as second on the team roster. The team also picked up Mat Camm as alternate.

Whether Howard plays, how often he plays and how he is feeling could decide how far this team goes.

And, if Howard does need to sit out, can Camm come in and "save the day"?

We know 5-team rotations can be successful...but also can be your downfall.

Plus, this team did win their provincial championship playing with only 3 players. Will 5 be too many or a disruption? 

10. #Labelleprovince - Team Tremblay (#26)

Season Record: 34-9 (Qualified in 4 of 7 events, Reached 4 finals, Won 3 titles)

How They Qualified: Quebec Champion (def. Team Asselin in final)

Key To Success: Points, Points, Points

The team from Quebec may be a "rookie" team on the ice but do not underestimate them.

Look at the season record stat. When they qualify, they play in finals. They have won titles.

This is a team very capable of surprising a few of their opponents...and some fans as well.

One of the keys to success for the team this season is their ability to score points. They love rocks in play. They love high offense.

This season, their Points For / Points Against ratio is 8.9/5.6.

If you are scoring 8 or 9 points per game, you are likely to pick up quite a few wins.

And if you are holding your opposition to 5 or less, similar results.

What will be interesting to watch is whether that offensive gameplan of going for points works for or against them against a high-caliber, highly experienced field.

They could end up scoring a few big ends. But they could end up giving up a few as well.

We have seen similar strategies from Quebec teams in the past, just look at Laurie St-Georges. Rocks in play does not phase her. Sometimes the result is positive, sometimes not so much.

If this debut team can land on the positive side of the stat, watch out!

11. #TeamAcadia - Team Grattan (#31)

Season Record: 30-10 (Qualified in 5 of 6 events, Won 2 titles)

How They Qualified: New Brunswick Champion (Won A, B & C bracket)

Key To Success: Joel Krats

Remember last year's Brier when everyone was watching #NextGen Tyler Tardi playing his 1st Brier with experienced skip Kevin Koe?

The Joel Krats / James Grattan combo is the same storyline this year.

Grattan has a ton of Brier experience, including bronze medal wins in 2002 and 1997.

Krats will be making his Brier debut. Krats has Canadian Junior and World Junior experience but we know the transition from junior to men's can be tough.

If Krats can contain the freshman jitters, under the guidance of a seasoned pro in Grattan, this team could surprise a few of their competitors.

12. #TeamBluenose - Team Manuel (#30)

Season Record: 26-17 (Qualified in 3 of 7 events)

How They Qualified: Nova Scotia Champion (def. Team Purcell in final)

Key To Success: Coach Kelly

Kim Kelly will be on the bench with Team Manuel in Regina. And her experience could be a wildcard factor towards their success.

Team Manuel will be making their sophomore appearance at the Brier after their debut last year.

The nerves should be more in check and the team will know what to expect. Add in Kelly's winning experience and they could surprise a few teams.

We saw what Colleen Jones was able to do with Team Smith in Calgary, helping guide them towards a playoff push up until the final day of RR play.

Why shouldn't we expect a Jones championship teammate to make a similar result happen in Regina?

13. #TheIslanders - Team Smith (#75)

Season Record: 18-9 (Qualified in 2 of 4 events, Won 1 title)

How They Qualified: PEI Champion (Won A, B & C bracket)

Key To Success: Last Stone Draw

It can be hard to win games when you don't often start with the hammer.

It gets even harder when you concede hammer from the start and give up points right of the gate.

You are always playing catch up and trying to chase your opposition.

Last year, Smith ranked 16th (of 18) for LSD in the RR.

They only started with hammer twice. And they went 1-1.

When they did not have hammer, they went 1-5.

If the PEI champs are to improve on their 2-6 record from a year ago, it starts during warm-up and those all important draws.

Not to mention, LSD may send teams homes early with no TB. Teams cannot afford to have bad LSD numbers anymore.

14. #TheRock - Team Symonds (#95)

Season Record: 15-4 (Reached the final in only tour event played this season)

How They Qualified: NL Champion (def. Team Smith in final)

Key To Success: Bring The Hammer

Hammer Efficiency is also a key to success in curling. If you can toss a few extra points on the board when you have last rock, your odds of winning will increase.

This season, Team Symonds has a hammer efficiency rating of 0.53. This is a positive stat to keep an eye on.

Matching this rating at the Brier could translate into a few more wins for the NL team.

Ok, sure they "quality" of opposition will greatly increase compared to the sole tour event and NL Tankard event they played this season.

And, true, this season they have only played teams from NL.

But hey, if you play your game the way you draw it up, anything can happen. You can only control your 8 rocks each end after all.

The more "extra" points Symonds can score with hammer, especially in the early ends, the better the chance of knocking off those higher ranked teams.

Plus, lets shout out vice Colin Thomas for qualifying for his 1st Brier.

15. #FearTheMoose - Team Bonot (#58)

Season Record: 34-15 (Qualified in 3 of 4 events)

How They Qualified: N. Ontario Champion (def. Team Horgan in final)

Key To Success: Mixed Experience

Not "mixed" as in unknown but "mixed" as in mixed curling.

Skip Trevor Bonot has tremendous mixed curling experience, winning the Canadian title and world silver medal in 2017.

He has skipped a Northern Ontario mixed curling entry at 5 Canadian Mixed Curling Championships.

His experience at Canadian championships could be helpful to his team.

Yes, a Brier is quite difference from a Canadian mixed with the lights and TV and fans and media and all the other "fun" distractions. But national championship experience is national championship experience. The team can lean on his leadership experience.

Plus, being good friends with Team McCarville and learning from them always helps.

After all, Mike McCarville (Krista's husband) and Jordan Potts (Sarah's husband) are on the team.

16. #PolarPower - Team Koe (#93)

Season Record: 9-4 (Qualified in 1 of 2 events, Reached 1 final)

How They Qualified: NWT Champion (def. Team Saturnino in Best of 5 playdown)

Key To Success: Win The End

If Jamie Koe is to make some noise in Regina, he is going to need to win more ends than last year.

In 2023, Koe won only 29 of 69 ends played, ranking 15th overall in the field of 18.

To win games, you need to win more ends. The 42% ends won mark resulted in a 1-7 RR record.

This season the team has a 0.38 Hammer Efficiency stat. Again, an area needing to improve if they want to collect some Ws.

Koe's experience (2024 will be his 17th Brier appearance) will always be helpful and always keeps him as a dangerous opponent though.

17. #PurplePower - Team Scoffin (NR)

Season Record: 4-3 (Went 4-0 at Yukon Men's Curling Championship)

How They Qualified: Yukon Champion (won double round robin)

Key To Success: Bail Out

At the 2023 Brier, Yukon's Team Scoffin was one of two teams (SK was the other) who did not play a single blank end.

Imagine playing 8 RR games and playing 0 blank ends?

There were rocks in play each end. And sometimes there were A LOT of rocks in play.

Fans may love it but the team competing may be adding more stress to the experience than needed.

Take a page out of the Kevin Koe playbook. Blank ends can be your best friend sometimes.

Not every end will go according to plan. When it is looking bad early, hit the reset button, take a blank and move forward.

Scoffin conceded 62 points last year during the RR, 5th most in the field.

Lowering that number + Adding blank ends when needed could equal better results overall.

18. #TeamArctic - Team Latimer (NR)

Season Record: 6-1 (Only appearance was at Nunavut Territorial Championship)

How They Qualified: Nunavut Champion (def. Team Kingdon in final)

Key To Success: Experience Matters

At first glance, one may see Team Latimer on the entry list and think they are an "unknown".

But do not let the eye test fool you.

This team was here last year folks. Well, a majority of them anyway.

Same team, different skip.

At last year's Brier, Jake Higgs was in the house. This season it will be Shane Latimer.

Latimer may be the "rookie" on the team but he has 3 teammates with Brier experience.

In fact, vice Sheldon Wettig, second Brady St. Louis and lead Christian Smitheram have each been to 3 Brier events already. 2024 will be #4 for each of them.

Will they be a huge underdog in each game? Of course.

But there is experience with this team. And they are coming off a Brier win last year (def. NL).

Could they match their 2023 record or go one better?

#TwineTimePredictions

Pool A

#W2W4

With both pre-qualifiers being placed in the same pool, and both having outstanding seasons, it feels like Pool A is handicapped right out of the hack.

Bottcher and Dunstone are not going to miss the playoffs.

Both are going to advance out of this pool. Lets just be honest.

This leaves only 1 playoff ticket up for grabs.

And there are 4 teams with past Brier playoff experience.

Carruthers/Jacobs would be a front runner.

But never count out the name Howard.

Jimmy the Kid is back and, with a #NextGen vice adding youthful support, could surprise.

And what about the home town boy returning...but representing a new province?

Yukon picked up a few wins last year. Their results could shake up this pool, should they win 2 (or more) games again this year.

And what to make of NL Team Symonds and debut Team Bonot from Northern Ontario? Similar to Yukon, if they play above their seeds, their results (win or lose) could be a wildcard factor in deciding who stays dancing and who goes home.

If any of these "other" teams can take a game off #Favs Bottcher and Dunstone, that could be the difference maker in this pool.

If not, the "other" teams with lower seeds could prove to be #TeamUpset and play spoiler.

All eyes will be on those "middle" 4 teams but how they do against the "top" and "bottom" seeds in the pool may actually become the ultimate decider.

#TeamUpset: British Columbia

Catlin Schneider has been here before. 2024 marks his 4h Brier appearance. But his 1st as a skip.

Schneider announced his presence to the curling world at the 2017 Brier in St. John's when he was awarded a First Team All Star. He led all third position players that year, curling 89% overall.

Schneider's next two appearances were at second position in 2020 and back to vice in 2022. In 2020, he finished 4th at the position, curling 85%. In 2022, tied for 5th at 84%.

3 Brier appearances. Averaging out to a career curling mark of 86% overall.

This year, as skip, the pressure will be greater. The shots will be harder.

But, if Schneider comes even remotely close to his career curling mark, his team should be in a good position.

Last year under the skip position, the top 5 skip percentages ranged from 89% - 81%. If Schneider meets his 80% curling goal, could the team be in the playoff hunt?

Those Top 5 skips from last year all made the playoff round.

This is an experienced BC team too, having also competed in the Brier last year with former skip Jacques Gauthier. They finished with a 3-5 record.

But second Sterling Middleton and lead Alex Horvath did finish in the Top 5 curling percentages for their positions.

The results of this BC team could decide the Top 3 in this pool. If they can knock off the team ranked below them and surprise 1 or 2 teams above them, a 5-3 record is within grasp.

Bottcher and Dunstone will be clear #Favs. But that final spot really is a toss up between a few strong teams, BC being one of them.

Plus, we get the renewed rivalry of Dunstone vs. Schneider. Remember, Schneider once played with Dunstone out of Saskatchewan. They won a Brier bronze medal in 2020 and a #gsoc event together before Schneider was replaced on the team.

And, could we possibly see a Schneider vs. Colton Flasch reunion in the playoff round?

After Schneider left Team Dunstone, he joined forces with Flasch and the Marsh brothers.

Who doesn't remember the electricity they brought to the ice in Lethbridge, making a surprise push to the playoffs (including knocking off Dunstone) and finishing 4th place overall in 2022.

Schneider's Brier resume is a successful one. And, regardless of the provincial initials on his jacket, he will be curling in front of home province family and friends.

And that could be the wildcard in his favour towards a playoff push.

Projected Standings (Seed):

1. #PQ1 - Bottcher (1)

2. #PQ2 - Dunstone (4)

3. #BuffaloHunt - Carruthers (5)

4. #TeamPacific (9)

5. #CurlON (8)

6. #TeamAcadia (12)

7. #TheRock (16)

8. #FearTheMoose (13)

9. #PurplePower (17)

Pool B

#W2W4

Here is our #PoolOfDeath.

If the Brier is going to produce a similar outcome to what we saw with Pool A at the Scotties, welcome to Pool B.

Canada's Team Gushue should safely navigate the pool and book a spot in the playoffs.

But those other 2 tickets? They are up for grabs.

Koe has looked vulnerable at times this season.

Sluchinski shocked the system with the Alberta championship win.

Saskatchewan has experience on their side but are still a new team themselves.

Nova Scotia was here last year. Could the extra year of experience translate into sophomore success?

Quebec may be new but we have learned to new count out a team from #Labelleprovince based on name recognition alone. Look at Laurie St-Georges in her first Scotties...and she continues to push for playoffs each year she is there.

PEI's Team Smith has experience. As does NWT's Team Koe.

Even the majority of Nunavut players have Brier experience.

This is a pool where the inmates of the asylum may devour themselves. Who can make it out alive?

And, whomever does survive, what will be left in them to continue the fight for the playoffs?

Do not be surprised to find a handful of teams with 5-3 or 4-4 records fighting for 1 (or 2) playoff tickets by the end of the RR.

Hope the teams in this pool have been practicing their LSD. They are going to need it! 

#TeamUpset: Nova Scotia

If any team can shake up this pool, it might just be Nova Scotia's Team Manuel.

The squad will make their sophomore appearance in Regina, coming off a 3-5 debut showing last year. They dominated the NS Tankard, going a perfect 5-0 including 3 straight wins over #Fav and higher ranked Team Purcell.

Last year they defeated Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Saskatchewan.

This year they are once again paired up with NWT and Nunavut. They also draw fellow maritime province PEI. And two rookie teams in Alberta and Quebec.

This season they have played PEI and Quebec, going 1-1 vs. Team Smith and 0-1 vs. Team Arsenault/Tremblay.

The possibility to finish with a better record than last year is there.

And, with experience under the slider, they could catch one of those higher seeds by surprise as well.

This is a team smack dab in the middle of this pool. Their results will decide who advances, whether for the good or bad of the team itself.

If they surprise one (or more) of the teams ranked above them, it could be a decider on who finishes Top 3.

Take note, there is always Atlantic Canada bragging rights on the line among NS, NB, NL and PEI. Last year, NS was the top team of the provincial champions (not counting Gushue as Team Canada of course). They finished with the best record of the 4 provinces.

Can they claim the Atlantic Canada titles, and bragging rights, once again this year?

Projected Standings:

1. #TeamCanada (2)

2. #TeamGreen (6)

3. #WC - Koe (3)

4. #ABStrong (7)

5. #TeamBluenose (11)

6. #Labelleprovince (10)

7. #TheIslanders (14)

8. #PolarPower (15)

9. #TeamArctic (18)

Playoff Qualifiers: #PQ1 (Bottcher), #TeamCanada, #PQ2 (Dunstone), #TeamGreen, #BuffaloHunt (Carruthers), #WC (Koe)

Page Playoff Qualifiers: #PQ1 (Bottcher), #TeamCanada, #PQ2 (Dunstone), #WC (Koe)

#Brier2024 CHAMPIONSHIP: #PQ1 Team Bottcher def. #PQ2 Team Dunstone

#StayTuned

The blog will be in Regina starting the early part of the week, missing opening weekend unfortunately.

But, if you follow #TwineTime on social media, you would have noticed the daily Reels providing updates on standings, reviews of the previous draw and preview the upcoming draw.

The TwineTime reels will be back in Regina...and maybe a SPECIAL GUEST will be joining them?!?!

Follow along on X (formerly known as Twitter) or join the TwineTime Facebook Group.

To those competing in Regina, the world is watching. The fans have returned. And everyone is ready for you to take center ice.

Good luck and good curling.

The ice is yours...