Manitoba’s provincial champions are off to a perfect start at the Brier.
Team Reid Carruthers, skipped by import Brad Jacobs, could enjoy their day off on Monday after opening the men’s national curling championship in Regina with a 3-0 record.
They started things on Saturday in a big way by taking down 2023 Manitoba champs Matt Dunstone 7-5.
Carruthers followed that up with two nailbiters Sunday — a 7-6 win over Ontario’s Scott Howard that was decided by a stones’ measurement, then a 9-8 extra end victory over Northern Ontario’s Trevor Bonot.
“These games are so intense. We were feeling a bit of the nerves out there, but we were relishing the moment,” said Carruthers in a phone chat. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or your 10th Brier, these games are very intense and it’s a whole lot of fun to be out there.”
Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS Ontario’s David Mathers (left) and Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers (centre), watch Sunday as an official measures to determine whose rock is closer to the button after the 11th end of their match during the Brier, in Regina.
With Bonot knocking off Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher, the No. 1 ranked team in the country, on Monday, Carruthers is the lone side in Pool A without a blemish on their record.
Jacobs, Carruthers, second Derek Samagalski, lead Connor Njegovan and coach Rob Meakin return to the Brandt Centre ice Tuesday at 9 a.m. in a meeting with British Columbia’s Catlin Schneider (2-2).
“We don’t remember the last time we’ve had an easy curling game. It just seems like everybody plays so well,” said Njegovan. “You kind of know that going in as a contender that people have to play well against you, and then they do. It was tiring, but it’s good to be battle tested.”
The team out of the Granite Curling Club was a bit of a question mark heading into the competition. Carruthers and Jacobs swapped positions in December, and the foursome had a bit of a rocky showing at provincials in Stonewall with a pair of losses before edging out undefeated Braden Calvert in the final.
Jacobs, a 2013 Brier and world champion during his Northern Ontario days, is also back at the event after stepping away from the grind last season.
“I have the utmost confidence in Brad and that’s why he agreed to curl with us. I think in recent history, we’ve seen teams make moves like this and it’s sparked their offence,” said Carruthers.
“The one that came to mind was when John Morris handed over the reins to Pat Simmons midweek of the (2015) Brier and they went on and won. I’m definitely not opposed to trying to find that consistency and that spark and right now, this feels like this is the smartest thing for us and Brad, and he’s playing great.”
It’s the first time Carruthers has kicked off the Brier with three consecutive wins since 2020 when he played third for Mike McEwen. Over in Pool B, McEwen, now the skip of Team Saskatchewan, was also 3-0 heading into Monday’s late draw against Nova Scotia’s Matthew Manuel (1-3).
The top three teams in each pool advance.
“It’s nice to see him playing well and living it up with the crowd. You can tell he’s confident,” said Carruthers.
“I’m hoping we get a chance to play him in the playoffs. That’d be great.”
Carruthers is back to contender status after a challenging 2023 that saw Samagalski, Njegovan and himself lose the provincial crown to Dunstone as a three-man unit. They qualified for last year’s Brier as a wild card and added Rob Gordon at the last minute to play lead but they failed to make the playoffs.
A Manitoba team hasn’t won the Brier since Jeff Stoughton accomplished the feat in 2011. Carruthers played second on that team.
“Did we think we could win the Brier last year? I’ll be honest and say probably not,” said Njegovan.
“The reality is, I was playing a position I haven’t played in 10 years. Derek was playing a position he hadn’t played ever, and Reid was kind of putting us on his back and carrying us all through that provincial and Brier stretch. This year, everybody’s in their spot and where they need to be. Everybody’s playing well and honestly, having Brad full time it just raises our level of compete and level of work ethic all throughout the year. We’re in a position right now with the five of us where we can win this.”
Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS files Krysten Karwacki is looking for a new team.
All-star lead available
Krysten Karwacki is on the hunt for a new full-time team.
The 32-year-old lead from Winnipeg spent the past two years based out of Saskatchewan with Nancy Martin. On Monday, Martin announced a split as second Madison Kleiter is moving to Phoenix for school.
Martin lost the last two Saskatchewan finals.
Karwacki was Kerri Einarson’s alternate at three women’s curling nationals before getting thrown into action at last month’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary when regular lead Briane Harris was deemed ineligible to play not long before their first game.
Karwacki ended up making the most of her opportunity with Team Canada as she was named a first-team all-star at the end of the week.
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Taylor Allen
Reporter
Eighteen years old and still in high school, Taylor got his start with the Free Press on June 1, 2011. Well, sort of…
