REGINA — Brad Gushue was a win away from making more curling history at the Canadian men’s championship.
The defending Brier champion defeated tournament top seed Brendan Bottcher of Alberta 7-3 in a playoff game Saturday night to earn an express ticket to Sunday evening’s final in Regina’s Brandt Centre.
Bottcher dropped to Sunday afternoon’s semifinal to face Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen, who was a 6-5 winner earlier over Matt Dunstone.
Gushue manages a problematic hip, so one less game between his team and another title was desirable.
“We’re not young, so getting there efficiently is important,” said the 43-year-old. “It’s a challenge to play that semifinal and play the final again. I’d rather go this route.”
Gushue, third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker were attempting to win the sixth Canadian men’s curling championship of their careers and third straight, which would tie both of Randy Ferbey’s records.
Gushue could become the first man to skip a team to six Brier titles.
Winning a nervous first title in Gushue’s hometown of St. John’s, N.L., in 2017, broke the Brier ice for him. His team repeated in 2018 in Regina playing like a team with no pressure on it. They’ve been perennial contenders the last six years.
“If I win this, or we pull out the win tomorrow, it’s not going to change much in our lives,” Gushue said. “We know this is not a huge life-changing event for us anymore, so it takes a lot of the edge off. And we had a lot of edge in 2017.”
Gushue and Nichols will appear in an eighth Brier final to rank third all-time alongside Kevin Koe. Only Glenn Howard (11) and his former teammate Brent Laing (9) have appeared in more.
“I know the nerves are going to be there,” Gushue said. “I’m not going to be able to eat as much tomorrow. That’s not going to surprise me. It’s not going to make me more nervous. It’s actually going to get me excited because I know that’s the feeling that I want and that I want all year.
“When you go play in events in curling clubs, and you don’t get that, I’m like ‘this sucks.'”
After starting with a 2-2 record, Gushue’s foursome that includes second E.J. Harnden won six games in a row.
Bottcher, the 2021 Brier champion, shook hands after giving up a steal of one in both the eight and ninth ends Saturday.
Alberta’s skip missed a tricky double trying to score three in the eighth. He missed an attempted triple takeout in the ninth in front of a tournament-high 5,637 at the Brandt Centre.
“I thought in the first half we definitely had a few chances,” Bottcher said. “We gave up a couple of deuces. He kept the lead on the scoreboard. As the game went on, we had to take a little bit more risk.”
Sunday’s winner represents Canada at the men’s world championship March 30 to April 7 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and returns to the 2025 Montana’s Brier in Kelowna, B.C., as defending champion.
The victor also banks a berth in the 2025 Olympic trials pending a top-six result in Switzerland.
A revitalized McEwen has been good for Saskatchewan’s chances of ending a 43-year-old drought.
Recruited last year by Colton Flasch, Kevin Marsh and Daniel Marsh to skip them as their out-of-province import, they were two wins from becoming the first Saskatchewan team to win a Brier since Rick Folk’s in 1980.
McEwen’s hit against three Dunstone counters for the winning point in the 10th end drew a standing ovation.
“It’s going to go down as one of my best memories ever in my whole career, no matter how this ends,” said the 43-year-old from Winnipeg.
A Saskatchewan team hasn’t reached a final since Brad Heidt lost to Kerry Burtnyk in 1995. The Marsh twins were born in Regina and Flasch in Biggar.
“Our goal coming in here was to be there in the final game on Sunday,” Kevin said. “It’s something we’ve talked about and thought about, and it’s in our goals, right? This is where we expect to be and if we play really well, I think we’ll be in a good spot come Sunday.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2024.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
