Eight Ends: Simmons, Jacobs charge out of gate at Brier
The Tim Hortons Brier is now in full swing at TD Place in Ottawa. All teams have played three games apiece (with Northwest Territories having played seven, more on that later) and the two rinks that met in last year’s final are out in front with 3-0 records.
A few familiar Brier veterans and one “rookie” team are right behind the leaders at 2-1 with plenty of shuffling to come in the standings.
Some early observations through the first two days of the Tim Hortons Brier:
1st End: Simmons, Jacobs charge out of gate
Double defending champion Pat Simmons is off to a 3-0 start picking up wins over Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard, Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock, and Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories.
Team Canada haven’t played since late January but have shown no signs of rust having pretty much picked up where they left off after winning the Ed Werenich Golden Wrench Classic. It’s also a different story from when they were 1-2 at this point in the Brier a year ago.
Meanwhile, Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs is also tied atop of the table at 3-0 having scored victories over Laycock, Menard and Jim Cotter of B.C.
Simmons drew to the button in an extra end to top Jacobs for the Brier title last year and the two are set to collide again Monday night during Draw 7.
2nd End: Howard continues to turn back the clock
The incredible story of Glenn Howard and Team Ontario resumes as they’re right behind the leaders with a 2-1 record.
Howard, making his 16th Brier appearance, has come through in the clutch as per usual picking up a pair of extra-end victories over Alberta’s Kevin Koe 5-4 Saturday and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue 4-3 Sunday. Sandwiched in the middle is a 6-2 loss to Manitoba’s Mike McEwen that really didn’t go sideways until the seventh end with a steal of three for the eventual winners.
Howard pushed through provincial playdowns without third Wayne Middaugh, who’s recovering from a broken leg, and current third Richard Hart playing with a nagging knee injury. Middaugh is behind the boards serving as the team’s coach at the Brier.
4th End: Mikey likes it
Welcome to the Brier, Mike McEwen.
McEwen, making his Brier debut, and his Manitoba crew are off to a 2-1 start as well. After dropping a close 5-4 game to Brad Gushue of Newfoundland & Labrador in Saturday’s opener, McEwen picked up back-to-back wins Sunday defeating Howard 6-2 and New Brunswick’s Mike Kennedy 6-3.
Next up for Manitoba is a tough match-up with Kevin Koe of Alberta. Koe came out on top in their most recent meeting during the Canada Cup of Curling final in December.
5th End: A tale of two Koes
Alberta’s Kevin Koe is also right in the 2-1 mix picking up identical 10-4 wins over New Brunswick and P.E.I. Koe lost his opener to Howard, although the most recent time a team lost the first game and won the Brier was … Koe in 2014.
Meanwhile, his brother Jamie Koe lifted Northwest Territories out of the pre-qualifier round with a 7-4 win over Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy on Saturday afternoon. Team NWT was back on the ice for the next draw — and their fifth game of the week already — and fell 7-6 in an extra end to New Brunswick, who were fresh playing in their first game. It’s an uphill battle for NWT to avoid dropping back into the pre-qualifier for next year now 0-3 in the Brier proper.
The Koe brothers go head-to-head in their next game during Draw 6.
6th End: Hot starts for Canada at world juniors
The world junior curling championships are also underway in Denmark with Canada sitting atop of the round robin tables.
Mary Fay of Chester, N.S., is tied with South Korea’s Min Ji Kim in the junior women’s with 3-0 records while on the junior men’s side Winnipeg’s Matt Dunstone is tied for first with Yannick Schwaller of Switzerland at 2-0.
The world juniors run through to Sunday with the winners receiving invites to the second of two new events on the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling 2015-16 season, the Humpty’s Champions Cup.
7th End: Dunstone to sub on Team Thomas
Dunstone has a couple busy weeks ahead. Following the world juniors, Dunstone will fill in on Charley Thomas’s team at the Pinty’s GSOC Elite 10 event.
It’ll be Dunstone’s second appearance in the Pinty’s GSOC this season after making his series debut subbing for Carter Rycroft on Team Simmons at the Meridian Canadian Open in December.
8th End: 10 days to Elite 10
Speaking of the Elite 10, it’s 10 days to the event running March 17-20 at the Q Centre at West Shore Parks & Recreation in Victoria.
Tickets are available for the Elite 10, click here for details to purchase yours today. Can’t make it to Victoria? Sportsnet will have you covered, click here for the TV schedule.