Saskatchewan’s Montana’s Brier drought will continue for another year following Mike McEwen’s loss to Reid Carruthers Friday night. The Saskatoon Nutana rink dropped the 3-4 page playoff game to Carruther’s Manitoba rink, eliminating them from playoff contention in Kelowna, B.C. A potential five-point swing in the sixth end was the difference. McEwen tried a double-takeout for three but hit it thin and gave up a steal of two. “We controlled the game and we outplayed them the entire game,” McEwen said following the loss. “But we made a catastrophic error.” McEwen was forced to the win-or-go-home side after a loss to fellow Manitoban Matt Dunstone earlier Friday afternoon. The top-ranked Dunstone was at his fist-pumping best as he used two mid-game pairs to take a 5-3 lead into the seventh end. After a blank, McEwen was forced to attempt a runback triple but a Dunstone rock jammed for a steal. Trailing by two in the 10th, McEwen sat three to force Dunstone to make a double-takeout for the win. “We have a very strong belief within this group that when we bring our best stuff, we are really hard to beat,” Dunstone said. Double Trouble It has been 45 years since Saskatchewan won a Brier. The province had two attempts to break their Brier tankard woes, but Saskatoon’s Rylan Kleiter failed to qualify for the playoffs. A team from Saskatchewan has not won the Brier since 1980, when skip Rick Folk broke a then seven year championship drought. At the time, it was the longest any participating province had gone without lifting the tankard. Sask. to Host Men’s Worlds Even after beating McEwen, Carruther’s path to the final remains difficult Saturday afternoon, taking on Alberta’s Brad Jacobs. The losing team will be eliminated while the winner advances to the semifinal Sunday against the loser of the 1-2 game. Canada’s Brad Gushue and Dunstone, meanwhile, will play Saturday night with the winner advancing directly to Sunday’s final. The Brier champions will represent Canada at the March 29-April 6 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw. -With files from The Canadian Press
