It’s down to the wire at the Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary with the playoffs set to kick off Friday night.
Team Brad Jacobs (Northern Ontario) and Team Brad Gushue (Newfoundland and Labrador) face off in the page playoffs 1-vs-2 game with a direct spot in Sunday’s final on the line. Team Steve Laycock (Saskatchewan) and Team Pat Simmons (Canada) meet in the 3-vs-4 game Saturday afternoon.
Let’s take a look at the final four, reflect on our predictions from the start of the tournament and the keys it will take to win it all.
1. Northern Ontario (10-1)
Lineup: Brad Jacobs, Ryan Fry, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden
What we said: Like Team Gushue, they should be a lock for the playoffs and if they’re on a roll, watch out.
We hate to say we told you so, but we told you so. Team Jacobs was red-hot right from the start of the Brier and the reigning Olympic gold medallists cruised to the top of the table finishing with a 10-1 record.
Key to Northern Ontario in the 1-vs-2 game against Newfoundland and Labrador — the only rink that beat them in the round robin — is that Jacobs will open with the hammer this time around as the top seed. Gushue had that advantage in their first meeting and was able to grind out a 6-5 victory. The script could be flipped this time around.
2. Newfoundland and Labrador (9-2)
Lineup: Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker
What we said: While they haven’t been totally dominant — they were on the brink of elimination during the Canadian Open triple knockout bracket before winning it all –- they have managed to pull through with key victories in the clutch. Gushue should work his way into the playoff picture and has a great chance to finally win his first Brier title.
Team Gushue has come through in the clutch again. A three-ender in the 10th lifted the team to a 7-5 victory against Saskatchewan during the opening draw and they followed that up with a 9-7 extra-end win over Team Canada. Then there was the shot of the week (or year?) in the final frame to edge Alberta 8-7 in Draw 12. As the cool kids say, it was on fleek.
Yes, the team dropped both of their games Monday, but that proved to be just a hiccup as Gushue is now in a great position to capture his first career Brier.
Gushue is 3-1 overall against Jacobs this season and although he will not have the hammer to open the page 1-vs-2 game, that didn’t seem to be a problem during the Canadian Open quarterfinals in December where he came out on top 7-5 en route to a Grand Slam title.
3. Saskatchewan (7-4)
Lineup: Steve Laycock, Kirk Muyres, Colton Flasch and Dallan Muyres
What we said: Team Laycock is hitting its stride this season picking up a pair of World Curling Tour titles and qualifying for the playoffs at all three Grand Slam events including a trip to the final at the Canadian Open. They finished just on the outside of the playoffs at the Brier a year ago and the momentum swing this season could help them get into the top four.
How about that? Laycock qualified for the Brier playoffs after posting a 7-4 record. Saskatchewan nailed down the final spot by defeating Team B.C. 4-2 Friday morning.
Now comes the chance for Laycock to really shine as he’ll have to take down Team Canada again as well as Jacobs and Gushue, both of whom came out on top during their round robin games. The rematch against Canada will be intriguing as the defending champs have changed skips since their first meeting. Pat Simmons, a former teammate of Laycock, now calls the shots for Team Canada. Saskatchewan should have the edge though as they’ve been solid all season long but will need to find the extra gear for a chance to go all the way.
4. Canada (7-4)
Lineup: Pat Simmons, John Morris, Carter Rycroft and Nolan Thiessen
What we said: They’ll be the first to admit the results this season haven’t met their expectations (Thiessen gave his team a D- grade in his mid-season report card) but they should rise to the occasion not only competing in their hometown but also getting the chance to wear the red and white and defend their title.
Call it the Simmons factor. Sitting with a 2-3 record and needing a spark to break out of the pack, Team Canada switched up the back-end of their lineup and gave the broom to Pat Simmons with John Morris moving to third. The change did them good as they rolled off five consecutive wins to vault into third place in the standings.
Canada closed out the round robin losing to Northern Ontario so they’ll need to regain their momentum in order to reclaim the Brier title.