Brier takeaways: Why Gushue fell just short vs. Jacobs in emotional finale

Sometimes in life, the result you think you deserve doesn't happen.

That’s the best way to sum up Brad Gushue’s performance in what was the final game of his legendary career. He lost 7-5 to Brad Jacobs in the Page 3-4 game at the Montana's Brier in his hometown of St. John’s, N.L. on Saturday.

You can look at the game as an unreal solo effort for Gushue, but as we know, curling is a team sport that is played best when all four players are making shots and sweeping well.

That was Jacobs' team in this game. Throughout the match they controlled the play and never really felt in trouble — except for the first four stones of the ninth end, which we will talk about. 

“That was our best team game of the week," Jacobs told reporters afterward. "Really was. It was nice to see the Team Jacobs that we know show up today and play a great game. You know, we were really in control of that game."

Jacobs admitted earlier in the week to the media that it was hard to really be all-in at the Brier with how exhausted he was coming right from the Olympics, where the team captured gold.

“That was the most engaged and immersed in a curling game I've been all week," Jacobs said Saturday. "And I think that's why we made so many shots. It's a reason why we've made so much shots and won today.” 

Just like last year to win the Brier, Jacobs will need to win four straight elimination games to defend his crown. He's halfway there.

“There's a couple teams left that if they want to wear Team Canada, they're going to have to earn it and that's a good feeling.”

“We're on a dream roll as a team. And when we put it all together like we did today, we're a really tough team to beat.”

Despite Jacobs winning the last edition of the Battle of the Brads, everyone wants to know where it went wrong for Gushue. Here are a couple takeaways from Saturday, including one on Alberta’s Kevin Koe, who defeated Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone 9-7 in an extra end to book his ticket in the Brier final.

Gushue carried his team in the first half

If not for Gushue’s play in the first half of the game, the team might have been down 8-0. 

Brendan Bottcher and Mark Nichols’ struggles started right away and Gushue’s first shot of the game was a runback double on three Jacobs stones. He touched all three, but removed only two. He did, however, create enough space to draw to the button for one on his last.

In the second through fourth ends, even though Gushue didn’t put points on the board, he made shots to either limit Jacobs or force a blank.

Again in the fifth, Gushue needed to bail out his team, and it was a carbon copy of the first end. It started with another runback triple, this time though, Gushue got rid of all three stones.

“Why is (Gushue) retiring?” Jacobs asked his teammates Ben Hebert and Brett Gallant as he went down the ice. 

Gushue, against two, went on to pin his draw and tied the game 2-2. 

Afterward, Jacobs said he felt the difference Gushue was making.

“Yeah, (Gushue) made a lot of really great shots in that game to keep them in it, to keep them in early.”  

Ninth end slips away 

If there is one end Gushue would like to have back, it was the ninth.

Down 6-4 with hammer, Gushue knew his odds to win the game weren’t great, but just a couple stones into the end it looked like a three was almost guaranteed for the skipper.

Team Jacobs' Ben Hebert hogged his first stone while Team Gushue's Geoff Walker placed a nice corner guard that he wrapped around with a draw on his next one. 

With Gallant’s first — the fifth stone of the end — he tried a tick shot on the corner guard but was heavy and caught too much of the stone as it went out of play. Gushue got to place the corner back and just like that Bottcher put a second one in the house. 

Again, Gallant missed, this time playing a runback. He tried to eliminate two stones but jammed and Gushue still sat two. Bottcher put one in the back of the house to sit three and not leave any doubles.

Then Team Jacobs' Marc Kennedy changed the end. 

With his first stone he executed a hit and roll to the back of the button half buried, making it nearly impossible for Nichols to not leave a double on his next shot while at the same time leaving a possible jam. Nichols did jam on his own but killed Jacobs' stone to still sit two in the house. 

Kennedy’s second shot was even sweeter. He hit and rolled again right on the side of the button buried to sit shot stone. Nichols then attempted a draw but came up light.

In what felt like a matter of seconds, Gushue went from sitting three to facing two with his last stone. 

Gushue made the draw to cut the deficit to 6-5, but without question, should’ve scored more. 

Tyler Tardi steps up

It’s hard to believe, but at age 51, Koe is going to play in his ninth Brier final.

This whole week Koe has been playing lights out, arguably the best he’s curled since last winning the Brier in 2019 when he went undefeated.

Example A, his first shot in the 11th end to basically win the Page 1-2 game.

However, the other guys on his team, especially third Tyler Tardi, haven't nearly been as good much of the week.

In the Page 1-2 game, for Koe to win, Tardi, who won back-to-back world junior championships, was going to have to up his game and outcurl Colton Lott.

Even though Lott played what felt like a better game than 80 per cent, Tardi was the better player throughout the contest. Overall, he finished at 86 per cent (feels low as well). 

Each end it felt like Koe’s shots were just a touch easier than Dunstone when the skips went in the hack to shoot, thanks to Tardi. 

No two shots were bigger than in the 11th end for Tardi. Dunstone, trying to steal, was clogging up the middle of the ice and on Tardi’s first he made a nice double peel to open everything up.

With his second, even though it wasn’t actually what Koe called, the shot was still good as he eliminated Dunstone’s rock on the top of the button without removing his own that was sitting in the top four. 

Now, for the first time in his career, Tardi will play for a Brier championship. 

Koe will await the winner of Jacobs vs. Dunstone in the final Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.