Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application from complications resulting from an accident last year.  Burgess Buell Brier III and his wife and children.  He will be interred with his mother and father at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens in Nashville In lieu of flowers, please make donations is Stewart’s memory to the Epilepsy Foundation This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Year 2006 | Acres 10 | Landmarks Located on the campus of Brier Creek Elementary School BEAM solar-powered EV charger available Brier Creek Park is a partnership with the City of Raleigh and Wake County Schools sharing school and community use spaces Main 919-996-3301brier.creek@raleighnc.gov Scott Graham Directorscott.graham@raleighnc.gov Logan Ramirez Assistant Directorlogan.ramirez@raleighnc.gov  Autumn Tate Youth Programs Manager919-996-3304autumn.tate@raleighnc.gov Get DirectionsKnow Before You Go Request your rental online using RecLink or by reaching out to the facility.  View other court locations. 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For immediate customer service please refer to our staff directory Sudden funding cuts by US Department of Justice have immediate impact Bobby Brier, Mental Health Writer | April 29, 2025 | Social Issues, Law & Public Safety Community-based violence intervention programs across New Jersey have laid off employees and in some cases ended services altogether after the U.S Department of Justice abruptly canceled hundreds of ongoing grants last week Cure4Camden’s street outreach team is in the process of shutting down More than a dozen employees of the Newark Community Street Team “transitioned out” of the agency or were relocated to different departments which led to a reduction in pay for some people Community violence intervention and prevention services provide peer support, counseling, mentorship and conflict mediation The goal is to improve people’s lives in neighborhoods where violence is common The programs promote positive behavioral change and reduce the likelihood that people who are victims of community violence will commit or promote violence themselves say experts who study them and people whose lives have been changed by them Community violence prevention programs have been praised for their impact in helping to reduce gun violence across the state and for building trust within communities In 2024, 778 people suffered gunshot injuries in New Jersey, a drop of 16% from 2023, according to the governor’s office. Additionally, 152 people died from gunshots last year But now at least 365 grants nationwide from the Office of Justice Programs the federal department’s largest grant-making arm Those grants funded everything from mental health care for police officers to support programs for victims of crime and sexual assault “I talked to the main guys that I know for a fact need this program and they are devastated,” said Stanley Winrow a former member of Cure4Camden’s street outreach team The sudden termination of these grants marks the latest federal funding cuts by the Trump administration impacting people across the country a community-based violence intervention program will no longer operate due to the funding cuts the chief operating officer at the Center for Family Services Cure4Camden’s hospital-based team is still operating because it receives state funding the associate vice president for the trauma and violence prevention program at the nonprofit Payanzo Cotton said Cure4Camden will be appealing the Department of Justice’s funding cuts Cure4Camden’s street outreach team lost funding for two federal grants that totaled just under $3 million to support programs over a seven-year period that started in 2021 Payanzo Cotton noted that some of this grant funding has already been spent which has helped to serve people who have been victims of violence The Newark Community Street Team, a community-based violence reduction program, also lost funding for two federal grants that totaled $3 million over a three-year period ‘We will fight back against these dangerous cuts and we will continue to prioritize efforts to prevent violent crime and keep our communities safe.’ — NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin This is about our individuals that have found purpose here and have chosen to become change agents and give their lives to this work …This is about our frontline staff,” Chavis said of the impact of the cuts “This is about the individuals that have had challenges in their lives … [and] grew up in households where their parents … were battling with substance use and they still persevered,” added Chavis “And so to come up against this is extremely challenging.” Earlier this year, the state announced that up to $14.5 million in grant funding will be distributed to 27 organizations to support New Jersey’s Community-Based Violence Intervention Program, according to the attorney general’s office New Jersey’s Department of Law and Public Safety’s total commitment to community violence intervention efforts which include community-based violence intervention hospital-based violence intervention programs and trauma recovery centers Instead of working with the state to fight violent crime the Trump administration is “playing political games” with critical public safety programs that make New Jersey safer Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement “These reckless cuts to community-based violence intervention grants including cuts to federal funding that directly supports our community partners hurt some of our most vulnerable residents and make it harder for our courageous law enforcement professionals to do their jobs,” Platkin said in the statement “We will fight back against these dangerous cuts and we will continue to prioritize efforts to prevent violent crime and keep our communities safe.” The community-based violence intervention grants that the state committed to support for the upcoming year are not impacted by the Department of Justice’s funding cuts according to a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office Racquel Romans-Henry of Salvation and Social Justice said in a recent interview with NJ Spotlight News that increased state support is needed to “serve as a firewall” against what’s happening in the federal government This includes support from counties and municipal governments “It’s really incumbent on the state and state leadership to make sure that they step in and they provide some sort of emergency assistance for these programs given what’s happening,” said Romans-Henry the policy director at the Trenton-based nonprofit As a multimedia mental health reporter for NJ Spotlight News Bobby focuses on underserved and rural communities throughout New Jersey via a partnership with Report for America He earned a master’s in journalism from New York University in May 2022 and completed internships at The Scranton Times Tribune and New Mexico In Depth before joining NJ Spotlight News Follow him on Twitter at @bobby_brier or send him an email at brierb@njspotlightnews.org SUBSCRIBE NJ Spotlight is part of The WNET Group and is operated by WNET a non-profit organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page A driver fell asleep and hit a power pole on Globe Road causing a small power outage Friday morning less than 4 miles from Raleigh-Durham International Airport Sky 5 flew over the scene at 6:45 a.m. A truck was turned over on its side beside the road. Personal items were spilling out of the truck, and Raleigh police cruisers were blocking two lanes on the four-lane road. Traffic was slowly getting around the crash using the middle lane. A utility pole appeared to be damaged, and powerlines were hanging. A Duke Energy map showed dozens of customers without power in the area. A driver fell asleep and hit the utility pole, according to Raleigh police. The driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries. One WRAL News viewer reported a loud explosion and seeing sparks in the area.  Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account The 2025 Montana’s Brier begins Friday in Kelowna as 18 of the top curling teams from across Canada compete for the national men’s curling championship Article contentAfter his win in Regina last year Brad Gushue and his Newfoundland and Labrador squad return as Team Canada for the third straight year as they seek a record fourth straight Brier title The winner of this year’s championship will move on to represent Team Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship set for Mar Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience there will be three draws per day until the round robin concludes on Mar The top three teams in each pool will advance to the playoff round If teams are tied in the standings based on their round robin records head-to-head records will determine who qualifies for the playoffs If head-to-head records don’t determine a winner last-stone draw rankings will be used to break the tie which is the same format used at the world championships and Olympics Last-stone draws are thrown prior to each draw to determine which team starts with hammer Cumulative distance will then be tracked for each team to determine the rankings The last-stone draw distance is calculated by measuring from the centre pin on the button to the nearest point of the stone By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Headline News will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? 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Once the top three teams have been determined the top team in Pool A will meet the second-place team in Pool B while the top team in Pool B will meet the second-place team in Pool A on Mar 2 page playoff game the following day while the losers will face the third-place seeds from each pool that evening in the page 3 vs 4 qualifiers will then move on to the 3 vs 4 page playoff game will the advance to the semifinal on Mar page playoff game will then face the winner of the semifinal on Mar Along with defending champion Gushue and Team Canada Pool A will consist of Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone Newfoundland/Labrador’s Ty Dilello and Nunavut’s Shane Latimer While Gushue earned an automatic spot as the defending champion Dunstone pre-qualified as one of the top three teams on the Canadian Tour Ranking System from last season The rest of the entries won their respective provincial championships Yukon’s Thomas Scoffin and Northwest Territories’ Aaron Bartling who took over a team skipped by Brendan Bottcher is one of two teams in Pool B who pre-qualified based on the CTRS who finished in second place at last year’s Brier tshire@postmedia.com transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account The social media star has some hot takes including when to arrive at the airport and what makes the perfect seatmate The Montana's Brier is heading back to Kelowna for the first time since 1968 This year's tournament will feature 18 teams split into two pools of nine and the top three teams from each pool will advance to the playoffs The semifinal and championship games will be held on Sunday and the winning squad will represent Canada at the World Men's Curling Championship a few weeks later Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 Brier including the full schedule for this year's event and the page qualifiers and playoffs will be held on March 7 and March 8 The semifinals and finals will take place on March 9 The 2025 Brier will air on TSN and can be streamed on TSN.ca and the TSN app You can view the full broadcast schedule below The 2025 Brier will be held at Prospera Place in Kelowna The Brandt Centre hosted the event last year in Regina The total purse at the 2025 Brier will be $300,000 You can view the breakdown of prize money below If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more > Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015 He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University Pool play has concluded at this year's Brier setting the stage for competitive playoff action Matt Dunstone's Manitoba team edged Team Canada in the final round-robin game to take the top seed in Pool A entering the playoffs Brad Jacobs' Alberta side emerged unbeaten with a victory over the Saskatchewan quartet led by Mike McEwen in the final game Those four lead the six teams remaining to battle for a spot in Sunday's championship game The winner of the tournament will serve as Canada's representative at the World Men's Curling Championship later this month MORE: How to watch Six Nations 2025 rugby in Canada Which team will claim bragging rights and the first-place prize of $108,000 including the full schedule for the playoffs WKRN News 2 In a brand-new Nelson's Green Brier Distillery experience, you can "Bottle Your Own Brier." Add this experience to your tour & tasting or book it on its own! Their expert distillers hand pick some of the best and most unique whiskeys for you to fill your own bottle. Each expression is extremely limited and when each barrel is done, it's gone forever. Stephanie took a trip to check it out! In a brand-new Nelson's Green Brier Distillery experience, you can "Bottle Your Own Brier." Add this experience to your tour & tasting or book it on its own! Their expert distillers hand pick some of the best and most unique whiskeys for you to fill your own bottle. Each expression is extremely limited and when each barrel is done, it's gone forever. Stephanie took a trip to check it out! Metro Police said a suspected drunk driver crashed into a patrol vehicle overnight in East Nashville. Fairview is both embracing growth and working to maintain its small-town feel. The CoolSprings Galleria has been an important part of Williamson County for years. New commercial properties could soon be on the way to Spring Hill. A convicted felon is back behind bars after being accused in a South Nashville burglary. The Clarksville Police Department announced that authorities were still searching for a suspect. The governor's office said that Tennessee has a long track record of standing up to enforce the country's borders. Many Nashville families have more questions than answers following an ICE operation in Music City. "Nashville's wine country" sits about twenty minutes outside of Franklin, TN. Money could be flowing to fix major flood problems in Montgomery County. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have responded to the activity in South Nashville. Tennessee state troopers worked with federal agents in South Nashville. Article contentSo it’s time to zero in on a few key questions — burning ones if you will — heading into the Canadian men’s team curling championship the second event on Curling Canada’s Season of Champions calendar From queries about Brad Gushue’s dominance to who are the true contenders and what’s up with Broomgate 2.0 we’ll offer our convictions on what’s about to unfold over the 10 days of the event … Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links The next issue of Noon News Roundup will soon be in your inbox The curling entities just can’t seem to sweep this controversy under the rug Mostly because there’s nothing against the rules going on — those put in place by World Curling — with what many are calling Broomgate 2 But fair play and integrity is at the heart of an issue over foam firmness in some manufacturers’ broom-heads having too much control on the trajectory of a delivered rock And much like what happened ahead of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts the sport’s biggest players — Mike McEwen and Brad Jacobs with help from Gushue and Matt Dunstone — reached out to all the Brier teams “to see where everyone’s heads were at,” said Jacobs adding they achieved consensus on the issue “It wasn’t surprising when everybody agreed to ‘No … we don’t want to bring those products to the ice because we’re able to manipulate the curling stone way too much.’” If even one rink does opt to use the controversial Goldline or Balance-Plus black-foam broom-heads — and remember that there are some rinks sponsored by those companies — then there might be switches among many teams along the way “We need to applaud the women in the Scotties for sticking to that verbal agreement,” Jacobs said They kept the equipment in question — these black foams — they were able to keep it off of the field of play “None of us as curlers want to see that stuff in two of the biggest events in curling.” the use of those controversial foam-heads became an issue at last week’s Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships in Saskatoon Gushue is back for a run at a fourth straight Brier championship given the strength of so many men’s teams in Canada And the six-time national king knows his squad is the favourite and being marked by counterparts despite what’s been a down year by Gushue’s standards — one that’s included a major switch at second “I think I’d be mocked pretty hard if I went in there saying that we’re a heavy underdog having won it the last three years,” Gushue said “But I wouldn’t say with the way we’ve played this season and certainly the way some other teams have been performing lately that we’re an overwhelming favourite But I can’t go and say that we’re an underdog we know if we go out and play to our capability we’re going to be there at the end of the week.” the ‘Roar for Four’ might depend on whether Brendan Bottcher — who replaced E.J Harnden in the lineup — has settled in properly with the Gushue group It’s been an adjustment after the switch was made in the fall and the results — again — haven’t been top notch for the stacked rink from The Rock an 0-4 record at the Grand Slam of Curling’s Masters last month Just as stacked is Team Jacobs out of Calgary making it the obvious second choice to win at the Brier as skip of a dynamic lineup that also features world-class shooter Marc Kennedy at third and front-end guru Ben Hebert at lead Gallant and Hebert went a different direction at skip after last season so the shuffle from 2021 Brier winner Bottcher to 2013 Brier winner Jacobs was made with 6-1 efforts and final appearances made at each of the last two GSOC events “And I think one of the things that has been great about our team is when we have rough weeks — and we’ve had a few this season — we’re really good at figuring out why and continuing with the great systems that we have in place and believing in one another and bouncing back and having strong weeks “So I know everybody’s confidence is really high especially after the Guelph (Masters) slam.” After an — ugh — 2-6 record at last year’s Brier in Regina you just get the feeling veteran Kevin Koe is going to make some noise this winter there are those pundits who will put Matt Dunstone and Mike McEwen — runners-up of the last two Briers 1 and 3 on the Canadian Team Ranking System for 2024-25 — ahead of Koe on the odds board But you can’t cut the four-time national champ from the contenders’ list The Calgary skip is usually stone-cold clutch when it counts and now he’s got redemption on his mind from last year’s debacle “Last year was weird at the Brier — obviously Koe’s picked up skill to help beat that memory back adding last year’s Alberta championship skip to play third after dropping second Jacques Gauthier in the fall whose team is ranked ninth on the CTRS list “We’ve had a pretty good run since he’s got on We’ve lost a lot of big games by close scores that if we’d have won So we’re encouraged with the way we’re looking for the Brier The next wave has arrived in the form of Saskatchewan king Rylan Kleiter and Ontario champ Sam Mooibroek Both are going to be in the spotlight in Kelowna after terrific campaigns — with Kleiter finishing sixth and Mooibroek eighth on the CTRS board respectively — can play and have a future in the sport with Kleiter having defeated veteran Steve Laycock in his provincial final and Mooibroek having dethroned last year’s Ontario winner and member of curling royalty “They are the up-and-coming talent,” declared Jacobs “And there’s also (Nova Scotia’s Owen) Purcell and (B.C.’s Cameron) De Jong and (Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ty) Dilello “I feel like the field is incredibly strong this year with those young guys and the likes of experienced guys (Northern Ontario’s John) Epping and (Manitoba’s Reid) Carruthers and it’ll be important to be focused and energized each time we step on the ice.” tsaelhof@postmedia.com This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze 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By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The teams have been determined and the schedule has been set for the 2025 Montana’s Brier the top 18 teams from across Canada will compete for the national men’s curling championship and the right to represent the country at the World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw from Mar Also pre-qualifying were Alberta’s Brad Jacobs and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone while the rest of the field was determined through provincial championships McEwen and Jacobs will be in Pool B alongside Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ty Dilello and Nunavut’s Shane Latimer The tournament will feature an eight-game round robin played within their pool before the top three teams from each pool advance to the playoff round head-to-head results will determine who gets in Three teams moved to 3-0 atop Pool A with Sunday afternoon wins at the 2025 Montana’s Brier Article contentJust how big is that for that trio of rinks at the Canadian men’s curling championship in Kelowna since it separates them from the rest of the combatants early in a push to get the three qualifying spots from the pool flush with élite contenders edged pesky Northern Ontario champ John Epping (2-1) to get there Manitoba king Reid Carruthers did the same with a 5-4 edge of Alberta’s Kevin Koe (0-3) in an extra end And top-ranked rink Matt Dunstone of Manitoba made it three Ws out of the gate with a 7-4 dump of B.C.’s Cameron de Jong (0-3) “I’m happy at 3-0 … absolutely,” Gushue told reporters post-game Sunday We still have Carruthers and Koe and Dunstone “You want to bank as many wins as possible in the round robin,” Carruthers’ third B.J “You can’t really afford too many losses in our pool.” Pool A is pretty much the pool of death at this year’s Brier “You’ve got Reid who has won a Brier before (in 2011) You’ve got Kevin who has won Briers before (in 2010 is looking like that top team again at the Brier “I think the way we’re playing is OK,” added Gushue who — after Sunday’s challenge — can easily add Epping to the list of serious contenders in the pool “You know … I’d give our performance a 7.5 or 8 out of 10 But we’re throwing it well and the guys are doing a great job judging rocks.” The round robin — 18 draws total — runs through Thursday evening with starts from here on out at 11:30 a.m. • The 18 teams have been split up into two pools • Each team plays eight games After the top three teams from each pool are determined which remains the same — a Page playoff-type format — from the 2024 Brier in Regina: • The first-place teams of each pool cross over to play the other pool’s second-place teams in 1-v-2 seeding games (3:30 p.m ET) • The winners of those 1-v-2 seeding games advance to the playoff round while the losers drop to the 3-v-4 seeding games (9:30 p.m ET) against the third-place teams in each pool • The winners of those 3-v-4 seeding games advance to the playoff round the Page playoff kicks in again Saturday and Sunday: • The winners of the qualifying round’s 3-v-4 games play each other Saturday (3:30 p.m with the winner advancing to Sunday’s afternoon semifinal and the loser being eliminated • The winners of the qualifying round’s 1-v-2 games play each other late Saturday (9:30 p.m with the winner advancing straight to Sunday’s late final and the loser advancing to Sunday’s afternoon semifinal (2 p.m ET) • The semifinal winner then advances to Sunday’s final (8 p.m after which the Brier champion will be crowned The other Sunday matinee score saw New Brunswick’s James Grattan (1-1) earn an 8-3 victory over Nunavut’s Shane Latimer (0-2) … In Pool B action it was Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen (3-0) moving to the top of the standings with a 3-0 record after two wins Sunday — an early 8-6 result over Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell (1-2) The 2025 Montana’s Brier came down to Sunday’s late winner-take-all championship draw Article contentThe finale between Alberta’s Brad Jacobs and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone — won by Jacobs in thrilling 5-3 fashion that came down to the last rock of the event — capped what was another stellar week featuring the best of the best of the nation’s top male athletes in the sport And while there were the constants — those aspects of the 10 days that were all too obviously expected — there were also a few items that turned our heads and perhaps altered our impressions of the men’s curling scene Here are five takeaways from the Brier in Kelowna The championship draw boiled down to two very worthy adversaries — not a surprise given the depth of Canada’s curling teams on the men’s side with so many stars combining to form super rinks that line up against each other So we knew what was coming Sunday evening would be an epic meeting of two major teams with little to distinguish between them but ‘one being on the right side of the inch’ — a phrase heard often in curling circles for good reason — to claim the Canadian men’s curling championship it was Jacobs falling on the right side of the inches in Sunday’s afternoon semifinal earning a 7-5 win to knock off defending three-time champion Brad Gushue After executing a number of key shots in the semi — including a pin-point angle-raise double-takeout in the eighth end to count three — the super skip from St was heavy with hammer in the deciding 10th end “That was a heavyweight bout,” Jacobs told reporters “It’s so rewarding as an athlete to be part of that … and then what can I say “A lot of disappointment and a lot of heartbreak for my teammates Obviously when you have a shot to win the game and you don’t do it because they put me in a position to win that game and I threw it six feet harder than I needed to throw it there was good reason for such a statement Mike McEwen and Gushue were respectively ranked one through four on the 2024-25 Canadian Team Ranking System — the list used to rate the teams heading into the Brier there they were at Kelowna’s Prospera Place rolling through teams in the round robin to finish with a remarkable 29-3 combined record to slot them into the top four playoff spots with big shots galore on the pebbled ice to entertain us right through Sunday Yes … the truth is there’s room for even more depth and parity moving forward While it’s easy to pick out the cream of the crop right now the Brier proved there’s more sides on the rise Ryan Kleiter and Sam Mooibroek were in the mix right through Friday giving their more experienced foes a run for their money and sending messages they will be future forces in the sport Purcell and his Nova Scotia champions even made the playoffs surprisingly foisting himself into the contending picture with the Brier’s big-shots What a push that was — one to remember moving forward as part of the next wave of curling contenders on the men’s landscape The fave-four teams coming into the event were essentially the top four going out … with one small exception Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers pushed his way into the conversation even brushing aside McEwen in an elimination game The Manitoba veteran of 13 Briers also nearly stole the 3-v-4 Page playoff game from Jacobs proving he’s got all the talent of the skips on the fave four given Carruthers is dutifully decorated and his foursome is as fierce as any out there Their success was only a surprise given the many changes to the lineup including the very late addition of third B.J Yes … the Carruthers shuffle — from losing skip Jacobs last spring and long-time teammate Derek Samagalski to adding Catlin Schneider and Neufeld — was well-documented Same goes for Jacobs joining the Calgary crew which dropped Brendan Bottcher Dunstone dropping Neufeld in favour of Harnden and John Epping teaming up with Northern Ontario talents to the point where we needed a program to keep up with all the lineup changes all those teams came together to find enough chemistry for success at the Brier just added to the drama to further our enjoyment of the annual championship It’s encore time on the rock ’n’ roll curling scene Article contentThe Season of Champions continues its national team finals with the 2025 Montana’s Brier It begins Friday at Prospera Place in Kelowna the rock stars and the skinny on all 18 rinks in pursuit of the Canadian men’s curling championship The way into the Brier: 2024 Brier champion The skinny: It’s no surprise the star-studded Gushue rink is the favourite heading into the Brier Nichols and Walker come in having won the past three titles with 2021 Brier-winning skip Bottcher in that spot after an early season shuffle dealt E.J Can the two skips co-exist and win the Brier like Gushue did for 2006 Olympic gold with Russ Howard trading skip duties for second responsibilities The way into the Brier: 2023-24 Canadian Team Ranking System qualifier The skinny: The top Alberta entry also underwent a massive makeover with last year’s bronze medallists opting to part with Bottcher in favour of Jacobs at the boss position The difference is the shift at skip took place in April giving the Calgary rink more time to find chemistry to go along with through-the-lineup talent matched only by Gushue Perhaps that little extra time together is enough to push Jacobs past the other contenders to the title The way into the Brier: 2025 Alberta champion The skinny: Another team sporting two skips is Koe after the four-time Brier king invited last year’s Alberta-winning skip which begs the question of whether sufficient time has passed for these minds to mesh together enough to have become championship ready Calgary’s Koe knows how to manufacture success on the fly The way into the Brier: 2023-24 CTRS qualifier And this one came later in the year for Dunstone as BJ Neufeld was jettisoned and Harnden joined the team at second So plenty going on with a group that has been knocking at the door of a championship for a few years now including a runner-up finish to Gushue in 2023 London Having his brother already at lead should help Harnden fit in quickly The way into the Brier: 2025 Manitoba champion The skinny: Neufeld landed not long ago on Team Carruthers who stepped away to stay closer to home and family So it’s another late retooling of a lineup for another contender but again Carruthers is a savvy veteran of a dozen national championships and a winner back in 2011 London The skinny: Team McEwen is another legit contender but it heads to Kelowna without a change to its lineup That consistency could be the difference for the Saskatoon rink after losing to Gushue in last year’s 9-5 Brier championship draw as the third-ranked CRTS side behind Dunstone and Jacobs The way into the Brier: 2025 Northern Ontario champion The skinny: Team Epping represents the top of the next-best rinks at the 2025 Brier after moving west last off-season to hook up with the Horgan brothers And continuing with another theme for the final Tanner Horgan was a longtime skip until Epping came along So it’s another two-skip camaraderie question to be answered with Epping trying to match or better his bronze won in 2018 Regina The way into the Brier: 2025 Québec champion Crete and Trépanier return after missing last year’s national championship with a champion calling the line in the house Perhaps that’s the push they need to make playoffs after just missing out last winter with a solid 5-3 record the rink has made a whopping 30 Brier visits The way into the Brier: 2025 New Brunswick champion The skinny: It has been a while since Brier veteran Grattan has tasted success at the championship He was twice a bronze medallist way back in 1997 and 2002 as skip of his own rink and third for Howard returning with the same squad that finished an ugly 1-7 last year The way into the Brier: 2025 Yukon champion Scoffin hasn’t collected more than two wins annually But the Whitehorse talent gets help this year at third with Drummond having won Alberta last year under Sluchinski and Jensen and Willingham — now at second and lead respectively — after having joined Scoffin on four of those Yukon-repped trips to the finale The skinny: It’s a fifth straight visit to the Brier for skip Smith who brings back the same lineup as last year and the year before So that bodes well for consistency in trying to improve on a 5-3 near-playoff effort last winter in Regina They were a fast 4-1 out of the gate at that Brier The way into the Brier: 2025 Saskatchewan champion The skinny: The next wave of Canadian men is led by Kleiter The Saskatoon side is sixth on the CTRS list thanks to a Tier 2 win at the Grand Slam of Curling’s Tour Challenge and a 1-3 finish in the GSOC’s Masters giving them solid experience against the top teams of men’s curling in the country as Johnson and Mattern have both curled with Kleiter for 11 seasons and boast the 2019 world junior title together The way into the Brier: 2025 Ontario champion The skinny: Also considered an up-and-comer Mooibroek upended defending Ontario title-holder Scott Howard to make his first Brier The team from Whitby is not exactly flying under the radar ranking eighth on the CTRS list thanks to a win at the Stu Sells Brantford Nissan Classic a runner-up finish a the Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic and a Tier 2 semifinal appearance at the GSOC’s Tour Challenge But this is a first-time Brier visit for all four Mooibroek members The skinny: Team de Jong has a bit more Brier experience Horvath played lead for both Catlin Schneider and Jacques Gauthier in 2024 Regina and 2023 London and Chester went as an alternate with Brent Pierce to 2022 It was Pierce joining skip Greg McAuley that previously won the Brier for B.C The way into the Brier: 2025 Newfoundland and Labrador champion The skinny: Dilello made the move to Newfoundland from Manitoba and it has paid dividends in a final that went down to the last rock Bruce and Feltham all are first-timers at the Brier while McNeil Lamswood has a taste after being an alternate for Gushue in 2021 Calgary The way into the Brier: 2025 Nova Scotia champion The skinny: Another first-time skip at the Brier is Purcell who has a bronze medal in his pocket from the 2022 world junior But he has veterans along with him in Saunders who sports six previous visits to the finale And it doesn’t hurt the rink to have six-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts queen Colleen Jones as its coach The way into the Brier: 2025 Northwest Territories champion The skinny: Team Bartling is the first rink to rep Hay River That comes after beating 17-time Brier stalwart Jamie Koe in a 7-6 extra-end territory final last month And all four members are fresh to the national experience with hopes of at least equalling what Koe and NWT did last year in finishing 5-3 and making the playoffs The way into the Brier: 2025 Nunavut champion The skinny: Latimer returns only half the team that played at last winter’s Brier with McDonell and Van Strien now in for Brady St But the Nunavut skip is hoping for at least twice the success wrapped up last year with a 1-7 record having beaten Nova Scotia in Regina they are two decorated skips — having accounted for the last four Brier titles — now together on the same team What could go wrong — this coming together of Brad Gushue and Brendan Bottcher just hours ahead of the 2025 Brier in Kelowna “I think sometimes if you strike lightning in a bottle it can be easy,” continued the affable skip from St “But you know … there’s always a bit of a give and take and especially when you bring in someone that skipped their whole career You want to provide them an opportunity to have as much say as they can because they’ve had that in their other teams “But you’ve also got to make sure that you kind of stick with what has worked for you over the long run.” You’ll recall Bottcher — the 2021 Brier champ in the Calgary curling bubble — joined Canada’s three-time reigning kings back in mid-October just days after the departure of second E.J It all followed Bottcher’s former Calgary rink-mates of the previous two seasons choosing to go a different direction at skip last April But the joining of Bottcher with Gushue and his reigning three-time Brier henchmen — third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker — hasn’t come off without a hitch The results haven’t been overwhelming — or at least up to Gushue standards — including what was an 0-4 record at the Grand Slam of Curling’s Masters last month it’s not just because there’s a new guy in the hack for the team that’s won the last three Briers there’s still some adjusting to be done,” continued Gushue so trying to play a different position and for us to learn being out with him on the ice and what our capabilities are and this style of game that we want to play I think we’ve had a little bit of a rocky road since we’ve done this It’s just a matter now of kind of figuring out what works for us and what kind of team we’re going to be There’s no doubt in my mind that’s going to come.” he brought aboard Russ Howard — then a two-time Brier king and two-time world champ — for a run at Olympic gold That kind of blueprint was unheard at that time just as former skip Bottcher is these days on Team Gushue “The dynamic Russ and I had almost 20 years ago worked well because we respected each other and gave each other that leeway,” said 44-year-old Gushue “That’s certainly what we’re attempting to do with Brendan I think we’ve done a really good job of that “I think where we’ve fallen short is just literally in on-ice performance It’s not because we’re not doing the right things or we’re not running the team the right way It’s just we haven’t made the shots when it’s mattered we’re too good not to make those shots on a regular basis.” as they opened the bid for the ‘Roar For Four’ late Friday with a 9-2 drop of the other St John’s squad in the field — this year’s Newfoundland and Labrador champion “I keep preaching patience to everybody,” added Gushue who is buoyed by some strong lead-up weeks of training and togetherness ahead of the Brier I’m preaching patience to myself and to my team more than anybody else “Because these things do take time and we just ideally want to make sure we’re ready for the Brier we want to be ready for November when the Olympic trials come around.” The Brier’s other opening games late Friday saw: Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers (1-0) edge B.C.’s de Jong (0-1) 6-5 with one in the final end; Northern Ontario’s John Epping (1-0) use an extra end to top New Brunswick’s James Grattan (0-1) 7-6; and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone (1-0) limit Alberta’s Kevin Koe (0-1) 6-2 in a superbly curled game … Saturday’s Day 2 features Draws 2 and 3 — all times ET and on TSN — at 4:30 p.m respectively … The round robin then continues Sunday through Thursday with three draws daily — all times ET and on TSN — at 11:30 a.m. with 18 of the top teams from across Canada competing for the national men’s curling championship However this team looks different from last season as 2021 Brier champion Brendan Bottcher has replaced E.J a 2023 silver medallist and two-time bronze medallist is making his seventh Brier appearance as one of three pre-qualified teams this year the team finished with a 6-2 round robin record before losing to Team Saskatchewan in the playoffs 1 in Canada — has a different lineup as E.J Epping has represented Ontario four times in his Brier career but this will be his first time skipping Northern Ontario Entering the Brier — Epping’s first since 2021 — the team is ranked No 10 in the world and fourth among all Canadian teams Koe will be making his 13th career Brier appearance after winning the Alberta provincial championship earlier this month While Koe has four Brier wins in his career he had a forgettable tournament last year with a 2-6 round robin record Carruthers is back for his eighth straight Brier and 13th in his career after winning the Manitoba provincial championship earlier this month After playing third alongside Brad Jacobs last year Carruthers took over as skip of his own team this year while adding Neufeld and Schneider both of whom also played at the Brier last year with separate teams The host province will be represented by a rookie skip this year as de Jong makes his Brier debut following a win at the B.C the Victoria club does have some Brier experience on the roster as Horvath has made three straight trips to the event with three different teams Grattan is set to make his 17th career trip to the Brier and 10th as a skip While Grattan has won two bronze medals in his career last year the team had a 1-7 round robin record secured his first trip to the Brier this year after stealing two points in the ninth and another in the 10th over last year’s champion Andrew Symonds in the provincial final The Iqaluit club will be back for a second straight year after posting a 1-7 record last year in the round robin And while they likely won’t be contenders this year the team will be looking to keep a streak alive as Nunavut has picked up at least one win at the last two events which had already pre-qualified for the Brier And Jacobs and company will certainly be one of the favourites to win this Brier with an impressive resume of national world and Olympic championships throughout the lineup The Saskatoon squad is currently the sixth-ranked team in the world and third among all teams in Canada behind only Dunstone and Jacobs they are currently ranked 20th in the world and fifth among teams from Canada Mooibroek is another skip set to make his Brier debut this year after winning the Ontario provincial championship where he beat defending champion Scott Howard Asselin prevailed this year and is back at the Brier for the fifth time in his career he does have championship pedigree in the lineup with Menard After losing in the last two Nova Scotia provincial finals coached by six-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Colleen Jones While Purcell will be making his Brier debut will be appearing in his third straight championship after playing with Matthew Manuel the last two years Smith and company were just one shot away from making the playoffs at the Brier last year in Regina which was his fourth straight appearance at the event The team returns with the same lineup this year hoping to win the province’s first Brier Scoffin is back for a fourth straight Brier and sixth overall with Team Yukon which was identical to how they fared in 2023 who curled with Sluchinski and Team Alberta last year Northwest Territories: skip Aaron Bartling it won’t be Jamie Koe representing the Northwest Territories after Koe lost in the territorial final to Brier rookie Bartling Curl BC is excited to partner with Kelowna Curling Club and the 2025 Montana’s Brier to raise funds for curling through a 50/50 fundraiser Funds raised by this raffle will support curling or curling sport related activities in Kelowna and the surrounding area and in communities across B.C The jackpots through out the Brier totaled $328,950 Sign In Register KELOWNA, B.C. — The saying "just make eight" has been used all season long by the members of Team Brad Jacobs. The Alberta foursome did just that in the 10th end on Sunday night and it paid off with a Montana's Brier title. Down one with hammer and a national crown on the line, Jacobs capped a run of eight perfect shots with a game-winning pick for three points that gave his team a 5-3 win over Manitoba's Matt Dunstone. "It's one of the best ends we've played all week," said coach Paul Webster. "But they had 25 of those ends all week. They've been playing like Brier champs all week. "We just had to put that final end together." Dunstone flashed his first rock in the ninth end and was forced to a single. In the 10th, his team of Colton Lott, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden tried to bunch up stones around the button area to try to force an extra end. With Alberta teammates Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Marc Kennedy setting the table, Jacobs made a soft tap with his first rock to sit four. Dunstone left a freeze attempt exposed and Jacobs hit it out to kick off his first Brier title celebration since 2013. Hebert let out a roar and slid down the ice to emphatically hug his skipper while Kennedy and Gallant hugged closer to the rings. "We didn't celebrate too many big shots or big moments all weeklong," Jacobs said. "We were very calm, cool and collected. "I think at the end it was just all of it coming out of us all at once." Jacobs, who played with Reid Carruthers last season, replaced Brendan Bottcher last spring in a move that the team felt would give them a better shot at winning major titles. "It was a first-line centre for a first-line centre," Webster said. "But it was just for moments like this. He made so many end-saving shots." Alberta was the lone team to go unbeaten in the eight-game round-robin. A qualifying loss was followed by four straight elimination-game victories, including a 7-5 semifinal win over Canada's Brad Gushue earlier in the day. "We have a never-quit attitude," Jacobs said. "We know that we're going to fight all the way through to the end no matter what." The top-ranked Dunstone had hammer to start against his second-ranked opponent. Four blanked ends preceded a Dunstone draw for two after Jacobs missed a cross-house double-takeout attempt. Dunstone made a tapback to sit two that forced Jacobs to draw for his first point. The Alberta skip followed with a steal when Dunstone jammed on a double. "Down the stretch they just placed rocks better than us," Dunstone said. Manitoba scored a single in the ninth but lost the all-important hammer. "The 10th was a dream because we made eight in a row," Hebert said. "Normally when you make eight shots in a row with hammer, you're going to get a deuce." It was the fourth career Brier title for Kennedy. Gallant and Hebert have now won five apiece. "I'm just completely heartbroken for my team," Dunstone said. "I wasn't good enough for them down the stretch." In the semifinal, Gushue had a chance to beat Jacobs with his final throw of the 10th end. However, his tap attempt was heavy and the rock slid by Alberta's shot stone. "We got the biggest break of the year," said Jacobs, who reached his first Brier final since 2015. The result ended Gushue's bid for a record fourth straight Brier title and seventh overall. "I just overthrew that last rock," he said. "I threw it six feet harder than what I needed to throw it. It's just unfortunate." Jacobs earned a berth in the 2026 Brier in St. John's, N.L., and will represent Canada at the March 29-April 6 BKT world men's curling championship in Moose Jaw, Sask. The Alberta team earned $108,000 of the total purse of $300,000. Dunstone's rink picked up $60,000 and Gushue's side collected $40,000. A sellout crowd of 5,483 in the final pushed overall attendance to 89,108. Ottawa's Rachel Homan won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts last month in Thunder Bay, Ont. She will wear the Maple Leaf at the world women's playdowns starting Friday in Uijeongbu, South Korea. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2025. Manitoba-Dunstone skip Matt Dunstone, back right, stands behind Alberta-Jacobs skip Brad Jacobs during the final at the Brier, in Kelowna, B.C., on Sunday, March 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Rylan Kleiter had to taste defeat before he was able to claim victory Kleiter and company will be representing Saskatchewan at the 2025 Montana’s Brier The national men’s curling championship set for Feb “I think that experience last year actually helped us for this final just to be ready for it,” said Kleiter “We knew what to expect going into that game.” Kleiter entered the provincial championship as the top seed after a strong season on the ice And after losing to Laycock in the round robin Team Kleiter redeemed themselves in the championship game While Laycock scored single points in the first and fourth ends Kleiter capitalized with three points in both the third and fifth ends to take a commanding 6-2 lead they were able to shut the door and claim their first provincial victory but you always know Steve’s going to be good competition,” said Kleiter and we just kind of stuck to it and pulled it out in the end “We knew that once we kind of had that lead you just knew that you just need to keep things clean Keep the scores to one point either way and we would be fine and we’d be able to kind of wrap up the game that way It was something special and something I’ll remember for a long time.” What makes it even more memorable is how long the team has been together Matter and Johnson have been curling together for nearly 14 years “We’ve all had the same goal in mind and we put in a lot of hard work on the ice and in the gym just to get the opportunity to go do this And it’s awesome that we were able to do it together all for all these years.” Now the foursome turns their focus to the Brier “It’s always something special when you get to put that green jacket on and we’re going to be wearing it with pride and giving it everything we got when we go to Kelowna,” said Kleiter “We’ve been playing on the World Curling Tour quite a bit and got into a few Tier 1 Grand Slams so we’ll be relying on that experience playing against the other top teams.” has made two trips to the Brier in his playing career as an alternate for Saskatchewan in 2001 and 2003 “I think it’ll be huge,” Rylan said of his father’s experience at the event “He sort of knows the protocols and how things go so I think having him there will help us sort of find our way there.” watching his dad compete at the provincial level is what sparked Rylan’s dream to get into competitive curling and chase the Brier dream “I remember watching my dad in a few Tankard finals and just sort of the emotion and what the game meant to him in those moments,” said Rylan has pre-qualified for the national championship the 2025 Brier field also features Matt Dunstone (Manitoba) Aaron Bartling (Northwest Territories) and Shane Latimer (Nunavut) The winner of the Brier will represent Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw from Mar second Kevin Marsh and lead Daniel Marsh — beat Yukon’s Thomas Scoffin 7-5 in the morning draw before topping Aaron Bartling and Team Northwest Territories 14-2 in the evening draw to move to 6-0 despite Scoffin entering the game with just one win Team Yukon played Saskatchewan tight as the game was tied 5-5 through seven ends McEwen would then pull away with a deuce in the eighth before a blank in the ninth to seal the victory Daniel Marsh led all curlers at 98 per cent while McEwen curled at 93 per cent Saskatchewan’s evening draw was much less dramatic as McEwen and company led 9-1 after five ends before tacking on another four points in the seventh end to lock down a sixth straight win “We’re building right now; hopefully the best is to be seen out of us this week,” McEwen told media after the evening draw “We’ve all had good individual performances but I think we’re building towards getting to a point where all four of us together are playing well “I’ve got a couple of games circled on the calendar coming up.” after two straight wins on Sunday and Monday the Saskatchewan provincial champions also featuring third Joshua Mattern second Matthew Hall and lead Trevor Johnson faced a tough test on Tuesday as they went up against Brad Jacobs and Team Alberta who have outscored their opponents 40-8 through their first three games And while Jacobs got out to an early 2-0 lead through four ends Kleiter kept it close and made a game of it in the seventh end with a great triple takeout to cut the lead to 4-3 closed out the game with a single point in eight and a stolen point in nine for the 6-3 win While Kleiter curled at 83 per cent in the loss Johnson threw a perfect game curling at 100 per cent Entering the evening draw with a 2-2 record Kleiter and company needed a bounceback performance that could go a long way in helping their playoff chances as Saskatchewan was facing the team directly above them in the standings as Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek entered the game with a 3-1 record and in possession of the final playoff spot And the Saskatoon Nutana Curling Club squad took control early with two stolen points in the first three ends before the teams traded deuces in the fourth and fifth ends After Mooibroek scored two more in the sixth Kleiter responded with three points in the seventh and another two stolen points in the eighth to secure the win which vaulted Saskatchewan ahead of Ontario in the Pool B standings “We’re getting to the point where you think the nerves are sort of going down a bit but every time you step out there a Brier rookie along with the rest of Team Kleiter “I’m just glad we were able to pull it out and get it done We see ourselves as a playoff team here at the Brier and we know that we play our best games later in the week so we’re just trying to grind them out one at a time and hopefully once the round robin is done we find ourselves in a good spot where we can continue on from there.” it will be an all-Saskatchewan battle with Kleiter and McEwen going head-to-head at 3:30 p.m The round robin then wraps up on Thursday with McEwen facing Jacobs in the evening draw — in what could be a game that determines top seed in the pool — while Kleiter takes on Yukon in the morning and Quebec in the evening another game that could have playoff implications The top three teams in each pool will make the playoff round with head-to-head results serving as the first tiebreaker if teams have the same record If head-to-head results don’t solve anything last-shot draw standings will be used as there are no tiebreaker games (Through Draw 12 on Tuesday evening; top three teams make playoffs) KELOWNA -- Mike McEwen has seen his run at the Montana’s Brier come to an end McEwen and his Saskatoon Nutana foursome of third Colton Flasch second Kevin Marsh and lead Daniel Marsh dropped a 6-4 decision to Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers in the Page Playoff 3-4 qualifier game on Friday night It was a tough loss for the Saskatchewan foursome as if not for one awful turn of events in the sixth end second Catlin Schneider and lead Connor Njegovan will now move on to the Page 3-4 game against Alberta’s Brad Jacobs with that contest taking place at 2:30 p.m Things were once again close in the early going of the qualifier with McEwen picking up a pair in the second end and Carruthers replying with a pair of his own in the third Back-to-back blanks by McEwen in the next two ends would see things tied 2-2 at the break setting up what would turn out to be a crucial turn of events in the sixth McEwen had a chance for three with his final shot but came in a touch thin and had disaster strike with his shot rock and one of the Saskatchewan counters rolling out and giving Carruthers a surprise steal of two The swing was especially tough as McEwen had a draw or hit for two Saskatchewan had a draw to the four foot for one with McEwen’s final shot in the seventh and he’d grab a piece of the button to make it 4-3 heading into the eighth Things were set up for a double take-out for four on Carruthers’ final shot that end but it would be McEwen’s turn to catch a break when the Manitoba skip’s shot came in a touch thin and he’d settle for two and the 6-3 lead The ninth end was setting up well for McEwen to tie the game Neufeld would make an excellent double with his final shot to get his rink out of trouble McEwen had a shot at a double for two with his final shot only get one and settle for the single point That left McEwen in the unenviable position of being down two without hammer coming home and Carruthers would make a double with his final shot to run Saskatchewan out of rocks Jacobs took a 10-6 win over Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell in the other 3-4 qualifier The winner of the contest between Carruthers and Jacobs will advance to the semifinal on Sunday where they’ll face the loser of the Page Playoff 1-2 game between Canada’s Brad Gushue and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone followed by the Montana’s Brier final at 7 p.m Be sure to keep an eye on www.curling.ca for up to date results from the remainder of the playoffs, and you can catch all the action live on TSN. Article contentThursday night at the 2025 Montana’s Brier featured a heavyweight matchup as the two undefeated teams in Pool B squared off in the final round robin game second Kevin Marsh and lead Daniel Marsh finish as the No Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell earned the third and playoff spot in Pool B with a 7-3 win over Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek on Thursday night 1 seed after beating Brad Gushue and Team Canada on Thursday afternoon Gushue and company enter playoffs as the No 2 seed while Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers is the No Despite finishing with the same 6-2 record as Northern Ontario Carruthers’ win in the round robin against John Epping served as the tiebreaker between the two teams 2 page qualifier while Jacobs will take on Gushue in the other The winners will advance to Saturday night’s 1 vs 2 page playoff game (8:30 p.m.) while the losers will face the No The two winners from there will advance to Saturday’s 3 vs 2 page playoff game then advances directly to Sunday night’s final (6 p.m.) while the loser heads to Sunday morning’s semifinal (12 p.m.) where they face the winner of Saturday’s 3 vs As for the matchup between Alberta and Saskatchewan on Thursday night Jacobs scored the first points in the game as McEwen forced him to a single point in the first before blanking the second end McEwen and company then scored a deuce in the third to go up 2-1 before Jacobs responded with a deuce of his own in the fourth After another two points by Saskatchewan in the fifth to go up 4-3 Jacobs scored a single in the sixth to tie the game before stealing a point in the seventh to take the 5-4 lead The teams traded single points in the next two ends before McEwen tried to engineer a win in the 10th with a deuce but Jacobs’ strong defence limited him to just one McEwen had a thin takeout with his last but couldn’t convert as Jacobs didn’t have to throw his last to pick up the win to become the only team in either Pool A or Pool B to finish the round robin with an undefeated record the Nutana Curling Club squad lost their final round robin game 8-5 to Felix Asselin and Team Quebec Team Kleiter also featuring third Joshua Mattern second Matthew Hall and lead Trevor Johnson finished with a 3-5 record (Through final round robin draw; top three teams make playoffs) Article contentIt was a solid Sunday for the two Saskatchewan teams at the 2025 Montana’s Brier McEwen kept his strong start going with a third straight win to open the Brier as his squad also featuring third Colton Flasch second Kevin Marsh and lead Dan Marsh beat Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek 8-4 to improve to 3-0 second Matthew Hall and lead Trevor Johnson — lost to Purcell in the opening game for each team McEwen and Purcell were tied at one in the third end before Team Saskatchewan scored three points to open up a 4-1 lead After Nova Scotia scored singles in back-to-back ends McEwen and company scored another three points to go up 7-3 through six ends before cruising to the 8-6 win After curling 95 per cent in his opening game on Saturday put together another solid performance by curling 88 per cent on Sunday while Kevin Marsh led all curlers at 98 per cent McEwen curled at just 83 per cent and missed a couple of key draws but the Saskatchewan team still escaped with the victory he got out to a 2-1 lead through four ends before Smith tied the game in the fifth Saskatchewan then scored a single in the sixth before stealing a deuce in the seventh to take control of the game with a 6-2 lead got two points back in the eighth end but Kleiter and company would hang on for the 7-4 win for their first career Brier victory Both Kleiter and McEwen will play a single draw on Monday before two games apiece on Tuesday (Through Draw 6 on Sunday evening; top three teams make playoffs) Alberta's Team Jacobs captured the Montana's Brier with a 5-3 victory over Manitoba's Team Dunstone 5-3 during Sunday's final in Kelowna, B.C. It's the second career Brier title for skip Brad Jacobs, whose Calgary-based club will represent Canada on home ice at the world men's curling championship, March 29 to April 6, in Moose Jaw, Sask. Here's how it all went down with results from every draw. Draw 1: Friday, Feb. 28, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • Manitoba (Carruthers) 6, British Columbia 5• Canada 9, Newfoundland and Labrador 2• Northern Ontario 7, New Brunswick 6• Manitoba (Dunstone) 6, Alberta (Koe) 2 Draw 2: Saturday, March 1, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT • Saskatchewan (McEwen) 6, Prince Edward Island 4• Nova Scotia 7, Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 2 • Alberta (Jacobs) 10, Yukon 3 • Ontario 11, Quebec 4 Draw 3: Saturday, March 1, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • Manitoba (Dunstone) 13, Nunavut 2• Northern Ontario (Epping) 9, Alberta (Koe) 5• Canada 5, British Columbia 3• Manitoba (Carruthers) 14, Newfoundland and Labrador 2 Draw 4: Sunday, March 2, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT • Ontario 12, Northwest Territories 2• Quebec 7, Yukon 5• Saskatchewan (McEwen) 8, Nova Scotia 6• Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 7, Prince Edward Island 4 Draw 5: Sunday, March 2, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT • Canada 6, Northern Ontario 5• Manitoba (Dunstone) 7, British Columbia 4• Manitoba (Carruthers) 5, Alberta (Koe) 4 • New Brunswick 8, Nunavut 3 Draw 6: Sunday, March 2, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • Yukon 7, Nova Scotia 5 • Saskatchewan (McEwen) 8, Ontario 4• Quebec 7, Prince Edward Island 5• Alberta (Jacobs) 20, Northwest Territories 2 Draw 7: Monday, March 3, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT • Alberta (Koe) 8, British Columbia 5 • Manitoba (Carruthers) 6, New Brunswick 4 • Newfoundland and Labrador 10, Nunavut 6 • Northern Ontario 8, Manitoba (Dunstone) 7 Draw 8: Monday, March 3, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT • Saskatchewan (McEwen) 9, Quebec 4• Alberta (Jacobs) 10, Prince Edward Island 3• Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 8, Northwest Territories 2• Ontario 9, Yukon 3 Draw 9: Monday, March 3, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • New Brunswick 5, Newfoundland and Labrador 4• Alberta (Koe) 10, Nunavut 2• Northern Ontario 8, British Columbia 6• Canada 7, Manitoba (Carruthers) 3 Draw 10: Tuesday, March 4, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT • Alberta (Jacobs) 6, Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 3• Quebec 9, Northwest Territories 8• Saskatchewan (McEwen) 7, Yukon 5• Nova Scotia 10, Prince Edward Island 6 Draw 11: Tuesday, March 4, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT • Manitoba (Carruthers) 8, Northern Ontario 6• Canada 8, New Brunswick 3 • Manitoba (Dunstone) 5, Newfoundland and Labrador 4• British Columbia 10, Nunavut 3 Draw 12: Tuesday, March 4, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • Yukon 8, Prince Edward Island 5 • Alberta (Jacobs) 7, Nova Scotia 3• Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 9, Ontario 4• Saskatchewan (McEwen) 14, Northwest Territories 2 Draw 13: Wednesday, March 5, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT • Manitoba (Dunstone) 9, New Brunswick 3 • British Columbia 8, Newfoundland and Labrador 3• Manitoba (Carruthers) 7, Nunavut 3• Canada 7, Alberta (Koe) 6 Draw 14: Wednesday, March 5, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT • Alberta (Jacobs) 11, Ontario 5 • Saskatchewan (McEwen) 7, Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 2• Prince Edward Island 10, Northwest Territories 5• Nova Scotia 7, Quebec 6 Draw 15: Wednesday, March 5, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • Canada 12, Nunavut 3• Manitoba (Dunstone) 8, Manitoba (Carruthers) 6• Alberta (Koe) 10, New Brunswick 4• Northern Ontario 9, Newfoundland and Labrador 6 Draw 16: Thursday, March 6, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT • Nova Scotia 7, Northwest Territories 4• Ontario 8, Prince Edward Island 4• Alberta (Jacobs) 6, Quebec 4• Yukon 8, Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 6 Draw 17: Thursday, March 6, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT • Alberta (Koe) 5, Newfoundland and Labrador 1• Northern Ontario 13, Nunavut 3• Manitoba (Dunstone) 7, Canada 6• New Brunswick 7, British Columbia 5 Draw 18: Thursday, March 6, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • Quebec 8, Saskatchewan (Kleiter) 5• Yukon 6, Northwest Territories 2 • Nova Scotia 7, Ontario 3• Alberta (Jacobs) 9, Saskatchewan (McEwen) 6 Page 1/2 Qualifier: Friday, March 7, 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT • Manitoba (Dunstone) 6, Saskatchewan (McEwen) 5• Canada 7, Alberta (Jacobs) 4 Page 3/4 Qualifier: Friday, March 7, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT • Manitoba (Carruthers) 6, Saskatchewan (McEwen) 4• Alberta (Jacobs) 10, Nova Scotia 6 Page 3/4: Saturday, March 8, 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT • Alberta (Jacobs) 6, Manitoba (Carruthers) 5 Page 1/2: Saturday, March 8, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT Semifinal: Sunday, March 9, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT Final: Sunday, March 9, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT • Alberta (Jacobs) 5, Manitoba (Dunstone) 3 there’s always one or two — and more — that make the 10-day-long national curling championship a little more interesting and exciting Article contentAt this year’s edition in Kelowna because pretty much everything seems to be going according to form so far Among those many things we expected from the field are those teams at the top of the standings including Canada’s Brad Gushue and his Newfoundland and Labrador rink having made the playoffs early Wednesday Alberta’s Brad Jacobs and Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen both clinched in Wednesday afternoon action And the élite Manitoba rinks skipped by Matt Dunstone and Reid Carruthers went into Thursday’s play with a chance to earn berths Here’s our take on five of those making the event interesting heading into the final day of round-robin play at the 2025 Brier … Four-time Brier winner Kevin Koe came in hoping to rebound from a 2-6 finish last year the wily veteran and two-time world champ is still among the top skips and shot-makers on the planet The 50-year-old from Calgary even recruited last year’s Alberta champion skip it hasn’t happened for superstar Koe and this winter’s Alberta kings it was just two wins in their first six games and that’s not good enough in Pool A — the ‘Pool of Death’ Carruthers and Northern Ontario’s John Epping also in the race The latest loss came Wednesday morning to Gushue — a 7-6 heartbreaker in an extra end — to eliminate the Glencoe Club squad from playoff contention Maybe it doesn’t come as a surprise to Epping and his Northern Ontario champs that they are enjoying success at this Brier dedicating themselves to the year at hand when they formed over the off-season Epping and his Sudbury rink-mates are in their first year together with limited Brier experience — at least compared to the others in the field leaving a mark on the national championship this week they’ve turned a busy schedule — no Canadian men’s team has played more games this season — into a well-designed blueprint for the Brier and it’s paid dividends for the Northern Credit Union Community Centre crew Team Epping has been a tremendously tough out and fully deserving of a playoff spot There were some worries among the curlers a pre-tournament verbal agreement not to use the controversial black-foam broom-heads would be tested Goldline — coming to a mutual agreement with World Curling — voluntarily withdrew its Pursuer foam from competitive use citing “the best interest of fairness and maintaining the integrity of the sport.” While the product meets all World Curling equipment specifications and was originally approved for use further on-ice testing provided evidence that it exceeds the limits outlined in the World Curling Statement of Principles for Competition Equipment “Following concerns raised with us and the provision by some athletes of video evidence we contacted Goldline,” said World Curling secretary general Colin Grahamslaw “They were unequivocal in their response that the Pursuer foam should be withdrawn pending further investigation.” Tyler Smith is making his fifth straight Brier visit and the lineup of his Prince Edward Island champs isn’t much different than what it looked like the previous three trips But it sure looks different on the scoreboard for them compared to last year in Regina Yes … they were still considered Davids coming in among the many Goliaths of the sport but they left their sling-shots at home this winter After getting off to a 4-1 start to post an impressive 5-3 record and narrowly missing the playoffs a year ago Smith and his Crapaud Community Curling Club rink didn’t record a win until their seventh game this time around — that one coming Wednesday afternoon in a 10-5 smash of Northwest Territories’ Aaron Bartling party was thought to be on again this year is similar to the follies of Félix Asselin and his Québec kings Only it’s coming two years after their last visit to the Brier Team Asselin also counted a 5-3 record and missed the playoffs by a hair But it’s been less stellar in their return in Kelowna struggling to find that darkhorse form so far Asselin even brought in 2006 Brier victor Jean-Michel Ménard to give them a bump for this bid to win a national title they found themselves on the wrong side of too many games they could win — and even then they were lucky to get away with a ‘W’ over NWT A loss to Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell on Wednesday afternoon truly hurt Québec in what’s now a long-shot chance to make the playoffs Article contentTwo Saskatchewan teams were pitted against each other on Wednesday afternoon at the 2025 Montana’s Brier in Kelowna McEwen (7-0) clinched a playoff spot and kept his undefeated record intact at the Canadian men’s curling championship with one round robin game remaining while Kleiter dropped to 3-3 but still has a chance to make the playoff round with two final round robin games remaining on Thursday While the score was 7-2 on Wednesday afternoon it was a much closer game through the first seven ends Kleiter — the 2025 provincial champion appearing in his first Brier — got on the board first with a steal of one in the second before McEwen — one of three teams to pre-qualify for the Brier through the Canadian Team Ranking System — scored a deuce in the third to go up 2-1 Kleiter responded with a single point in the fourth to tie the game 2-2 before the teams blanked three straight ends in the eighth end McEwen put the game to bed by scoring five after Kleiter missed a takeout with his final shot leaving McEwen an easy draw for the big score before the teams shook hands second Kevin Marsh and lead Daniel Marsh will now get set to play the other undefeated team in Pool B Saskatchewan time to wrap up the round robin the game could determine who finishes in top spot in the pool With a pair of games on Thursday to wrap the round robin second Matthew Hall and lead Trevor Johnson can still make the playoffs with wins against Yukon’s Thomas Scoffin in the morning (10:30 a.m Saskatchewan time) and Quebec’s Felix Asselin in the evening (8:30 p.m four teams with 3-3 round robin records are battling for the last playoff spot Ontario and Nova Scotia will meet at the same time as the Quebec-Saskatchewan matchup meaning the playoff battle could come down to the wire Kleiter beat Ontario but lost to Nova Scotia If it comes down to last-shot draw rankings would would leave him on the outside looking in as Ontario (Through Draw 14 on Wednesday afternoon; top three teams make playoffs) Article contentAfter spectating the opening draw of the 2025 Montana’s Brier on Friday night both Saskatchewan teams were in action on Saturday on Day 2 of the Canadian men’s curling championship in Kelowna second Kevin Marsh and lead Dan Marsh — beat Prince Edward Island’s Tyler Smith 6-4 to improve to 1-0 for the tournament After losing in the Brier final last year to defending champion Brad Gushue and Team Canada McEwen — one of three teams to pre-qualifier for the Brier — opened the 2025 tankard by curling 95 per cent stealing two points in the third end and scoring three in the fifth to power the team to victory second Matthew Hall and lead Trevor Johnson — were on the losing end in their opening game as they fell 7-2 to Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell the game started out with three blank ends before Kleiter after giving up three points in the fifth end Nova Scotia took control and didn’t look back as they scored two points in the ninth and stole two in the 10th for the win McEwen and company will now get set for a pair of games on Sunday as they face Purcell and Team Nova Scotia at 10:30 a.m who beat Quebec’s Felix Asselin in the opening draw Kleiter and his squad will have just one game on Sunday as they face Smith and P.E.I Both teams will play a single draw on Monday before two games apiece on Tuesday (Through Draw 2 on Saturday afternoon; top three teams make playoffs) For McEwen — who will be making his 10th career Brier appearance and second as the skip of Team Saskatchewan — knowing he’d have a spot in championship months in advance was a new feeling “This is pretty much as opposite of an experience qualifying as I’ve ever had,” chuckled McEwen a Manitoba product who is the import on Team Saskatchewan I think it’s new just about for all of us.” McEwen will be heading to his 10th straight Brier having represented Manitoba four times (2016 2022) and Ontario once (2023) after winning those respective provincial championships he earned a Brier berth by winning a Wild Card play-in game the night before the championship began skipping a new team out of Saskatoon featuring third Colton Flasch McEwen and company won the 2024 SaskTel Tankard provincial championship over Rylan Kleiter before putting together a 7-1 round robin record at the Brier to finish first in their pool After a loss to Brendan Bottcher and Team Alberta in the 1 vs McEwen and his squad rattled off three straight playoff wins including one over Bottcher in the semifinal to earn a spot in the final against defending champion Brad Gushue and Team Canada since McEwen had already earned a Brier berth and didn’t have to play in the provincial championships the team had to find a new way to ensure they are sharp for Kelowna where Flasch will make his eighth Brier appearance and the Marsh brothers their fourth we’ve got like five and a half weeks between our last event in January and the start of the Brier right around the first of March how do we fill that time so that we’re ready?” said McEwen who was named the first-team all-star skip last year “It created a new problem to solve and we went to work on that.” 6 in the world — enters the Brier as the No 2 seed in Pool B behind Brad Jacobs and Team Alberta another team to pre-qualify for the Brier based on the results last year while being skipped by Bottcher McEwen and company have had a strong season with wins at the PointsBet Invitational the ATB Okotoks Classic and the Saville Shootout The team also made it to the final at the Astec Safety Challenge while appearing in two Grand Slam semifinals “We’ve been really consistent,” said McEwen We’ve been able to maintain a really high level of performance the entire season When they haven’t been competing in events McEwen traveled to Saskatoon a number of times this season to train with Flasch and the Marsh brothers And during one of their recent training sessions Simmons quietly reminded McEwen of last year’s Brier final which is a game he would love to be in again this year albeit with a different result I knew exactly which end it was in the Brier final I don’t think about it too much in a sense that when we do look at it it’s just how do we use that to kind of prepare the same or maybe tweak a little bit so that we can do something even better.” While McEwen and company won’t have the home crowd on their side in 2025 the team wants to build on last year’s success at the event so unfortunately we’re not going to have that added shot in the arm “I get excited for every Brier I’ve ever played in but that was something extremely just at the very top of the list experiences in Regina.” After putting together a strong opening weekend last year with wins over Gushue and Alberta’s Kevin Koe sixth- and seventh-seeded teams to start things off this year as Team Saskatchewan will face Prince Edward Island’s Tyler Smith on Saturday followed by games against Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell and Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek on Sunday “I know that our opening weekend is very important,” said McEwen capable teams to deal with on opening weekend who beat Kleiter in the provincial final last year “That’s a team I want to see get experience on the national stage And I thought that was great that they won 7 with the championship set for two days later on Mar “I want to show up to the championship feeling free,” said McEwen “If you show up and feel like you’re reaching and have to do more that wouldn’t be very good recipe for success.” The winner of this year’s Brier will represent Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw from Mar Sign In Subscribe Now Five days into the Montana’s Brier Curling championship held in Kelowna the Yukon team representative skipped by Thomas Scoffin has picked up a couple of wins Team Scoffin enters the sixth day of the tournament with a 2-4 record having tallied wins against teams from Nova Scotia and PEI The Yukon team started the tournament with a 10-3 loss to Team Jacobs from Alberta which is currently undefeated at 5-0 and sitting in second place in the pool This was followed by a 7-5 loss to Team Asselin from Quebec and then a 7-5 win over Team Purcell of Nova Scotia The Scoffin rink then lost a 9-3 match to Ontario’s Team Mooibroek and a close 7-5 defeat to pool leading and undefeated Team McEwan of Saskatchewan.  Team Scoffin picked up its second tournament win over Team Smith of PEI by a score of 8-5 in the March 4 evening draw.  The Yukon representatives get the day off on March 5 before taking on the other Saskatchewan team in the draw they will take on Team Bartling of the Northwest Territories which was winless in the tournament as of the morning of March 5.  Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. 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