Steve Irwin finds Superleague success

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This article was published 04/02/2025 (276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steve Irwin’s team wanted to get back to supremacy in the Taylor Jackson Financial Services Westman Superleague of Curling but knew it wouldn’t be easy.

It certainly wasn’t, as often the case in curling it just took patience to pounce on the other team’s mistakes, which came in the final two ends.

Irwin and his rink of Travis Brooks, Travis Gouldie and Travis Taylor outlasted Jeff Stewart’s rink Sunday to retain the league title, thanks to staying the course and taking advantage of the game’s only missed shots.

After nearly a decade since Irwin’s team, albeit with lineup changes, won the ultra-competitive league that features some of the best curling teams in the province, so to get back to the top spot and against very skilled teams serves as a great measuring stick as another massive week ramps up.

“With Jeff it’s never over, those guys have played great all year so it was nice to get a lead on them and hang on to it coming home,” said Irwin immediately following Sunday’s win.

“Jeff’s been so good in this league, and even went undefeated two years ago, and were very close to getting it done again this year. They played us very tough, and we had a really good game and just turned the hammer around because they started with it.”

As the top two teams following league play, Stewart sat atop the table at 11-0, while Irwin was not far behind in the second seed at 9-2.

Both teams had byes to Sunday morning’s semifinals, in which Stewart shutout Alyssa Calvert 6-0 and Irwin knocked off Kelly Marnoch 5-2.

After a blanked opening end to open Sunday’s final, Irwin made a great shot with his first rock of the second end, leaving three rocks counting behind a well-placed guard. Steward had to work hard to get just the single, which he did for an early 1-0 lead.

Irwin answered back with a deuce before both teams went back to playing very conservatively, not leaving many rocks in play until the fifth.

Stewart was facing four of Irwin’s stones in the fifth, but hit and stuck, clearing out two for a hard-earned single to tie things up at 2-2.

After another blank in the sixth, Stewart’s final rock in the seventh peeled on a guard, leaving Irwin a wide-open draw for two, which he made and gave his team a 4-2 lead.

Irwin drew to bite the four-foot with his last rock in the eighth, counting two. Stewart had a very tough shot at a double to keep his team alive but missed, allowing Irwin to count three more and end it.

Following the win, Irwin was quick to point out the difficulty Stewart faced in those challenging shots, and praise his team for the presence to stay locked in for the duration of a difficult match.

“We were fortunate to get the deuce in seven, because he doesn’t miss that shot very often,” said Irwin.

“This is Brooksy’s first one, and me and Taylor have won a few before, and even come real close the last couple years, had some final losses and a few were we’re almost there, but to get this one is great, especially for Brooksy to get his first.”

After a perfect regular season, Stewart didn’t spend any more time than necessary reflecting on the end to the Superleague season, but rather switched gears to focus on the week ahead, namely his team’s opening round game at the Viterra men’s provincial curling championship in Portage on Wednesday.

“We always have really good games when we play against Steve so it’s not really a surprise to have it end that way, but overall we played good all season long in league play so we just hope to keep that going into next week,” said Stewart.

Stewart and his rink of Alan Christison, Geoff Trimble, Eric Zamrykut and fifth Trevor Calvert open the provincial championship against Winnipeg’s Devon Wiebe out of the Charleswood Curling Club on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m.

Irwin and his rink of Brooks, Taylor, Daley Peters in the place of Gouldie and fifth Kody Janzen begin the tournament against Hamiota’s Travis Gregory at 8:30 a.m.

All games are at Portage la Prairie’s Stride Place.

Pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Brandon Sun for a preview of the Viterra men’s provincial championship.

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com