Team Irwin eyes spot at provincials

Steve Irwin and his curling team have picked up right where they left off.

After taking home the Taylor Jackson Financial Westman Superleague of Curling title last year, the Brandon-base team has come out of the gate hot to start this season, tallying a 4-0 record after beating Brayden Payette (1-0), Jeff Stewart (7-4), Cale Dunbar (7-5) and Alyssa Calvert (7-2) through the first month of play.

Their undefeated record deserves even more praise when you consider the fact their team underwent some change in the summer, with Travis Gouldie leaving and Saskatchewan’s Brayden Stewart entering the fold with Travis Taylor, Travis Brooks and Irwin. With some shakeup, it would be natural for there to be some chemistry challenges on the ice, but according to Irwin, that couldn’t be further from the case.

“It’s been really good so far,” Irwin said. “Obviously we got a new player with Brayden Stewart coming in, and it’s been a really smooth transition having him on the team. He’s fit in very well. He’s an excellent thrower, a great sweeper and a great team guy, so it’s been a good start, and we’re hoping to build on that coming up here this weekend and next weekend.”

Team Irwin is currently competing at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club in Winnipeg for the Manitoba Curling Tour’s Atkins Curling Supplies Classic, an 18-team tournament that gives the winner a berth into this year’s Viterra Championship (provincials) at Selkirk Recreation Complex during the first week of February — the week following the Superleague playoffs in late January.

So far, Irwin and his squad were able to pull out a 9-4 win in their first matchup against Austin Kadlec and will then play Winnipeg’s Braden Calvert on Friday evening. Today’s matchups are based off last night’s results. It will then be a quick turnaround for Team Irwin next week too, as they will drive out to Gimli in what will be another chance for them to qualify for provincials under a nine-team bracket.

Irwin said his club wouldn’t usually play in these tournaments, but after MCT cut the number of provincial qualifying spots from 32 down to 24 — meaning there’s likely only one or two teams that will qualify from the Superleague — there’s more urgency to secure a position.

“This is the first year they’ve gone from 32 teams down to 24, so this is kind of new for us,” said Irwin. “We know that our regional is always very tough, so it’s a super tough qualifying process for us, so we wanted to give ourselves the best opportunity to get to the provincials, which is our main goal. Get to provincials, qualify and then see where we go from there.”

Between the trio of Taylor, Brooks and Irwin, who’ve played together for 10 years now, they have close to 40 years of experience at provincials, but they’ve never taken those opportunities for granted. That is why Irwin and his teammates are so determined to get in.

“We have been there quite a bit, but it’s always the pinnacle for the year for us to be there,” he said. “Like I said, our biggest thing is to make sure we get there, and then we’re hoping that we can put one together this year if we make it and give ourselves a shot.”

A big piece of the puzzle will be the play of Stewart, who has not yet been in a major Manitoba curling event since he moved to Minnedosa a few years ago, but that doesn’t take away from his impressive resume on the ice throwing the stones. Stewart’s been involved in competitive curling for more than a decade, winning the under-18 provincial championship in 2014, the mixed double provincial championship in 2018, being named a provincial finalist in 2023, and appearing in five national mixed doubles championships.

“He’s definitely a very good player and has played in a lot of big games, so he’s a huge addition for us,” Irwin said. “Hopefully we can really dial it in and get a spot out of one of the two events.”

Although it will be a tall task, Team Irwin not only has all the tools to make it happen but also has the luxury of playing in one of the most competitive curling leagues in Manitoba. The Superleague has usually had half of its clubs move on to provincials each season, which says a lot about the level of talent.

Irwin believes playing the first four draws of the season will be an asset for them, as they are already used to playing in tight games day in and day out.

“We always look forward to the competitive games every week because they help you to stay sharp throughout the year,” he said. “You know every Wednesday you’re going to have a tough game because the league is quite strong, so you go to be sharp to play every time. Obviously, it’s exciting to play different competition, but I think that will help us during the next few weeks.”

» mdelucataronno@brandonsun.com