This Brier will be missing Martin

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/02/2012 (5168 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DAUPHIN — Brandon’s Rob Fowler will represent Manitoba at a Brier in Saskatoon next month that will be missing a very big name.

Alberta’s Kevin Martin — the reigning Olympic gold medallist — was eliminated in Sunday’s Alberta semifinal by Brock Virtue, who was then eliminated himself in the final by Kevin Koe.

“There’s a little complacency that has set in on the old Martin team that we have to deal with, I think,” the 11-time provincial champion said after the loss. “Well, I’ve got to deal with it. It’s the whole team. But that always happens. You can’t have all the years of really good without having a dip.”

Koe isn’t exactly a slouch, however. The 2010 world champion will likely be anointed one of the pre-event favourites to win in Saskatoon, alongside Glenn Howard, who captured Ontario yet again on Sunday.

But beyond those two heavyweights, Fowler looks like he should be very competitive in a Brier field that is strong but not spectacular.

Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue is always strong but has never won, despite making eight previous trips to the Brier in the last nine years. Nova Scotia is being represented this year by Brier rookies in Jamie Murphy, P.E.I. is sending annual Brier also-ran Mike Gaudet, New Brunswick will be represented by Terry Odishaw, Quebec is sending Robert Desjardins, Northern Ontario is sending Brad Jacobs, Yukon/NWT is sending Jamie Koe and Saskatchewan is sending a no-name in Scott Manners. Jim Cotter will represent B.C.

Fowler looks every bit like a playoff team, especially if he curls even remotely as well he did here in beating Mike McEwen and Jeff Stoughton. “We know we’re good enough to qualify,” said Fowler third Allan Lyburn. “We just have to get going. This (arena) ice doesn’t bother us one bit.

“The competition will be great. But at the same time, the way we hung out here, we can grind it out. Make the playoffs is what we’re trying to do to start with and we’ll take it from there.

 

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Lyburn was born and raised in Scotland, but he’s paid most of his curling dues in Manitoba, as a longtime skip first and more recently as a third.

And so he knew exactly what it meant when he was presented Sunday afternoon with his Purple Heart, raising the crest awarded to men’s curlers who win the right to represent their provinces at the Brier and kissing it.

“It’s very special,” said Lyburn. “Ever since I came to Manitoba from Scotland, I couldn’t believe how good the curling was. Even the 80-year-olds were curlers. I knew it’d be hard and tough. I couldn’t do it skipping, so I thought I’d have a go at third and got the right team… it was our week.”

 

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Fowler lead Derek Samagalski knows exactly how the members of Team Mike McEwen are feeling this morning.

Like McEwen and company, Samagalski also lost three Manitoba curling finals in a row. And instead of losing over the course of three years — as McEwen has in the last three provincial men’s finals — Samagalski did his losing in just two winters, dropping the 2005 Manitoba junior final, the 2006 Manitoba men’s final (with Reid Carruthers) and the 2006 Manitoba mixed final.

“It sure feels good to finally come out on top,” Samagalski said Sunday. “We worked hard all year. This is what we dream about. It’s just an unbelievable feeling.”

 

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Second Richard Daneault is the only other member of the Fowler team aside from the skip with Brier experience.

And his lone trip to the Canadian Men’s Curling Championship came with more pressure than most Briers — he curled second for Kerry Burtnyk in the 2008 Brier before a hometown crowd at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre.

“Playing in your hometown was a big thing,” said Daneault. “But playing in Saskatoon will be just as big or bigger. It’s huge for us.”

 

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They’ve lost the last three Manitoba men’s finals in a row — and seem genuinely befuddled about why it keeps going wrong for them.

But one thing that won’t likely be changing on the Mike McEwen foursome any time soon will be the personnel.

Although McEwen is now 0-3 in Manitoba finals, his current team — with third BJ Neufeld, second Matt Wozniak and lead Denni Neufeld — has had huge success on the cashspiel circuit and have never been beaten in a Grand Slam final.

They also continue to have their sights set on qualifying for the 2013 Canadian Curling Trials, where the winners will represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics and which come with an added incentive for Winnipeg-based teams, since they will be held in Winnipeg.

“The guys that we have here,” said Denni Neufeld, “are the guys I’m going to win with. Mike McEwen is going to go to a Brier and he’s going to drag me along with him… We’re committed.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca