22°c Partly cloudy
10°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Victory vaults Fowler team to playoffs
Manitoba skip Rob Fowler, centre, watches his shot as lead Derek Samagalski, left and second Richard Daneault sweep during a morning draw against Saskatchewan at the Tim Hortons Brier in Saskatoon, Sask. Thursday. (JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Related Items
SASKATOON -- Brandon’s Rob Fowler has become just the second Manitoba team in history from outside Winnipeg to qualify for the Brier playoffs.
With a 10-4 victory here over Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs Thursday afternoon, Fowler’s Manitoba foursome finishes their round-robin with a record of 8-3 and have now guaranteed themselves no worse than a third-place finish and a berth and the hammer in Saturday’s page playoff 3 vs 4 game.
It was Fowler’s fourth consecutive victory and the skip spoke afterward about peaking at the right time. "It was a strong finish. We dropped a couple of games early, but in two of those three (losses) I had shots to basically break the game open. And in all of the games, the team’s played very good.
"So it’s really been a consistent performance in all 11 games and to finish off strong and get to 8-3 is a good spot to be in."
Fowler shot 88 per cent in the win over Northern Ontario -- and his team as a whole shot 91 per cent.
Fowler could still finish as high as second place -- and earn a berth into Friday night’s 1 vs 2 game -- if Alberta’s Kevin Koe loses tonight to first place Glenn Howard of Ontario.
Koe defeated Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy 8-3 Thursday afternoon to improve to 8-2 to retain second place. A loss to Ontario (9-1) tonight would mean Alberta also finishes the round-robin at 8-3, but Manitoba won the head-to-head matchup between the teams Wednesday night and would be awarded second place in that scenario.
The top four teams at the conclusion of tonight’s round-robin advance to the playoffs. With Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba now in, only the fourth-place team must now be determined and that’s become a two-team race between Northern Ontario (5-5) and the Territories (6-4).
The Territories have clinched at least a tiebreaker already and would clinch fourth place with a win over BC on the final round-robin draw tonight. But if the Territories lose to BC and Northern Ontario beats Saskatchewan, both teams would finish at 6-5 and would play a tiebreaker on Friday to determine fourth place.
The only other Manitoba team not based out of Winnipeg to compete in the Brier playoffs since playoffs were first introduced at the 1980 Brier was Mel Logan of Souris in 1982. Logan finished the round-robin that week at 6-5 and won a tiebreaker game but lost the semi-final.
Prior to the introduction of playoffs at the Brier, Ab Gowanlock also won the Brier twice while curling out of rural Manitoba. Gowlanlock won a Canadian men’s curling championship curling out of Glenboro in 1938 and then won it all again in 1953, curling out of Dauphin.
In addition to being the fourth win in a row for Fowler, the win over Northern Ontario was also the second time he’s won in two days when Manitoba was the feature game on TSN. Fowler started the week at 0-3 as the TSN feature game.
The ability to win under the hottest lights will be key for Manitoba moving forward. All the playoff games are broadcast live on TSN.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for today)
Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
3:37 PMAn 18-year-old man who drove into a Fort Richmond retention pond early this morning has died from his injuries.
Rescue divers ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Male facing charges after gun fired in Exchange District
- Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of rock group The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer
- A new mom's booze-fuelled hell
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Tornado leads CBS to pull season-ending episode of 'Mike & Molly'
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Police make grow-op bust
- Nearly 10 years after devolution, Southern Authority hasn’t created its own standards
- Bethania CEO put on leave during investigation
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Man breaks world record by riding Ferris wheel at Chicago's Navy Pier for more than 48 hours
- Tornado leads CBS to pull season-ending episode of 'Mike & Molly'
- Doc's memoir portrays ERs as frantic, funny, frightening ... but never dull
- WAG's 100 Masters exhibit drawing more than art aficionados
- Fans' patience is rewarded at last: 'Arrested Development' will be reborn Sunday on Netflix
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Province removing red tape in alcohol sales
- Animals are animals, new ads say
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Retail sales in province see 2 per cent increase in February
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.