Underdogs? What underdogs?

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This article was published 12/03/2016 (3785 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — It was Thursday morning here at the 2016 Brier, there were still a few more round-robin draws to play and Manitoba curling legend Jeff Stoughton was musing about what the final weekend at TD Place might hold.

“I know everyone’s talking about Northern Ontario right now. And they’ve been playing great,” said Stoughton, who’s been doing some coaching for Curling Canada this winter after his retirement.

“But the team I’d be worried about if I was playing in this thing is Kevin Koe,” Stoughton continued.

“If those guys get it going, look out. They’re that good.”

And they’re also standing in the way of Manitoba’s Mike McEwen, who will face Alberta’s Koe in this afternoon’s Page playoff 3 vs 4 game.

The winner of Manitoba-Alberta advances to tonight’s semifinal against Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs, who shockingly lost his first game of this event 7-6 in an extra end to Newfoundland in Friday night’s Page playoff 1 vs. 2 game.

The win over Jacobs advanced Brad Gushue straight to Sunday’s final, where he will be seeking the first Brier title for Newfoundland since 1976.

“One win away,” Gushue beamed here Friday night. “That was a heck of a game and a heck of a win.”

Jacobs was a perfect 11-0 heading into Friday night and was philosophical his first defeat came in the only Brier playoff game that isn’t sudden death.

“Hey, we’re still alive in the Brier. And we still have a chance to make the final and to go out there and win this thing,” said Jacobs.

“So like I said, we’re going to keep our chins up here.”

And they’re going to do it while anxiously awaiting the result of Saturday afternoon’s tilt between the Brier’s traditional heavyweights, Alberta and Manitoba.

McEwen won’t disagree with Stoughton’s assessment of Koe, but he also thinks his own team is a bit scary after a rookie Brier in which they have not looked at all out of place playing against the veterans of the Canadian men’s curling championship.

“Koe is super-dangerous. He’s one of the best big-weight hitters in the game. And so if he gets going, he can make some stuff that someone like me or Gushue would have a hard time making,” said McEwen.

“But we’ve got the same record as Koe. And just like us, Koe has also taken some shots at this thing. They’ve looked tremendous at times, but they’ve also looked very beatable at times.

“I think you look at the four teams remaining in this event, there’s a lot of history there between these teams. And especially in the last four years. And so we’re all comfortable with what each other brings to the equation.

“I don’t think anybody is intimidated. And I think everyone knows they’re going to have to play an A or A-plus game to win this thing on Sunday.”

Friday night’s Jacobs-Gushue game was a classic and illustrated just how high the bar is this year at a Brier that has lived up to its billing as the deepest field ever assembled.

Northern Ontario jumped out to a 4-1 lead against Gushue in the first five ends and appeared to be well on their way to their 12th straight victory and a berth in the final.

But a Newfoundland deuce in the sixth end and then a couple of critical — and unusual — misses by Jacobs third Ryan Fry in the seventh end gave a game-changing steal of two to Newfoundland and control of both the game and, ultimately, their own Brier destiny.

McEwen’s only three losses at this event came to the three other teams still remaining in the playoffs, so it probably doesn’t much matter in what order he faces them.

But it’s worth noting that while his team lost fairly handily to both Alberta and Northern Ontario in the round-robin, they threw a sizzling 94 per cent in an opening draw loss to Newfoundland.

All of which might hint at one heck of a Brier final, if Manitoba can survive that long.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @PaulWiecek

wiecek: bush-league decisions make brier laughable C2