Calvert has what it takes to hang with the best

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This article was published 07/02/2015 (4195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Everyone knew coming into this year’s Manitoba men’s curling championship the Braden Calvert squad was a very good junior team.

What no one knew was the two-time defending Canadian junior champions are also an excellent men’s team.

The Calvert squad — third Kyle Kurz, second Lucan Van Den Bosch and lead Brendan Wilson — made it all the way 2 vs. 2 game Saturday night before they were finally eliminated with a 6-4 loss to 11-time Manitoba men’s champion Jeff Stoughton.

This was the first trip to the Manitoba men’s provincials for the Calvert squad, but it certainly didn’t look like it will be the last. In the meantime, they’ve got the small matter of the world juniors in Estonia at the end of the month, where the Calvert team will be looking to improve on a fourth-place finish at last year’s worlds.

“There’s a lot to learn from these top teams and I think it’s going to make us a better team,” said Calvert said. “It’s going to round out our game a little bit better. We’ve taken a lot of hints and ideas from the top guys this weekend and I think it will help us in the future.”

Jones debuts

Olympic gold medallist and reigning Manitoba women’s curling champion Jennifer Jones is making her debut this weekend as a curling analyst for Sportsnet’s broadcasts of the last three draws of the Safeway Championship.

Jones is being joined in the booth this weekend by Sportsnet play-by-play guy Rob Faulds and former longtime TSN curling analyst Ray Turnbull.

Today’s broadcast of the semifinal from Brandon will air on Sportsnet One at 9 a.m. The final will air on Sportsnet West beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Back to the future

This year’s Safeway Championship playoff round was an exercise in going back to the future.

Of the 32 curlers who advanced to this year’s eight-team playoff round, 16 were former — or reigning, in the case of Calvert’s squad — Manitoba junior champions.

Add Reid Carruthers lead Colin Hodgson — a former Alberta junior champion — and Carruthers third Braeden Moskowy — a former Saskatchewan junior champion — and fully 18 of the 32 were previous junior champions.

All-McEwen all-stars

To the surprise of no one, the Mike McEwen foursome — McEwen, third B.J. Neufeld, second Matt Wozniak and lead Denni Neufeld — swept this year’s Safeway Championship all-star awards.

It was the first all-star nod for McEwen, second for Neufeld and fourth for both Wozniak and Denni Neufeld.

The honours, as selected by the Manitoba Curling Media Association, were presented Saturday evening prior to the start of the 1 vs 1 game.

This year’s Pat Spiring Memorial Award was presented to Neepawa’s Kelly Robertson. The Pat Spiring award annually goes to the curler at the Safeway Championship who “exemplifies excellence combined with competitive spirit, love of the game, and respect for the spirit and traditions of curling.” It is voted upon by the curlers.

Robertson was also a co-winner last year with Brandon’s Allan Lyburn.

Selkirk 2016

Curl Manitoba announced the 2016 Manitoba men’s curling championship will be held in Selkirk.

Brandon wants Brier

There is preliminary talk in Brandon about bidding to host a Brier now the Canadian Curling Association has shown an increasing willingness to put their marquee event into mid-sized facilities.

The 2014 Tim Hortons Brier was held at a 6,400-seat facility in Kamloops and there is talk in St. John’s of putting in a bid to host the Brier in that city’s 7,100-seat Mile One Centre.

Brandon’s Westman Communications Group Place is smaller than either of those facilities at 5,100 seats, but locals believe that they could make believers of the CCA if they could first successfully host a smaller CCA event, such as a Continental or Canada Cup.

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Westman Place has an attached hotel and is ideally situated inside the Keystone Centre, which has the attached convention space necessary to have a Brier Patch.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek