Experience-building exercise

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This article was published 12/03/2016 (3726 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — There’s no one in Canadian men’s curling who knows disappointment in the big game quite like Mike McEwen.

And so maybe it’s just a case of practice makes perfect for a Winnipeg team that lost five Manitoba finals in six years until it finally broke through last month and punched its long-awaited ticket to its first Brier.

But whatever it was, a foursome that had in the past made as many headlines for the way they behaved after big losses as the way they played in them was all class and composure at the 2016 Brier Saturday afternoon following a 7-5 loss to Alberta’s Kevin Koe in the 3 vs. 4 game that ended the Manitoba champions’ Brier sooner than they’d hoped.

“Sure, it’s disappointing. And it will probably sink in a little bit later even more so,” said third B.J. Neufeld. “But no, it doesn’t compare to the trials and tribulations of provincials. No doubt. It hurts. And it sucks to maybe not come up with our best game…

“But things didn’t really go our way and they played incredibly well. They didn’t miss much.”

Koe used the hammer that came with beating Manitoba in round-robin play to full effect Saturday, putting a deuce up on the board in the second end and then pounding Manitoba into submission the rest of the way.

The shooting percentages were lopsided through the first five ends — Neufeld was outshot 95-80 by Alberta third Mark Kennedy, while McEwen trailed Koe by 20 points, 93-73. But at least some of the disparity was simply a Manitoba team pressing to get back into the game and instead only falling further behind.

Alberta’s 2-0 lead became 5-1 by the break and the final outcome of this one was never in doubt — even if Manitoba attempted to make a game of it in the final few ends. The final team shooting percentages — 91 for Manitoba, 93 for Alberta — flattered the McEwen foursome.

“Anytime we had something a little bit going, he made everything perfect,” McEwen said of Koe. “I was throwing shots that we sometimes didn’t even know if they were there or not… They played pretty much a perfect game.”

Put it all together and it was exactly the kind of measured and composed response to a big defeat Manitoba curling fans have not seen much from a skip whose petulance after some of those losses in the provincials over the years had begun to rub people the wrong way.

But to his everlasting credit, McEwen said Saturday he’s learned from his past mistakes and now has a perspective on curling that was missing in the past.

“We made sure today to come in prepared for all outcomes and be able to accept that,” said McEwen.

“I think that’s where we want to play from. Not being able to accept defeat is not a fun feeling and I think… our ability is vastly improved to accept those circumstances.”

McEwen was taking the long view Saturday of a loss that eliminated his team from this Brier but which also added invaluable experience to a team hoping to peak in this same city in December 2017 at the Canadian Curling Trials, where the men’s and women’s representatives for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be determined.

“Everything behind the scenes, that’s what we’re working towards,” said McEwen. “And we defined getting to a national championship and playing under those circumstances as sort of a necessary experience. So yeah, it was important for us to be here, because that’s what we’re ultimately building toward — the Trials in Ottawa.”

McEwen was asked if the long and agonizing wait for his team to get a Brier had been worth it.

“Yeah, it definitely met expectations and maybe even exceeded them a little bit,” the skip said. “Just how full the building felt and how lively the crowd felt.”

McEwen noted while this was his first Brier, he knows all about the experience of a Canadian championship as the husband of Jennifer Jones lead Dawn McEwen.

“The Scotties (women’s title tournament) is an amazing event. But the Brier — there’s just that many more people in the stands and it just felt a little bit bigger being on the ice than in the crowd, where I’d been sitting in my other experiences.”

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