Dunstone proud after ‘hard fought heck of a week’

By: Jason Bell Posted: 4:28 PM CDT Sunday, Mar. 8, 2020

KINGSTON, Ont. — Former Winnipegger Matt Dunstone — outfitted in green — found a silver lining after the toughest defeat of his curling career Sunday afternoon.

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KINGSTON, Ont. — Former Winnipegger Matt Dunstone — outfitted in green — found a silver lining after the toughest defeat of his curling career Sunday afternoon.

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KINGSTON, Ont. — Former Winnipegger Matt Dunstone — outfitted in green — found a silver lining after the toughest defeat of his curling career Sunday afternoon.

The emotions were raw from the 24-year-old Saskatchewan skip, mere minutes after suffering a 7-6 defeat to Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue in the Brier semifinal.

“In the grand scheme of things it was a hard-fought heck of a week for us. To play championship Sunday at the Brier, pretty darn cool and proud of the guys,” he said, his eyes welling up with tears and his voice cracking. “You get the taste of it and you wish it was happening again tomorrow. We’ve got so much to work toward now and we’ve proven we belong.”

Team Saskatchewan skip Matt Dunstone, reacts to a 7-6 loss to Team Newfoundland skip Brad Gushue in the Brier semifinal in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday. Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press

Dunstone scored a deuce in the ninth end and then froze to a rival rock in the eight-foot, forcing Gushue to draw for a single.

The Kamloops, B.C., resident, the import on a Regina-based crew with third Braeden Moskowy, second Catlin Schneider and lead Dustin Kidby, guided the team to an 8-3 record after the championship pool before losing to Brendan Bottcher of Alberta in the 1 vs. 2 game of the Page playoffs Saturday.

Saskatchewan surrendered a big three to Gushue in the second end but stuck with it and pushed the former Olympic, world and two-time Canadian champion to the limit.

“You know, it’s tough,” said Dunstone, competing in his second career Brier. “You come so close. (I) woke up thinking we were going to be Brier champions. I’m really proud. The week definitely had its ups and downs… when it came down to it, we really played well from head to toe.

“We have it in us to be Brier champions, there’s no doubt about it. We beat some great teams this week, we lost to some great team this week and at the end of the day, we were two wins away.”

Dunstone has been one of the most exciting storylines of the 91st Canadian championship. While his animated personality on the ice endeared himself to fans this week, his circus shots to end games quickly became his trademark.

Team Saskatchewan skip Matt Dunstone, right, slides past Team Newfoundland skip Brad Gushue as they play in the Brier semifinal in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday. Gushue defeated Dunstone 7-6. Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press

He admitted the eight-day, pressure-packed event has been a grind.

“It’s hard. I think that was Game 13 we played and so, pretty exhausted. It feels like we’ve been here three weeks but it’s a great place to be. Kingston has completely outdone themselves and I look forward to coming back in the future,” he said.

A two-time national junior men’s champion representing Manitoba, Dunstone really turned some heads this season with a Grand Slam victory in October and a third-place finish in Kingston. Gushue said curling fans in Canada shouldn’t be too surprised when, inevitably, Dunstone hoists the Tankard trophy.

“He’s got a great future. I’d love to be his age again,” said Gushue, 39. “He’s going to have a lot of opportunities at this and I know he’s probably disappointed with the result here, but he played great all week and gave themselves a chance.

“They’re going to have lots and lots of chances to win one of these and there’s no doubt in my mind he is going to win one, and probably multiple over the course of his career. He’s that good.”