Carruthers favoured to conquer Manitoba

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This article was published 05/02/2024 (793 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There may be 32 teams competing in this week’s Manitoba men’s curling provincials, but there’s only one heavy favourite: Team Reid Carruthers.

Carruthers, who now plays third after handing off skipping duties to Brad Jacobs in December, second Derek Samagalski, and lead Connor Njegovan are the No. 1 seed in Stonewall as they’re ranked fifth nationally.

The rock throwers out of the Granite Club will be challenged mostly by up-and-comers as they’re the only ones who occupy a spot in the country’s top 10 rankings. The tournament kicks off Wednesday inside the Veteran’s Memorial Sports Complex and runs through Sunday.

“I’ve been in that spot before where we’ve been the favourite and we haven’t won. I’m smart enough to know that these provincial championship titles don’t come easy,” said Carruthers, 39.

“The depth in Manitoba is obviously very high.”

Tournament No. 2 seed Ryan Wiebe out of Fort Rouge poses the greatest threat to Carruthers and Co. Rounding out the top five is Braden Calvert (Fort Rouge), Jordon McDonald (Assiniboine), and Brett Walter (Assiniboine).

No one in that group, including any of their teammates, has won the men’s crown before.

“I look at a team like Wiebe’s and they’re working hard. They can definitely beat us if they play well,” said Carruthers, a seven-time Manitoba men’s champion.

“We’re well aware that we’re going to have to play well to beat them and a handful of others that can definitely win this thing. We’re not taking anything for granted. We just really have to worry about us and putting our best game forward.”

Carruthers, Samagalski and Njegovan made it to the final last year in Neepawa as a three-man unit before losing 8-7 to Matt Dunstone in the final. In the 10th end, Njegovan burned Samagalski’s second shot as it was heading towards the house. Dunstone, who won’t be in Stonewall as he was announced as a pre-qualified team for the 2024 Brier (March 1-10 in Regina) before the season, went on to score three to secure the Buffalo jacket.

Carruthers still qualified for nationals as a wild-card entry and added Rob Gordon to round out the lineup. They went 4-4 and missed the playoffs.

“This year, it does feel different. We’re solidified as a team, the chemistry is great, and we’re out there having fun curling.”– Reid Carruthers

“There’s obviously lessons that we took from it, but I don’t sit at home before bed and think about it every night,” said Carruthers on the loss to Dunstone. “It’s just one of those where where they played a great end and we had a bad break.”

After adding one of the most accomplished players in the country in Jacobs — a Brier and Olympic champion skip — in the off-season, the path to Regina just got that much harder for the 31 other teams in the field.

If Kevin Koe, currently ranked fourth in the Canadian Team Ranking System, takes care of business at Alberta provincials, Carruthers will likely secure the final pre-qualified berth for nationals if they don’t live up to the hype in Stonewall.

“This year, it does feel different. We’re solidified as a team, the chemistry is great, and we’re out there having fun curling,” said Carruthers. “I feel like when we’re playing our best, we can beat some of the world’s best and I think in years past we may not have felt quite like that.”

Wiebe broke out two years ago in Selkirk by reaching the provincial semifinal. The team took a bit of a step back last year as they bowed out in the eight-team championship round, but the 23-year-old skip feels confident about making it to Sunday.

Team Wiebe, ranked No. 17 in Canada, hasn’t crossed paths with Carruthers this season.

“Without Dunstone this year, it’s a top 10 team that we don’t have to play in the province. Last year, you could say we were the No. 3 seed, but there was a very big gap between three and the top two,” said Wiebe.

“Carruthers is still a very, very good curling team, but we feel as the second seed we’re poised to try to make that final and close the gap there.”

This is the first time the men’s championship has taken place in Stonewall. In total, there are 20 different Manitoba curling clubs and communities taking part in the action. Fort Rouge has the largest number of qualified teams with four.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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