Team Dunstone learns from losing

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/11/2023 (1048 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Matt Dunstone has already experienced his fair share of heartbreak despite being one of the youngest elite skips in the sport.

It’s been nearly eight months since the 28-year-old went toe-to-toe with the legendary Brad Gushue in the final of the men’s national curling championship, but the wound from the 7-5 loss — a game Dunstone played brilliantly in — remains fresh today.

“It’s one that I think about every day. Obviously, it was the toughest loss I’ve been a part of and the guys have been a part of,” said Dunstone, who represented Team Manitoba at the Brier alongside third BJ Neufeld, second Colton Lott, and lead Ryan Harnden.

“That’s the biggest game we’ve ever played and we came up a rock short. That’s something I think about every single time we’re out on the ice.”

It wasn’t on as important of a stage, but Dunstone’s foursome — who are in their second year together — has already been dealt a crushing defeat this season — the PointsBet Invitational final in Oakville, Ont., back on Oct. 1.

The final was a battle of Manitoba with the Winnipeg-born Dunstone squaring off against Reid Carruthers for the rights to a $50,000 cheque.

The two also met in the championship game of the inaugural PointsBet in 2022 and Carruthers prevailed 8-4.

Carruthers would also win in 2023, but this time, in dramatic fashion as he scored three in the 10th to force an extra end before narrowly edging out Dunstone in a draw to the button tiebreaker to capture the single-elimination event for the second straight year.

“Immediately after, we went back to our AirBnB and were still trying to process what happened. Given the scoreboard and the scenario, it was a little bit of an unprecendeted loss in the grand scheme of things,” said Dunstone.

“There were some things that we caught after that game and ultimately, it made us better. It could be a blessing in the grand scheme of things because I think a lot of the conversations we had after that game likely wouldn’t have happened if we had won and I think it has made us a better team up to this point.”

It didn’t take long for Team Dunstone to dust themselves off. Last weekend, they won the Soo Curlers Fall Classic in Sault Ste Marie, Ont., with an 8-7 extra-end win over world No. 2 Joel Retornaz of Italy in the final.

Dunstone’s season also features quarter-final finishes at ATB Okotoks Classic and the Grand Slam of Curling’s Tour Challenge.

Next up on the schedule is a trip to Nova Scotia for the KIOTI National (Nov. 7-12).

“Yeah, it was huge. One of our main goals coming into the season was just to be a little bit better in those finals and it felt like we did that last week,” said Dunstone.

“It’s just a real big confidence boost for this group knocking off one of, if not the best team in the world right now.”

Regardless of what happens from here on out, Dunstone and Co. are guaranteed a spot at the 2024 Brier in Regina (March 1-10).

Curling Canada announced in the summer that Dunstone and Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher have pre-qualified for men’s nationals based on their spot in the 2022-23 Canadian Team Ranking System.

Dunstone is currently ranked No. 2 in the CTRS behind Bottcher.

With their ticket already punched, they won’t compete at Manitoba provincials in Stonewall (Feb. 6-11). Dunstone won the 2023 Viterra crown with a thrilling 8-7 win over Carruthers in Neepawa.

“It’s obviously a great feeling, and I feel it’s a great change for the sport. It makes every provincial championship worth what it should be now… I think the last three provincial finals I’ve been in, both teams, regardless of a win or loss, knew they were going to the Brier based on wild cards and that’s not necessarily how a provincial final should be,” said Dunstone.

Even though their calendar doesn’t include provincials, Dunstone will still represent Manitoba at the Brier.

“We’re going to be named Team Manitoba/Dunstone at the Brier so they are recognizing us as a Manitoba team, which was something we pushed very hard for. From our team’s standpoint, we want to represent Manitoba. From a fan’s standpoint, the Brier is about cheering for your province and we want to be a part of that and have our fans backing us as Team Manitoba.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @taylorallen31