McEwen figures it’s his time

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This article was published 12/02/2010 (5902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

STEINBACH — The winner leaves the ice last in championship curling, and though Mike McEwen came off the rink after Jeff Stoughton on Thursday at the provincial men’s Safeway Championship, he’d much rather do it again Sunday.

Stoughton has pretty much owned this event of late, winning seven titles beginning in 1991, including three of the last four. The two-time Brier champ and one-time world champion is now 26-2 at the provincials dating back to 2006 when the championship was last played in Steinbach.

So is anyone going to beat Stoughton? Not likely, but if any team has much of a chance, it’s the 29-year-old McEwen and his Assiniboine Memorial mates.

Both McEwen and Charleswood’s Stoughton have opened with 2-0 records and will attempt to qualify for the final eight in today’s early A-side draw at T.G. Smith Centre. McEwen faces Murray Warren of Deloraine and Stoughton takes on Stony Mountain’s Randy Dutiaume.

Also in A-side matches this morning are Peter Prokopowich facing former champ Kerry Burtnyk while Reid Carruthers meets old teammate Jason Gunnlaugson for the first time at the provincials.

Still alive on the B-side with one loss are William Lyburn, David Bohn, David Hamblin, Doug Riach, Randy Neufeld, Brendan Taylor, Travis Graham and Allan Lyburn.

The next B-side draw is set for 12:15 p.m. Friday and losers in that draw will be eliminated. Bohn will meet Hamblin, Neufeld faces Riach, William Lyburn takes on Allan Lyburn and Graham locks up with Taylor.

"If you’re an oddsmaker, you’d have to like Jeff (Stoughton). But it’s very hard to repeat, and if you look at the teams that can challenge Jeff, as far as stopping him, I think we have a very good chance," said McEwen, whose strong 2008-09 season qualified him for funding from Sport Canada and the Canadian Curling Association.

"We’ve gone out and paid our dues on the World Curling Tour. We’ve put in our time on and off the ice. I would challenge any team here to say they’ve thrown more rocks than us," said McEwen, who stands 5-foot-9 with a trim 180-pound frame. "The effort that we put in speaks volumes and we do have a lot of results as a team if you look at our record. If we were to win, I wouldn’t call it an upset at all."

McEwen beat Burtnyk at the Road to the Rings pre-Olympic trial event and recently defeated Stoughton at the BDO Classic at the MTS Centre. He says meeting either in an elimination game here is not something he fears.

"I’d feel pretty good about our chances. We’ve had some success against both those teams, and they certainly know that. We’ve got a lot of family in this area, and to have that opportunity to put on a good show in front of them, I’d be really excited to be in that situation," McEwen said.

"Second place sucks at an event like this. There’s nothing meaningful in a loss here, and that’s something you have to get used to. Those two guys know that better than anyone else and know how to deal with that. We’re learning that. We’re not there yet, but we’re close."

McEwen and his teammates are still relatively young, without the distractions that come with family and children.

"I’m a realtor with Royal LePage and my teammates all have similar jobs that allow them to spend lots of time on curling," said McEwen, who offered a sheepish laugh when asked about the last time he sold a house. "It’s been awhile.

"At the moment, especially with the Olympic Trials this year, curling has been the focus. With the amount of hours we put in, it’s like our job. It’s a big focus for all of us."

His team has made more than $50,000 on the World Curling Tour this season, and with the combination of sponsors and funding, he says that money has been a bonus.

"We’ve been fortunate enough this year that we’ve been able to go anywhere we want to play without the airfares, entries, etc., coming out of our wallets. If we do win something, it’s rewarding our time and effort."

Though there’s a shortage of good young curlers in Manitoba moving up to replace the likes of Stoughton and Burtnyk, McEwen says there’s no other life for him.

"I’m kind of obsessed with the sport. I latched on young and have always followed the game. I’ve always been in that back-end skip position. The lows suck, but the highs are so good," said McEwen, a two-time Manitoba junior champion.

"When you get a situation where you get to make a great shot to win a game, there’s a lot of adrenalin. It’s a rush to win or get out of a tough situation. I love the intensity — the nervousness before and the great feeling if you win."

Getting to the Brier is the only goal he has this week, and though he’ll take that trip to Halifax any way he can get it, he’d like to go through the front door. In fact, he’d like to kick it in.

"Part of me says I really, really want to go to the Brier and I’ll take the opponent that gives me the best chance," McEwen laughed.

"But we’ve talked as a team that wouldn’t it be great to win this event when Kerry (Burtnyk) and Jeff are still, without argument, still in their prime. That would be a great accomplishment and I’d love it."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca