Manitoba needs others to lose to make playoffs

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This article was published 05/03/2015 (4111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — Reid Carruthers needs help at the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier.

The Manitoba skip and his foursome — third Braeden Moskowy, second Derek Samagalski and lead Colin Hodgson — limp into today’s final full day of the round robin with a 4-4 record, needing to both run the table the rest of the way and get some losses out of the teams in front of them.

With a split of their games here on Wednesday — Manitoba lost 7-4 to Quebec in the afternoon but won 8-3 over B.C. later in the night — the Manitobans have now lost two of their last three games and are in serious jeopardy of becoming the first team from Manitoba since 2010 to miss the Brier playoffs.

“We had to win and we did,” Moskowy said Wednesday night after the win over B.C.. “But the problem is it’s been a roller-coaster. We haven’t been able to string wins together…

“There’s not much we can do other than go out and win the rest of our games and hope things work out. If we finish 7-4, even if that doesn’t get us into the playoffs, that’s a pretty good record in this field.”

A search for consolation prizes and silver linings on a Wednesday night at the Brier was not, suffice to say, the plan this first-year Manitoba foursome had drawn up when they surprised everyone but themselves in Brandon last month in winning a Manitoba provincials everyone was expecting to be a two-horse race between Jeff Stoughton and Mike McEwen.

Alas, while Carruthers beat Stoughton and McEwen twice in taking down the Manitoba crown, he’s been undone here with losses to the likes of Quebec’s Jean-Michel Ménard, a fine curler and 2006 Brier champ but hardly a curling heavyweight.

Wednesday’s loss to Quebec was particularly costly for a Manitoba team that already had three losses coming into the day. The Manitobans didn’t play badly — they actually outshot Quebec 87-86 as a team — but Carruthers was badly outshot at the skip position by Ménard.

The reasons underlying Manitoba’s struggles here this week are not readily apparent. It’s not as if Carruthers is wet behind the ears at this event. A 2011 world champion as second with Stoughton, Carruthers is skipping his first Brier entry but cannot complain he didn’t know what to expect this week on Canadian curling’s biggest stage.

And yet he finds himself in desperate straits this morning, facing the very real and daunting prospect of becoming just the fourth Manitoba team since 2005 to miss the Brier playoffs. (Stoughton missed twice — in 2006 and 2010 — and Kerry Burtnyk missed in 2008).

Manitoba curling fans expect strong performances out of their teams at the Brier — and usually get them. Carruthers is well aware of that fact and yes, seeing as you asked, he does feel the pressure from back home.

“That’s what happens when you have Jeff Stoughton and the other big names living in your province. There is definitely added pressure. But what else can I do, other than give it my best…

“We’ve got absolutely nothing to lose now. All we can do is go out, try to win the rest of our games and see how it all works out.”

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At 4-4, Carruthers needs second-place Newfoundland (7-2) and third-place Team Canada or Quebec (both 6-3) to pick up some losses and drop back to the pack. The top four teams advance to the Brier playoffs, which begin Friday night.

Carruthers plays twice today — this afternoon against Ontario’s Mark Kean (2-6) and tonight against hometown favourite Kevin Koe of Alberta (4-4).

Manitoba wraps up their round robin on the final draw Friday morning against P.E.I.’s Adam Casey (2-6).

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek