A friend indeed

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This article was published 19/11/2021 (1607 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SASKATOON — Matt Dunstone needed a spare in a pinch, so he made a call to an old friend.

He wasn’t trying to coax Colton Lott to fill in at a Granite fun ‘spiel. In fact, he had a pretty tall ask of his former junior teammate.

Dunstone’s team was forced to make a change to its lineup just days before the start of the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials after third Braeden Moskowy stepped away due to personal reasons.

Lott was immediately targetted as the replacement, and the Gimli resident required no time to ponder the request this past Wednesday night.

“(Dunstone) just asked me if I’d be willing to fill in for Braeden. I couldn’t even kinda grasp what he was saying, because this is just such a great opportunity. I was astonished,” Lott said Friday morning at SaskTel Centre. “It was out of the blue. I’m just so stoked to be here. This is such a great opportunity.

“It’s a little overwhelming but overwhelming in a way that I’m fully ready for, and can’t wait for what’s to come.”

The recruitment means half the guys in green hail from Manitoba.

Dunstone, a former Winnipegger now living in B.C., is skipping a Saskatchewan-based squad, one of nine of the country’s finest men’s outfits set to compete for the right to wear the Maple Leaf at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games in February.

Dunstone opens against Mike McEwen’s West St. Paul rink in Saturday’s 7 p.m. draw.

Jason Gunnlaugson of Morris is also in the men’s field, while Gimli’s Kerri Einarson, Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg and Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul are in the women’s mix.

Moskowy, a Regina product, has played with Dunstone for since the 2018-19 competitive season. Prior to that, he was aligned with a Manitoba crew skipped by Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers.

Dunstone, a two-time national junior champion with Lott, wouldn’t comment on why Moskowy won’t compete.

“It’s been quite the week, to say the least. We’re going to respect (Moskowy’s) privacy at this time. We’re super pumped Colton could come in on such short notice. We’ve got a big week ahead of us, we’ve got eight games and, hopefully, a couple more,” he said.

“For Colton to come in on such short notice means a lot. He’s a familiar face with myself and feeling really good going into this week and what he brings to this team.”

The team, with Moskowy aboard and flanked by front-end players Kirk Muyres and Dustin Kidby, earned its Trials berth at a direct-entry event in Ottawa in late September. McEwen took the same road to get here.

Clearly, Dunstone is still struggling with the unforeseen circumstances.

“It’s been hard,” he said, through tears. “This is (Moskowy’s) moment as much as ours. He’s worked his ass off for all of us to be here.”

Lott has played this season with two-time Brier champion Pat Simmons, who came out of retirement to join a Manitoba-based team in search of a Trials berth. Their journey ended a few weeks ago at the pre-Trials in Liverpool, N.S., leaving Lott free for the asking.

Dunstone and Lott comprised the back end of the buffalo squad at the 2013 and ’16 Canadian junior championships, prevailed at both and had to settle for bronze medals at the worlds in Denmark and Russia, respectively.

Time hasn’t eroded the chemistry they share on the ice.

“You feel comfortable right away. It doesn’t feel like you’re bringing in guest or anything like that,” said Dunstone. “You’re still chirping him the same way you’d chirp a regular teammate. There’s that playful banter with one another. It’s made things very easy.

“He is easy to get to know. He’s so easy-going and (Muyres and Schneider) are going to have no trouble getting along with him. We’re already having a great time together.”

Lott is no stranger to the spotlight. In addition to a pair of Canadian junior crowns, Lott and his fiancée, Kadriana Sahaidak, form a world-class mixed-doubles duo and were finalists at the 2018 and 2021 nationals.

“He’s one of the best shot-makers in the world. That’s what you need at these events,” said Dunstone. “If you don’t make shots, you don’t win at these events, and Colton brings that immediately. He’s so supportive out there, he’s going to give me exactly what I need, he’s going to work great with our front end.”

The last few days have been a blur, admitted Lott, whose Trials jerseys weren’t even ready to go for Friday’s practice sessions.

“Busy. I got that phone call and my mom’s a hairdresser, so she gave me a haircut,” he said, laughing. “I ripped home, started packing up, did some laundry and caught a 7:40 a.m. flight (Thursday) out of Winnipeg. And then I got here and met up with the guys. It’s been great.”

Team coach Adam Kingsbury, a sports psychologist out of Ottawa, said he’s been impressed by the team’s ability to adjust to the personnel move with such a positive approach.

“You can prepare as much as you can, and things change in an instant. That’s sport, that’s life, that’s everything,” Kingsbury said. “Being able to adapt is how I want these guys to (handle) themselves and that’s kind of always been a theme. This is just another example of that.

“The nice thing about these guys is their vibe is incredible. Colton and Matt, their history together, makes that very easy.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell