McEwen having a ball at Brier

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This article was published 05/03/2020 (2206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

KINGSTON, Ont. — Mike McEwen’s precision here this week is only exceeded by his joy level.

That won’t necessarily be apparent to the thousands who’ve occupied seats at Leon’s Centre this week or the untold armchair skips tuned in to Vic, Russ and Cheryl on TSN every draw. McEwen doesn’t generally hog camera time with a smiling mug.

But the Winnipegger admits — cross his heart and hope to flash a hit — he’s having a ball at the 2020 Brier.

“This is probably the most excited I’ve been in a long, long time,” McEwen said Thursday. “This is what you play for. Great teams, great ice, a lot of great shots.”

Team Wild Card, skipped by McEwen, is in fine shape at the Canadian men’s curling championship, splitting a pair of contests to modify its record in the eight-team championship round to 7-2.

An impressive 5-4 victory over fellow Manitoban, Jason Gunnlaugson, in the evening was an effective remedy for the sting of a 6-4 afternoon defeat to Brad Jacobs of Northern Ontario.

McEwen is tied with Brad Gushue of Newfoundland-Labrador (7-2), just behind Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher (8-1). He will meet Gushue and Bottcher today.

Gunnlaugson was dumped 9-5 by Ontario’s John Epping earlier in the day and is in a precarious predicament with a 5-4 record and just two draws left today.

McEwen keeps shooting out the lights at his fifth consecutive Brier with a 90 per cent efficiency, the front-runner at his position. He was 90 per cent in a loss to Jacobs, the 2014 Olympic champion from Sault Ste Marie, Ont., and 92 per cent in the clash with Gunnlaugson, a rematch of the Manitoba men’s championship four weeks in Charleswood.

Collectively, Wild Card — McEwen, third Reid Carruthers, second Derek Samagalski and lead Colin Hodgson — is in a groove, firing at a Brier-best 91 per cent after six days.

McEwen, closing in on 40, had knee surgery that cut into the early part of what was a mediocre start to the 2019-20 season, their second as a team. The West St. Paul squad has seemingly gotten better and better since November — the Viterra defeat its only significant hiccup.

If there were any lingering doubts about the path he’s on, they’ve been erased.

“This is what it’s all about for me, going up against the best, being tested, ‘Do I still have it?’ And you know what? I already know I still have it,” said McEwen. “I wasn’t sure a number of months ago if I did any more.”

Carruthers said there’s a flourishing confidence with the foursome right now.

“We’re having a lot of fun out there. Jason gave us a little reality check (at provincials) that helped us get to where we are right now,” he said. “We all like playing on the big stage, big crowds and TV. What more can you ask for.”

Jacobs earned the hammer by way of a pre-game draw to the button, scored a quick deuce and then gave McEwen very little to work with the rest of the game.

“Right out of the gate they got that little jump on us. They played a perfect first end and didn’t really let us back in. They almost played flawlessly,” said McEwen. “I thought we played great. I missed a half-shot here and there, and they’re really good. I don’t care what their record says here. Best team in the world, day in and day out. And they were all that.”

A few hours later, McEwen earned last rock to start, kept things tidy (if not tedious) and then struck for a deuce in the fifth end. Gunnlaugson answered back with just a single in the sixth but McEwen tossed a brilliant tap-back for a pair and a 4-1 cushion in the seventh to seize command.

“Not good enough,” Gunnlaugson said, assessing the day. “Very good teams we’re playing. Mike made a real turning-point shot in the seventh. We honestly did not think he could get two there. It was perfect weight, squeezed past the guard and just made it. A really beautiful shot, and at this level there’s always going to be that one important shot.”

Each team plays a pair of games today, and the four with the best overall records advance to the weekend Page playoffs. The prevailing sentiment is that four losses might not cut it.

Bottcher finally had his record stained, falling to Team Canada’s Kevin Koe 5-4 in an extra end. The defending champions (6-3) desperately needed the win to stay in the mix.

Jacobs (6-3) had a two-win day, tripping up Saskatchewan’s Matt Dunstone in the evening. Dunstone (6-3) dropped a pair of games, losing earlier to Alberta. Epping (6-3) also had a splendid two-win day, downing Gushue in the evening.

It’s been a wild ride for Epping, ex-Winnipegger Ryan Fry at third, Mathew Camm at second and three-time Brier champion Brent Laing at lead. Epping needed to make his final shot in the 10th end Wednesday night against Jamie Koe of Northwest Territories to join the final eight.

Ontario strung three wins together to begin the week, lost three straight and then rebounded to post three consecutive victories. Epping said it was critical to keep the lines of communication open, especially during some inconsistent performances.

“Just keep talking. The thing that can happen is you go quiet out there… and you’re sliding down a slope,” he said. “But two guys I’ve got on my team, Lainger and Fry, have been around a long time and I’ve been around a long time, and we know that you just have to bounce back and you can’t let that slide happen.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell