Brier-bound Dunstone wins Manitoba crown

“It’s been a great season,” Dunstone said. “We’re ranked No. 1 in Canada. We’re pretty darn pleased.”

Matt Dunstone will get a fifth crack at the Tim Hortons Brier, this time as the Manitoba entry.

The 27-year-old Kamloops resident skipped his Fort Rouge Curling Club team — which includes third B.J. Neufeld, second Colton Lott and lead Ryan Harnden — to a thrilling 8-7 victory over Reid Carruthers in the gold medal game at the Manitoba men’s provincial curling championship on Feb. 12 in Neepawa, Man.

“You grew up watching the likes of Jeff Stoughton, Kerry Burtnyk and Vic Peters, wanting to be exactly like them, and now it’s official, kind of following in the footsteps and winning the first Manitoba title,” Dunstone told KTW. “That’s obviously what makes this one so special.”

Dunstone scored three points with the hammer in the 10th end to snatch the victory from Carruthers, capitalizing on a costly burnt rock in a stunning finish to the contest.

“It’s an emotional sport,” Dunstone said. “That’s for damn sure. There are tons of highs, tons of lows.”

In curling, a burned rock is a stone that has been touched by a broom, body part or clothing of the throwing team. Because contact with the stone can impact trajectory, burned rocks can be removed from play, though it is usually done on the honour system.

The 2023 Tim Hortons Brier will get underway on March 3 in

London, Ont. Carruthers will participate as a Wild Card entry.

Dunstone twice won the Saskatchewan men’s provincial title, finishing atop the podium with the Steve Laycock rink in 2018 and skipping his own team to gold in 2020.

The 2020-2021 Dunstone team accepted an invitation to compete in the 2021 Brier after the Saskatchewan championship was cancelled amid the pandemic.

Dunstone is a two-time Brier bronze medallist, dropping semifinal tilts to Brad Gushue in 2020 in Kingston and Brendan Bottcher in 2021 in Calgary.

“It would sure be nice to finally pick one of these up and we might be in our best position ever to do exactly that,” Dunstone said. Among career lows for Dunstone was the finish to his six-year stint curling in Saskatchewan, the 2021-2022 campaign that included two decisive losses to rival Colton Flasch — one in the provincial final and the other in a Brier tiebreaker tilt.

That iteration of Team Dunstone (a Wild Card entry at the 2022 Brier in Lethbridge) disbanded and the Winnipeg-born Sheriff went back to his roots in time for the 2022-2023 campaign.

Harnden, an import from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has played in 13 Briers. He is a Brier champion, Olympic gold medallist, seven-time Grand Slam champion and world championship silver medallist.

Lott, a Manitoba resident, and Dunstone won Canadian junior titles together in 2013 and 2016. Manitoba resident Neufeld, formerly of Kevin Koe’s Calgary team, is a Brier champion, seventime Grand Slam champion and world championship silver medallist.

The team is atop Canadian Team Ranking System standings and has won about $130,000 this season, thanks in part to a win at the Prism Flow Red Deer Curling Classic and final, semifinal and quarter-final appearances in Grand Slam events, along with a second-place finish at the Nufloors Penticton Curling Classic.

The Brier gold medallist will represent Canada at the 2023 BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men’s Championship, which will run from April 1 to April 9 in Ottawa.

“Any time you get to win a provincial championship, Canadian championship, anything like that, it makes any sort of lows you go through totally worth it,” Dunstone said.

That advice might come in handy for Dunstone’s girlfriend, Erin Pincott, who was aiming to compete with Team Brown at the 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts this month on home ice in Kamloops.

Team Grandy of the Vancouver Curling Club edged Brown’s Kamloops Curling Club team 10-9 in the Scotties B.C. Women’s Curling Championship final in January in Chilliwack, scoring one in the 11th end to secure the provincial title.

“It’s one of the most difficult losses of their careers and probably the most difficult one they will have to go through,” Dunstone said, noting he plans to be a fixture at Sandman Centre during the Scotties. “All you can do is just kind of be there for one another. I’ll be there for her the best way I can this upcoming week because, for obvious reasons, it’s going to be difficult.”

Team Dunstone plans to reunite in London about six days before the Brier.

“My second home has been the four walls of the Kamloops Airport,” Dunstone said with a laugh. “It would top off a great season to come to play for these upcoming events, with the goal being world champion.”

City of Kamloops

Ac T I V I T Y P Ro G R A M S

Programs are cancelled if the minimum numbers are not met

Advance Photography Series 4/$120

Go beyond point and shoot and going from auto to manual functions with their camera Participants should have a good understanding of adjusting camera features (depth of field, shutter speed and ISO) Will cover four key areas exposure and focus problems, black and white photography, and night photography

Valleyview Secondary School

Tues Feb 21 - March 14 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Saturday on Seymour FREE

Drop into the KMA on this Saturday for creative activities for the whole family to enjoy Kamloops Museum and Archives

Sat Feb 18 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Deep Water Running 4/$60

By running in the water, you are able to strengthen your approx 400 muscles equally with every move!

Deep Water Running is practiced with specific floatation shorts, included for classes There is no impact on your joints but speeds up the recovery process even while working with volume and intensity

Through this efficient training you will burn calories, improve core strength and improve your functional daily performance!

Thur Feb 23 - March 16 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Try it! Cross Country Skiing $10

Join us for cross country skiing! This program is in partnership with Kamloops Immigrant Services and PLAYKamloops Please only register one person per family Childminding available Sign up for the session and you will be placed in a time slot to ensure we have enough equipment

If you have your own equipment, please bring it If there is snow, it’s a go!

West Highlands Community Centre/ Trails

Sat Feb 25 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM or 11:00 AM