Saskatchewan skip Mike McEwen watches his shot while playing Team Manitoba during the playoffs at the Brier, in Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, March 7, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

By CKOM News

Curling

‘Catastrophic error’ eliminates Saskatchewan’s Team McEwen from Brier

Mar 8, 2025 | 12:18 PM

Saskatchewan’s Brier drought continues as Team Mike McEwen was eliminated last night by Team Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers 6-4, after what a shattered McEwen called a “catastrophic error.”

The last time a rink from the Land of Living Skies won the Brier was in 1980.

In 2024, McEwen and Team Saskatchewan also left the Brier heartbroken. After finishing first in the pool and making a dream run to the Brier final on home soil at the Brandt Centre in Regina, the rink out of the Nutana Curling Club in Saskatoon lost to Brad Gushue and Team Canada.

Carruthers now advances to Saturday’s 3 vs. 4 page playoff game against Alberta’s Team Brad Jacobs, while McEwen’s rink — with third Colton Flasch, second Kevin Marsh, lead Daniel Marsh, alternate Brent Laing and coach Pat Simmons — are headed home.

Friday night’s game at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C, was a 2-2 tie with McEwen holding the last rock in the sixth end. McEwen was sitting one guarded in the four-foot and had a choice between a draw through a port for the second point, or a risky triple-takeout that could have scored three, according to Curling Canada.

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He chose the latter, and it couldn’t have gone more disastrously. While the thrown stone made contact with the two targeted front stones, it didn’t make enough contact and rather than coming to rest for a second point, it continued through the port and removed the original counting stone, gifting Team Manitoba-Carruthers a stunning stolen deuce out of thin air.

“Monumental error in reading angles,” a disappointed McEwen told Curling Canada. “Yeah, that’s the game. We should have just drawn for two; I’m not even sure it was there for three. So that was it. We controlled the game, we outplayed them the entire game, but we made a catastrophic error.”

Carruthers was equally stunned by the outcome but cut his former teammate some slack on the decision to attempt the shot.

“I would have played it if I were him, too,” said Carruthers. “I didn’t have the steal of two on the table. I thought if he hit it a certain way, he may only get one. But, you know, to give us the steal of two is obviously fortunate for us. That was a big break and a huge momentum swing.”

Team Manitoba-Carruthers padded its lead with a deuce in the eighth and it was clear sailing to the finish line from there.

Top-ranked Matt Dunstone of Manitoba and defending champion Brad Gushue also won qualifying matches Friday to advance to the page playoff 1-2 game.

— with files from Curling Canada and CKOM News