Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen reaches Brier semifinal

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REGINA — A revitalized Mike McEwen has been good for Saskatchewan’s chances of ending a 43-year-old drought at the Canadian men’s curling championship.

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Recruited last year by Colton Flasch, Kevin Marsh and Daniel Marsh to skip them as their out-of-province import, they beat Matt Dunstone 6-5 on Saturday and were two wins from becoming the first Saskatchewan team to win a Brier since Rick Folk’s in 1980.

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The host province advanced to Sunday’s semifinal, and avoided elimination, in Regina’s Brand Centre where McEwen’s hit against three Dunstone counters for the winning point in the 10th end drew a standing ovation.

“It’s going to go down as one of my best memories ever in my whole career, no matter how this ends,” said the 43-year-old from Winnipeg.

The top two seeds in the tournament — Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher and defending champion Brad Gushue — were to meet later Saturday with an express ticket to Sunday evening’s final at stake.

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The loser would meet McEwen in Sunday afternoon’s semifinal for the right to play for the title.

“I expect to have to play an A, A-plus game to win, but we’ve done that multiple times through the week,” McEwen said.

Sunday’s winner represents Canada at the men’s world championship March 30 to April 7 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and returns to the 2025 Montana’s Brier in Kelowna, B.C., as defending champion.

The victor also banks a berth in the 2025 Olympic trials pending a top-six result in Switzerland.

A Saskatchewan team hasn’t reached a final since Brad Heidt lost to Kerry Burtnyk in 1995. The Marsh twins were born in Regina and Flasch in Biggar.

“Our goal coming in here was to be there in the final game on Sunday,” Kevin said. “It’s something we’ve talked about and thought about, and it’s in our goals, right? This is where we expect to be and if we play really well, I think we’ll be in a good spot come Sunday.”

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McEwen led Saturday’s playoff game 5-1 after six ends. But Dunstone, who lost to Gushue in last year’s Brier final, scored his first deuce in the seventh and stole single points in the eighth and ninth to be tied coming home.

“I think the last three days, there was no doubt we were playing well enough to win this event,” Dunstone said. “You just kind of wonder when it’s going to be your time, you know?

“Come close a lot of times. Just proud of the group. We’re going to be back and promise we’ll be in the same position again.”

Saskatchewan had 11 seconds remaining on their time clock when McEwen released the last stone of the 10th end. While the skip had an open nose hit for the win, disaster awaited a few centimetres narrow or wide.

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“The hairs on my arms, back of the neck, everything’s standing up,” said Flasch. “It’s honestly just as good almost as good of a feeling as winning the Brier, but it’s going to feel even better tomorrow.”

McEwen missed an attempted double takeout in the eighth end to score three and lead by a wide margin.

Forced to throw his last stone for the win is good preparation for Sunday, McEwen said, but even taking deep breaths before his final throw didn’t quell the adrenalin.

“I’m trying to sign autographs. My hands still shaking,” McEwen. “It was difficult to keep the heart rate down. And not a lot of time on the clock either. I don’t know how I use it all, but I do.”

Saskatchewan went 7-1 to top their pool. They dropped their first playoff game 9-7 to Bottcher before blanking Northwest Territories 7-0.

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McEwen is the first man to skip three different provinces at the Brier. His best result in seven tries with Manitoba was third in St. John’s, N.L., in 2017.

His Ontario team lost the Page playoff between the third and fourth seeds last year. McEwen said he was in a “really dark place” before reaching the final four in London, Ont.

“I didn’t love the game as much as I should have and then started not working as hard as I should have,” he recalled.

“I went to a darker place to come out on the other side. I started to get it back at the London Brier, and then this team, this group of guys, has really allowed me to get all the way back.

“They believed fully in me before I even was all the way back to believing in myself.”

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