‘You really feel the energy’: Saskatchewan’s Marsh twins enjoying hometown Brier

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Daniel and Kevin Marsh have been soaking in every moment of the 2024 Montana’s Brier in Regina.

Playing in the city where they grew up, the twin brothers have helped Saskatchewan get off to a strong start at the Canadian men’s curling championship.

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And they’ve been feeling the love of the hometown crowd.

“You really feel the energy out there when you make those shots,” said Kevin, who plays second on the team also featuring skip Mike McEwen and third Colton Flasch. “It’s super cool to get the crowd cheering because we play all season and you don’t play in front of these big crowds.”

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After getting off to a 3-0 start to open the championship — including a massive win over Canada’s Brad Gushue on Saturday in a game that both twins called the biggest game of their careers — Saskatchewan dropped a game against Nova Scotia on Monday before responding with wins over Alberta’s Aaron Sluchinski and Northwest Territories Jamie Koe. Saskatchewan plays Nunavut on Wednesday night and will wrap up the round robin on Thursday afternoon against Quebec before the playoffs begin on Friday.

The championship game — a game the Marsh brothers would love to be in — goes Sunday at 6 p.m.

“The adrenaline is definitely going more than a regular event,” said Daniel, Saskatchewan’s lead. “It’s kind of cool when you’re sweeping a rock and the whole crowd is (clapping).

“And we have to try to focus and really watch the hand signals because it gets almost too loud to hear, so all that practice that we do with that stuff really comes into play in these big moments.”

The big moments are nothing new to the Marsh twins, as this is their third Brier after also playing for Kirk Muyres’ squad in 2019 and alongside Flasch, who skipped Team Saskatchewan in 2022.

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But this one is likely the most special considering the site of this year’s Brier — the Brandt Centre — isn’t too far away from where Daniel and Kevin were introduced to the sport of curling at the old Tartan Curling Club on Broadway Ave.

“It’s really awesome,” said Daniel. “My first memories were at the Tartan Curling Club — unfortunately it doesn’t exist anymore — but just really good memories of my three brothers and my mom taking us onto the ice when she was playing league curling and just kind of learning from there.”

“Curling runs in the family,” added Kevin. “My mom took me and my brothers out when we were probably just old enough to walk at the Tartan Curling Club in Regina and introduced us to the game.

“As we got older, myself and my brother (Daniel) got more competitive into it and here we are now.”

The Marsh family moved to Prince Albert when Daniel and Kevin were 10 years old. After graduating high school, the twins each moved to Saskatoon to attend the University of Saskatchewan.

Aside from one season apart, the 35-year-old twins — who both reside in Saskatoon — have curled together every year from juniors through the men’s circuit.

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In fact, you consider them a package deal.

“It’s hard to imagine not curling with him,” said Daniel. “Anytime we’re looking for a new team or if there’s any kind of change, Kevin and I are sticking together.

“The chemistry is good. You can’t really beat twins I don’t think dynamic-wise.”

And the twins are hoping their third trip to the Brier will result in their first championship, which would also be their home province’s first since 1980.

“It’s going to take all we have,” said Kevin. “But we know we have what it takes.”

tshire@postmedia.com

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