Regina-based Matt Dunstone captures first Grand Slam of Curling title

It was a weekend Regina-based curler Matt Dunstone will never forget.

His Regina foursome, featuring Braeden Moskowy, Catlin Schneider and Dustin Kidby, outlasted Newfoundland and Labrador skip Brad Gushue 8-5 in the men’s final at the Masters Grand Slam of Curling in North Bay, Ont.

Dunstone’s team went 3-1 in the round-robin draw, and defeated Brad Jacobs and Bruce Mouat on the way to the title matchup with Gushue.

In Sunday night’s battle, Dunstone scored three in the third end and came back with a deuce in the fifth to pave the way to the win.

The 24-year-old Dunstone said the win caps off one of the best weekends of his life.

“Breaks went our way throughout the week …,” he said. “Things just (have) to go your way, and the stars aligned, and any sort of opportunity that came our way, we took advantage of.”

Dunstone’s week was a coming-out party of sorts when it comes to the Grand Slam circuit. More than 24,000 people watched his runback against Mike McEwen’s Manitoba rink Friday night, and Dunstone continued to come through in the clutch during the tight situations as the weekend continued.

#GottaSeeIt: We already knew @mattydunstone28 was money but this runback triple takeout to score two for the win is just next-level ridiculous #MastersGSOC #curling pic.twitter.com/aTKSSnEVb5

— Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling (@grandslamcurl) October 25, 2019

Dunstone was emotional following Sunday’s win, and he said the win hasn’t sunk in just yet.

“It goes back to when you’re 10 years old, watching these guys on TV, and dreaming of becoming them one day,” he said. “It’s so cool.”

Just moments after the win, Dunstone said he was excited to get back to Regina, and share the win with the club. He said he knows what this means for the province of Saskatchewan.

“Obviously, I think Saskatchewan’s wishing it was the Brier, but I hope this is a close second for them … The party’s on now,” he said.

With the win, the foursome took home $35,000 of the $300,000 purse, added 12 Pinty’s Cup points, and solidified its spot at the Humpty’s Champions Cup to finish the season.

Earlier in the day, Manitoba’s Tracy Fleury took home the women’s title with a 7-5 victory over Japan’s Sayaka Yoshimura.

The next Grand Slam of Curling event will be played in Pictou County, N.S., on Nov. 5-10.

— With files from Price Atkinson