Dunstone, Saskatchewan riding wave of momentum at Brier

Matt Dunstone and his Saskatchewan rink have been rolling at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier.

The Regina-based team brushed off a 5-3 loss to Mike McEwen’s Wild Card rink on the first day of the Canadian men’s curling championship in Kingston, Ont., and had won five in a row entering Wednesday’s action.

“We were off to a terribly slow start, me especially,” Dunstone told the Green Zone on Wednesday. “We just weren’t finding many shots out there the first couple games but we stuck with it.

“But it’s a funny game sometimes with how things work out. Momentum and confidence are everything.”

The Saskatchewan rink — comprising lead Dustin Kidby, second Catlin Schneider, third Braeden Moskowy and Dunstone —  now has found a wave of confidence thanks to two comeback victories, including a four-point 10th end to beat British Columbia’s Jim Cotter 9-8 on Monday.

“It wasn’t pretty but those two games certainly gave it to us,” Dunstone said of the victories over B.C. and New Brunswick’s James Grattan on Sunday.

The shot to give Saskatchewan the win against B.C. was one of a few highlight-reel shots made at the Brier. Dunstone said the competition has shown just how high the level of talent is across the country.

“It’s pretty incredible, the talent in Canada. It’s great that we have so many great teams and it’s going to do nothing but make us all better because everyone’s pretty well aware how well they have to curl to win this event,” Dunstone said.

Dunstone and his teammates are also trying to make some history: They’re gunning to become the first team wearing Saskatchewan’s colours to win the Brier since 1980, when Rick Folk’s rink took home the title.

“The thought is kind of already there (about ending the drought). Our goal is to win this thing,” Dunstone said. “We’re off to a good start so far but at the end of the day, I guess we’re only halfway through.

“If we keep trucking like we are, we fully expect ourselves to be there by the end of the week.”

While Dunstone is originally from Manitoba, he said it still would be an honour to win the Brier for Saskatchewan.

“(I’ve) got to know so many great people from the province of Saskatchewan and how much pride there is in wearing that green jacket and it would just be the best moment to be a part of history,” he said.

The team will try to continue its winning ways Wednesday night with a game against the winless Yukon rink. It’s Saskatchewan’s last game of the round-robin.

While the teams have vastly different records at the tournament, Dunstone knows he can’t take any game lightly.

“Every win counts,” he said. “I think that’s motivation enough and for (Wednesday’s) game, playing against a team that hasn’t won yet, they don’t want to go home empty-handed. They’re going to give us all we can handle but we’ve just got to keep the pedal down.”

The game is to start at 6 p.m. The Saskatchewan squad already has clinched a spot in the championship pool, which starts Thursday.