Bottcher beats Dunstone in 1-2 Page playoff at Brier; Jacobs takes fourth seed

KINGSTON, Ont. – Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher defeated Saskatchewan’s Matt Dunstone 9-4 in the 1-2 Page playoff game Saturday afternoon to earn a berth in the Tim Hortons Brier final.

Bottcher never trailed in the standing-room only matinee at the Leon’s Centre.

He will make his third straight appearance in the Canadian men’s curling championship final. Bottcher lost in 2018 to Brad Gushue and fell last year to Kevin Koe.

Dunstone will play the semifinal on Sunday afternoon against the winner of Saturday night’s 3-4 Page playoff game between Gushue and Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs.

Dunstone has delivered highlight-reel shots with regularity through the week but struggled at times against Bottcher, who has lost just once in this competition.

The 24-year-old Saskatchewan skip wrecked on a guard in the third end to give Alberta a steal and 2-0 lead. Dunstone was several feet light on a draw in the fourth and was forced to a single.