Two Saskatchewan rinks seeking success at Tim Hortons Brier

There’s no lack of Saskatchewan representation at the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier.

Wearing the green jackets in Lethbridge will be Colton Flasch’s Saskatoon rink, which beat Matt Dunstone’s Regina-based team 6-4 in the final of the SaskTel Tankard Saskatchewan men’s curling championship in Whitewood on Feb. 13.

“It feels great. It never gets old wearing the green and white and gold and it never gets old going to the Brier,” Flasch’s third, Catlin Schneider, told the Green Zone on Wednesday.

But due to their standing in the Canadian Team Ranking System, Dunstone and his teammates also are in the Brier. They’ll be Team Wild Card #2.

A Saskatchewan-based rink hasn’t won the Canadian men’s curling title since 1980.

Schneider has played for both rinks in his career. He was on Dunstone’s rink for three seasons and went to the 2020 Brier with that squad, earning a bronze medal. He was relieved of his duties after that tournament but quickly found work with Flasch’s rink.

Both rinks find themselves in Pool A in Lethbridge.

“Any two teams in Saskatchewan that are fighting for a title, there’s always going to be a rivalry. You have to beat each other one way or another, whether it’s the 1-2 game or the semis or the finals to go to the Brier,” Schneider said when asked about the rivalry between the two foursomes.

“There’s always going to be that Saskie rivalry, which is great. It’s great to have. It’s amazing to have two great teams now in Saskatchewan pushing on the World Curling circuit and pushing for a Brier, which makes everything better.”

Both teams are to begin their Brier tournaments Friday, with Flasch taking on his former rink — Alberta’s Kevin Koe’s team, which also includes Regina’s Ben Hebert — and Dunstone meeting James Grattan’s New Brunswick rink.

Flasch was a member of Koe’s rink that won the Brier in 2019.

The two Saskatchewan teams won’t meet until Thursday, their final games of the round robin.

“It’s going to be awesome. Hopefully both teams are in a good spot to make that final six,” Dunstone told the Green Zone. “I think that would be awesome and it’s great for Saskatchewan curling that we have two teams in there.

“To have the great fan base around us that we have, for them to be able to cheer for two teams is a great thing for Saskatchewan curling and hopefully there’s a lot on the line when we get to that final draw.”

“There’s going to be sparks flowing in our pool for sure,” added Schneider, who’s making his first trip to the Brier since his departure from Dunstone’s rink.

With COVID throwing a wrench their way, Schneider admits it was tough to generate team chemistry over these past two years.

“It was hard to build that camaraderie when you can’t get on the ice, so we had to do it in different ways,” Schneider said. “We had to do it with a lot of phone calls and a lot of Zoom calls and spending weekends together.

“If we can’t be on the ice, (it was important) just getting together to do some golfing and whatnot. We had to be creative and it took a bit of time, but I think we’ve got it all together now.”

Meanwhile, Dunstone and his rink are back for a third straight Brier after winning bronze twice in a row.

“We weren’t the team of destiny that last time around, but the more you can continue to put yourself in the position to win — and we did that in both semifinals (in 2020 and ’21) — it’s eventually going to be your time,” Dunstone said.

“We can’t really hide on the draw as underdogs anymore. It’s a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing in the sense that we have this belief among ourselves that we really can go and do this and there’s not a single doubt in any of our minds that we can’t. The downside is that teams will get up to play against you.

“That’s just how it goes in curling. Teams always get up and play their best against the best teams.”

There’s another Saskatchewan player competing at the Brier; Evan Latos is the lead for Thomas Scoffin’s Yukon entry.