Kamloops curler Matt Dunstone, skipping Manitoba at the 2023 Brier, is a perfect 8-0 after the round robin (Image Credit: Curling Canada)

By Chad Klassen

2023 BRIER

Dunstone only undefeated team at Brier, has visions of parading tankard down Victoria Street

Mar 10, 2023 | 9:59 AM

KAMLOOPS — It seems like fifth time’s a charm for Matt Dunstone, whose 2023 Brier could not have played out any better so far.

He cruised through the round robin with an 8-0 record, defeating four-time Brier champion Kevin Koe to earn the bye.

“Yeah so far, so good. Mission accomplished. First goal is done and complete,” Dunstone told CFJC Today ahead of Friday afternoon’s playoff draw. “Now we get down to the nitty gritty. We’ve played really well the first eight games. Been in control of every single one of them. Just really like where we’re at. I’m excited to see what the weekend has to hold. This is the fun part. This is what you play for.”

Dunstone has put on an absolute clinic so far at the Brier, winning by no less than four in all games, including the 9-5 win over Kevin Koe on Wednesday night when he stole in the seventh, eighth and ninth to close it out.

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“Huge. We understood the game. It was another one of those games where if we won, we gave ourselves an extra life. We were going to get the bye this afternoon,” he said. “That’s the mindset we took into that. He’s one of the greatest Brier players of all-time, so any time you can knock him down, it’s a huge confidence boost.”

In his fifth Brier — first representing his home province of Manitoba — the confidence has grown each game. A win on Friday night puts him automatically into the 1-2 page playoff on Saturday night with a chance to go directly to the Brier final.

Dunstone has been close the last few years with back-to-back semi-final appearances in 2020 and 2021. The 2021 loss to Brendan Botcher came down to an incredible shot by the Alberta skip.

Combined with previous experience and a new team, which includes past Brier and Olympic champion Ryan Harnden, who was part of the Brad Jacobs rink for years, Dunstone feels he can win it all.

“Yeah totally. We feel really good. We’re playing great. We’re controlling every single game. It definitely gets a lot tougher from here on out with the teams we’re going up against. But again, we’re playing great. We know if we play a really good 10 ends, we’re as good, if not better, than anybody. That’s what it comes down to is just stringing together 10-end games, giving ourselves a shot to win, having hammer in that 10th end is everything and that’s going to be our focus.”

Dunstone has visions of winning the Brier and sharing it with the city.

“Hopefully have that Brier tankard back in Kamloops going down Victoria Street,” he said.