Image Credit: Curling Canada

By Canadian Press

Dunstone edges Gushue 7-6 to take first seed in Pool A at Brier

Mar 6, 2025 | 5:32 PM

KELOWNA, B.C. — Kamloops skip Matt Dunstone and his Manitoba rink came back for a 7-6 win over Canada’s Brad Gushue on Thursday to hand the three-time defending champion his first loss at the Brier.

The result left both teams with 7-1 records in Pool A but Dunstone took the top seed since head-to-head play was the tiebreaker.

“We feel great,” Dunstone said after his game. “They were playing awesome. I mean Brad was doing what Brad does and it was a huge game for us. We lose that and we’re playing for our lives tomorrow night.”

DUNSTONE BEATS GUSHUE

Manitoba’s @TeamMDunstone beat Canada’s @TeamGushue, 7-6, in the round-robin finale and will finish first in Pool A at #Brier2025. pic.twitter.com/nQPspb1mlT

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 7, 2025

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Dunstone gave up three points in the third end when he missed an angle-raise attempt. Gushue stole a point in the fourth for a 4-1 lead but Dunstone later pulled even with a runback double for a deuce in the seventh.

Down 6-5 but in control with hammer, Gushue made an uncharacteristic error in the ninth end when his stone stayed in the rings on a blank attempt. That gave Dunstone hammer with the game tied and he scored a single when Gushue’s draw was light.

“It was all about staying the course,” Dunstone said. “We were down 4-1 and truthfully I thought we outplayed them through those four ends. It was all about being the best team over the course of ten ends. That was our mindset going into today and I thought we did that, and that is why you saw the result you did.”

Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers, who was idle for the group’s last round-robin draw at Prospera Place, took the other playoff spot in the nine-team pool. Carruthers was tied with Northern Ontario’s John Epping at 6-2 but held the tiebreaker.

Dunstone will play Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen in a playoff game at 12:30 p.m. Friday, after McEwen fell 9-6 to Alberta’s Brad Jacobs in the Pool B showdown for top seed. Jacobs is the only undefeated rink at the tournament, which McEwen is also 7-1.

The Kamloops skip will have hammer in the qualification round Friday ahead of the weekend playoffs.

“It’s crunch time. We know what’s on the line,” Dunstone said. “We lose and we got to win four straight to win the Brier against a bunch of great teams. It’s such a huge difference.”

Nova Scotia’s Owen Purcell rounded out the top-three in Pool B after a 7-3 win over Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek.

The final will be played Sunday night. The winner will represent Canada at the BKT world men’s curling championship starting March 29 in Moose Jaw, Sask.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.