Three-time defending champion Brad Gushue is picking up where he left off at the Montana’s Brier.
His St. John’s-based team was the first to secure a playoff berth with a 7-6 victory over Alberta’s Kevin Koe on Wednesday at Prospera Place.
Koe pushed him hard, taking advantage of a Gushue miss in the 10th end to score a deuce and force an extra end. The Calgary skip was a little wide with his final draw into a crowded house and the teams shook hands.
“We kept our composure,” Gushue said. “When rocks didn’t turn out, we didn’t get negative.”
Gushue led the nine-team Pool A standings at 6-0 with two round-robin games left to play. He’s trying to win the national men’s curling championship for a record seventh time.
“Now the focus is on trying to get first place and trying to get hammer in the playoffs,” Gushue said.
It’s the second straight year that Koe (2-4), a four-time Brier champion, will miss the playoff cut.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “Last year, we were just brutal and we lost. This year, we played quite well and we could have won a few [more] games. Any time you lose at the Brier it’s [tough].”
Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers was in second place at 6-1 ahead of Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone (5-1) and idle Northern Ontario skip John Epping (4-2).
Top 3 teams in each pool advance
Carruthers defeated Nunavut’s Shane Latimer 7-3 and Dunstone dumped New Brunswick’s James Grattan 9-3. British Columbia’s Cameron de Jong posted an 8-3 win over Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ty Dilello in the other early game.
Koe was in a fifth-place tie with Grattan ahead of de Jong (2-5), Dilello (2-6) and Latimer (0-6).
The top three teams from each pool at the end of round-robin play Thursday night will advance to the qualification games Friday.
“We feel like we should be a playoff team but there’s going to be two good teams in our pool that don’t get there,” Koe said. “Not to disrespect anyone else, but we’re one of them.
“We actually played well but it’s a fine line when you’re playing the best teams and we have just been slightly off.”
Pool B leader Mike McEwen (6-0) of Saskatchewan and Alberta’s Brad Jacobs (5-0) have a chance to secure playoff berths later in the day depending on Draw 14 results.
Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek, Saskatchewan’s Rylan Kleiter and Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard started the day tied for third place at 3-2.
The Page playoffs are on tap this weekend with the final set for Sunday night.
Gushue vice Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker also have six career Brier titles. Second Brendan Bottcher, who joined the team mid-season, is looking for his second career national crown.
The Brier winner will represent Canada at the BKT world men’s curling championship starting March 29 in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Rachel Homan won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts last month in Thunder Bay, Ont. Her Ottawa-based team will wear the Maple Leaf at the women’s world playdowns starting March 15 in Uijeongbu, South Korea.