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Brendan Bottcher came up just short.
Again.
Brad Gushue led Newfoundland and Labrador to a 7-3 victory over Bottcher's Alberta in Sunday's 2020 Tim Hortons Brier gold-medal match at the Leon's Centre in Kingston, Ontario. Bottcher has been in the last three gold-medal games at the annual event, only to lose them all.
He also fell in a matchup with Gushue in the 2018 final and lost to Kevin Koe in 2019.
"I want it bad," Bottcher said before the match, per Gregory Strong of the Canadian Press. "You don't know how many chances you're going to get in moments like this."
He earned a chance at such a moment by leading Alberta to an 11-1 record at the Tim Hortons Brier going into Sunday's gold-medal match. Alberta was the best team throughout the event and defeated Saskatchewan's Matt Dunstone in Saturday's 1-2 Page playoff game to reach Sunday's stage.
Newfoundland and Labrador also reached the final with a victory over Saskatchewan with a dramatic 7-6 victory in the semifinals to start Sunday's slate. Gushue's side earned a point in the 10th and final end after Saskatchewan tied the match with two points in the ninth end.
It picked up right where it left off for the gold-medal match with a point in the first end and three points to take a commanding lead in the third end.
Alberta cut the deficit to 4-2 with a point in the fourth end and tallied a double clear in the fifth end to remain within striking distance in the fifth end. However, Newfoundland and Labrador capitalized on a chance in the sixth end with another point to make it 5-2.
Bottcher's comeback chances faded even more in the eighth end when Gushue earned a point even though Alberta had the hammer.
A single point in the ninth end didn't do much to change Alberta's fortunes, and Newfoundland and Labrador finished the championship with another point in the final end.
A berth in the Tim Hortons Brier gold-medal match was up for grabs Saturday in Kingston, Ontario.
Alberta, which owned the best overall record (10-1), faced off with Saskatchewan in the playoff round. The winner would move on to the final, with the loser dropping to the semifinal.
That left one more berth available as Ontario, Team Canada, Wild Card, Northern Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador all fought to stay alive.
Saturday Results
Draw 20
Ontario def. Wild Card 7-6
Northern Ontario def. Canada 8-3
Draw 21
Alberta def. Saskatchewan 9-4
Northern Ontario def. Ontario 8-4
Draw 22
Newfoundland and Labrador def. Northern Ontario 7-4
Sunday Schedule
Draw 23 (12 p.m. ET)
Saskatchewan vs. Newfoundland and Labrador
Draw 24 (7 p.m. ET)
Alberta vs. TBD
Saturday Recap
Alberta jumped out to a 4-1 lead on Saskatchewan after the sixth end in Draw 21. The teams exchanged points over the next two ends before Saskatchewan clawed two points back to make things interesting heading into the 10th and final end.
But Saskatchewan skip Brendan Bottcher secured four points for his team to win 9-4.
Bottcher was runner-up with Alberta at the 2018 Brier and then again with the wild-card squad one year ago. He knows the job isn't done yet in order for the province to repeat as Brier champions.
"I want it bad," he said, per the Canadian Press (via the CBC). "You don't know how many chances you're going to get in moments like this."
Saskatchewan, meanwhile, will meet Newfoundland and Labrador in the semifinal.
Skip Brad Gushue and his squad, which captured the Brier title on home soil in 2017, earned a 7-4 victory over Northern Ontario in the day's last draw.
Newfoundland and Labrador drew first blood with a point in the opening end and never trailed. Northern Ontario tied the score on three occasions but couldn't find a breakthrough. Three points for Newfoundland and Labrador over the final three ends were the difference.
Saskatchewan faced off with Newfoundland and Labrador on Friday. Matt Dunstone bested Gushue after getting two points in the 10th end. Another evenly matched battle should be in store Sunday.
The pool play portion of the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier has come to a close, and the full playoff field is still undecided.
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador have clinched their spots in the knockout round, yet a tiebreaker will take place in two draws Saturday with Ontario and Wild Card facing off at 9:00 a.m. ET before Northern Ontario and Canada take the ice at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Alberta paced the championship pool with 10 victories in 11 matches, while Manitoba finished last with just five wins.
Friday's Results
Draw 18
Newfoundland and Labrador def. Wild Card 5-3
Northern Ontario def. Canada 7-3
Saskatchewan def. Manitoba 9-8
Alberta def. Ontario 10-3
Draw 19
Canada def. Manitoba 7-3
Alberta def. Wild Card 4-2
Ontario def. Northern Ontario 10-6
Saskatchewan def. Newfoundland and Labrador 6-5
Saturday Schedule
Draw 20 (9:00 a.m. ET)
Ontario vs Wild Card
Northern Ontario vs. Canada
Draw 21 (2:00 p.m. ET)
TBD vs. TBD
Friday Highlights
The logjam at the top of the championship pool hardly surprised any of the competitors who made their way to Kingston for the Brier.
“The parity of the top teams here is second to none,” Team Alberta skip Brendan Bottcher told Curling Canada. “At the start of the week there would have been half a dozen teams and you could flip the coin six ways and you would have had as good a chance of figuring it out as playing here. That’s just how good everybody is here.”
Bottcher, fortunately, never really had to worry about Team Alberta's playoff position. His club ran roughshod through the pool play, finishing with a Brier-best 10 wins. They finished the opening round in epic fashion with an off double to seal the victory.
Of course, Bottcher's only loss this week came to Kevin Koe and reigning champion Team Canada, who figure to remain a massive presence entering Saturday's tiebreaker.
Things are getting serious at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier.
The Canadian men's national curling championship at Leon Centre in Kingston, Ontario, opened Championship Pool play Thursday. Hometown fans still have both Ontario and Northern Ontario in contention. Ontario started by defeating Manitoba 9-5 in eight ends, while Northern Ontario outlasted Wild Card 6-4 in 10 ends. Both teams also won in the night's Draw 17 to improve to 6-3.
The latter marked Team Brad Jacobs' fourth straight victory after beginning the tournament 1-3, which was surprising because it entered the 16-team field as the top-ranked squad in the world.
It has been Team Brendan Bottcher from Alberta that has consistently played like the best team. It was the only undefeated team through Draw 16, but it finally met its match in Draw 17. Team Brendan Bottcher faced Team Kevin Koe in a rematch from last year's Brier final.
Below is a closer look back at Thursday's curling action and a look ahead at Friday's schedule, the last of Championship Pool play before the four-team playoff.
Thursday's Results
Draw 16
Ontario (6-3) def. Manitoba (5-4) 9-5
Alberta (8-1) def. Saskatchewan (6-3) 9-5
Northern Ontario (6-3) def. Wild Card (7-2) 6-4
Newfoundland and Labrador (7-2) def. Canada (6-3) 7-4
Draw 17
Canada (6-3) def. Alberta (8-1) 5-4
Wild Card (7-2) def. Manitoba (5-4) 5-4
Ontario (6-3) def. Newfoundland and Labrador (7-2) 8-4
Northern Ontario (6-3) def. Saskatchewan (6-3) 7-4
Friday's Schedule
Draw 18
Wild Card vs. Newfoundland and Labrador
Northern Ontario vs. Canada
Manitoba vs. Saskatchewan
Ontario vs. Alberta
Draw 19
Ontario vs. Northern Ontario
Saskatchewan vs. Newfoundland and Labrador
Alberta vs. Wild Card
Manitoba vs. Canada
Thursday Recap
It looked like it was going to be an uphill battle for Kevin Koe to become the first skip to win five Briers, as his Team Canada lost to Team Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador during the afternoon's Draw 16. Gushue, a 17-time Brier competitor, has achieved success in his own right with titles in 2017 and '18.
Each of Newfoundland and Labrador's four members shot over 90 percent for a collective 93 percent total opposite Canada's 87 percent.
"We were brutal," Koe said after the loss, per Curling Canada. "Got off to a good start but couldn't put enough ends together, so a little disappointing for sure. We've got to find another gear. If we play like that we won't be around long, but hopefully it's a one-off and we can play better tonight."
Canada ran into powerhouse Alberta, whom Koe led to last year's Brier championship, in Draw 17. Koe and Co. turned things around from their earlier outing in a big way:
Team Kevin Koe and Team Brendan Bottcher needed an extra end to determine a winner after the latter tied things at four with one point in the 10th end. Canada earned the upset with one point in the 11th end to hand Alberta its first loss.
Bottcher also came up short against a Koe-skipped team in last year's Brier final when Alberta defeated Wild Card 4-3. The two skips have changed teams since then, but the result stayed the same.
Newfoundland and Labrador, meanwhile, followed a Draw 16 victory with a Draw 17 loss to Ontario. Team John Epping scored a triple in the ninth end to secure an 8-4 victory for hometown Ontario.
At the same time, Northern Ontario cruised to a 7-4 win over Saskatchewan to notch a two-win Thursday.
Hometown fans will finally have to make a choice Friday as Ontario and Northern Ontario will clash in Draw 19. Elsewhere on the slate, Bottcher will look to get Alberta back on track against his former Team Wild Card.
The round-robin portion of the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier wrapped with a flare Wednesday night at the Leon's Centre in Kingston, Ontario, with several teams vying for a spot in the Championship Pool.
Canada's national men's curling championship began with 16 teams in the field. The Championship Pool will feature Pool A and Pool B's respective top four teams.
Pool B was settled before the evening's Draw 14 with Northern Ontario defeating winless Nunavut 10-3 in the afternoon's Draw 13. Northern Ontario finished 4-3 after starting the tournament 1-3. Team Brad Jacobs entered this event as as the top-ranked team in the world but will need their hometown fans' support to overcome 7-0 Alberta, 6-1 Newfoundland and Labrador and 5-2 Manitoba.
Reigning champion Alberta arrives to the Championship Pool as the only undefeated team, led by skip Brendan Bottcher, but Jacobs isn't intimidated.
"We welcome every bit of adversity and hardship," Northern Ontario's skip told reporters after their Draw 13 victory, per TSN. "It's the Canadian championships. It's not supposed to be easy."
Pool A reflected Jacobs' sentiment Wednesday night, coming down to the wire. Ontario and New Brunswick were tied for the fourth and final spot with 3-3 records entering Draw 14. But Team Wild Card ended New Brunswick's hopes with a 9-4 victory in nine ends, while Ontario pulled off a four-point 10th end to come back and top Northwest Territories:
As a result, the teams represented Pool A will be 6-1 Wild Card, 6-1 Saskatchewan, 5-2 Canada and 4-3 Ontario.
Read on for more information regarding Wednesday's action and Thursday's schedule.
Wednesday's Results
Draw 12
Manitoba (5-2) def. Nunavut (0-7), 11-5
Newfoundland and Labrador (6-1) def. Prince Edward Island (2-5), 11-8
British Columbia (2-4) def. Yukon (0-6), 6-3
Northwest Territories (2-4) def. New Brunswick (3-3), 8-6
Draw 13
Newfoundland and Labrador (6-1) def. Quebec (1-6), 10-4
Manitoba (5-2) def. Nova Scotia (3-4), 9-7
Northern Ontario (4-3) def. Nunavut (0-7), 10-3
Alberta (7-0) def. Prince Edward Island (2-5), 9-6
Draw 14
Saskatchewan (6-1) def. Yukon (0-7), 12-3
Wild Card (5-1) def. New Brunswick (3-4), 9-4
Ontario (4-3) def. Northwest Territories (2-4), 11-8
Canada (5-2) def. British Columbia (2-4), 9-3
Thursday's Schedule
Draw 16 (1 p.m. ET)
Ontario vs. Manitoba
Alberta vs. Saskatchewan
Wild Card vs. Northern Ontario
Newfoundland and Labrador vs. Canada
Draw 17 (7 p.m. ET)
Alberta vs. Canada
Manitoba vs. Wild Card
Ontario vs. Newfoundland and Labrador
Saskatchewan vs. Northern Ontario
Wednesday's Recap
Curling brings people together in Canada—even Toronto FC and U.S. men's national team star Jozy Altidore:
Newfoundland and Labrador is one of three teams sitting at 6-1 behind undefeated Alberta. Saskatchewan might be the biggest surprise among that trio given the team's history at the Brier:
"The reason we put this team together is to win a Brier for Saskatchewan," the team's third, Braeden Moskowy, told TSN's Ryan Horne. "We want to be those guys that end this 40-year drought. It's way too long for all the great players that have played for Saskatchewan and out of Saskatchewan."
Saskatchewan only took the ice once Wednesday, but they made it count during the night draw against a lesser opponent in Yukon to maintain momentum entering Championship Pool play. All eyes during Draw 14 were focused on Northwest Territories and Ontario, though.
Team Jamie Koe looked on their way to potentially eliminating Ontario with a 5-1 lead through three ends. However, Ontario skip John Epping wouldn't let that happen. He pulled his team to within 5-4 with a triple in the fourth end before the squad completed its comeback effort with a four-point 10th to advance.
Elsewhere in Draw 14, Canada needed only eight ends to finish off British Columbia. Canada's skip, Kevin Koe, is looking to become the first skip to ever win five Briers. He will need to find a way to do what nobody has been able to do yet: beat Alberta, the team he led to the title last year.
Team Kevin Koe will face off against Alberta's Team Brendan Bottcher in Thursday evening's Draw 17. It will be the first time to two heavyweights have matched up in this tournament.
Tuesday at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier is in the books, and there's only one undefeated team remaining in pool play.
Team Alberta, led by skipper Brendan Bottcher, is now 6-0 and in command of Pool B. The Wild Card team from West St. Paul has pulled into a tie for control of Pool A with Saskatchewan with both sitting at 5-1 through six games.
Round-robin play wraps up Wednesday with three draws, but Tuesday's action may have helped decide who advances to the Championship Pool.
Tuesday's Results
Draw 9
New Brunswick (3-2) def. British Columbia (1-4), 6-3
Northwest Territories (1-4) def. Yukon (0-5), 9-7
Manitoba (3-2) def. Prince Edward Island (2-3), 9-8
Newfoundland and Labrador (4-1) def. Nunavut (0-5), 7-2
Draw 10
Alberta (6-0) def. Nova Scotia (3-3), 6-2
Northern Ontario (3-3) def. Quebec (1-5), 9-2
Canada (4-2) def. Wild Card (5-1), 3-2
Saskatchewan (5-1) def. Ontario (3-3), 6-4
Draw 11
Wild Card (5-1) def. Ontario (3-3), 11-7
Saskatchewan (5-1) def. Canada (4-2), 5-4
Alberta (6-0) def. Quebec (1-5), 7-3
Northern Ontario (3-3) def. Nova Scotia (3-3), 6-2
Wednesday's Schedule
Draw 12 (9:00 a.m. ET)
Nunavut vs. Manitoba
Prince Edward Island vs. Newfoundland and Labrador
Yukon vs. British Columbia
New Brunswick vs. Northwest Territories
Draw 13 (2:00 p.m. ET)
Quebec vs. Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia vs. Manitoba
Northern Ontario vs. Nunavut
Alberta vs. Prince Edward Island
Draw 14 (7:00 p.m. ET)
Yukon vs. Saskatchewan
New Brunswick vs. Wild Card
Northwest Territories vs. Ontario
British Columbia vs. Canada
Tuesday Highlights
Kevin Koe struck again Tuesday, much to the dismay of Wild Card skipper Mike McEwen. The skip would have remained undefeated throughout pool play had Koe not managed to pull off a triple on his final shot for the win.
Koe could have easily gone for the single to pull Team Canada into a 2-2 tie with the Wild Card team after the 10th end, but the skip took a high-risk, high-reward approach that paid off.
The win was a massive one for Team Canada in the Brier Classic standings as well. A loss there would place them in a fourth-place tie with Team Ontario at 3-3, putting Koe's crew in danger of missing the top-four Pool A cut and sitting out the Championship Pool round.
However, Team Canada now has some breathing room thanks to Koe's gutsy decision and excellent execution. He spoke about the shot afterward:
It was undoubtedly a disappointing result for McEwen, but this Wild Card five-ender in an 11-7 victory over Team Ontario was anything but:
A day filled with sensational shots received a contribution from Manitoba's Jason Gunnlaugson, who somehow pulled off this sorcery to give his team a 9-8 win over Prince Edward Island:
It was a great bounce-back victory for Manitoba after suffering an emotional defeat to undefeated Alberta 7-6 in 11 ends in its previous contest, one where Gunnlaugson's crew overcame a 6-2 deficit after six just to force the extra frame.
The 2020 Tim Hortons Brier is in full swing at Leon's Centre in Kingston, Ontario.
Monday marked the national men's curling championship tournament's third day of competition, and it was disappointing for both hometown teams as Northern Ontario and Ontario each lost during the night's Draw 8.
Team Brad Jacobs, representing Northern Ontario, entered this event as the top-ranked team in the world. They have gotten off to a disappointing 1-3 start, but at least one young fan is keeping the faith:
Northern Ontario lost a 7-6 heartbreaker to Newfoundland and Labrador, while 3-1 Ontario was upset by 2-2 New Brunswick. Ontario needed a win to keep pace with 4-0 Team Wild Card atop the Pool A standings.
Pool B is led by 4-0 Alberta, the tournament's reigning champions.
Below is an overview of Monday's results and recap as well as a peek at Tuesday's three-draw schedule.
Monday's Results
Draw 6
Nova Scotia def. Prince Edward Island, 11-2
Quebec def. Nunavut, 7-4
Saskatchewan def. British Columbia, 9-8
Wild Card def. Northwest Territories, 6-2
Draw 7
Saskatchewan def. Northwest Territories, 6-2
Wild Card def. British Columbia, 10-5
Nova Scotia def. Nunavut, 7-4
Prince Edward Island def. Quebec, 7-4
Draw 8
Newfoundland and Labrador def. Northern Ontario, 7-6
Alberta def. Manitoba, 7-6
New Brunswick def. Ontario, 7-4
Canada def. Yukon, 10-2
Tuesday's Schedule
Draw 9 (9 a.m. ET)
British Columbia vs. New Brunswick
Northwest Territories vs. Yukon
Manitoba vs. Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador vs. Nunavut
Draw 10 (2 p.m. ET)
Alberta vs. Nova Scotia
Northern Ontario vs. Quebec
Wild Card vs. Canada
Saskatchewan vs. Ontario
Draw 11 (7 p.m. ET)
Ontario vs. Wild Card
Canada vs. Saskatchewan
Alberta vs. Quebec
Nova Scotia vs. Northern Ontario
Full schedule is available at Curling Canada's official website.
Monday Recap
Alberta and Wild Card are the lone undefeated teams after Ontario's loss, but it was 3-1 Saskatchewan who stole the show during this morning's Draw 6.
Team Matt Dunstone was in danger of getting upset by 1-3 British Columbia, who held an 8-5 lead entering the 10th end, but Dunstone executed a four-point 10th end to secure a comeback 9-8 win:
"This game was easily our best game, head to toe," Dunstone told Curling Canada afterward.
Saskatchewan went on to easily take care of 0-4 Northwest Territories in eight ends in Draw 7 to cap off a two-win Monday.
Northwest Territories made adjustments to try and claim their first win but still struggled against 4-0 Wild Card before losing to Saskatchewan:
Team Quebec, meanwhile, was able to capture their elusive first Brier win during Draw 6, defeating 0-4 Nunavut 0-4. It marked a personal milestone for first-year skip Alek Bedard:
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Team Canada's Kevin Koe is vying to become the first skip in history to win five Brier titles.
Team Canada had the least dramatic matchup of the night's Draw 8, as they dismantled winless Yukon 10-2 in just eight ends. The slate's other three contests each needed at least 10 ends to determine a winner with Alberta's 7-6 victory over pesky Manitoba necessitating 11.
Looking toward Tuesday, Canada's clash with undefeated Wild Card will be the one to watch in Draw 10 before Canada takes on red-hot Saskatchewan in Draw 11.
The 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship tournament, shuffled onward Sunday with its second day of action at Leon's Centre in Kingston, Ontario.
Team Ontario, the world's second-ranked squad, put forth a strong showing for their home fans by defeating British Columbia 11-3 and Yukon 10-6 to improve to 3-0 overall in the tournament.
The Wild Card squad also preserved an undefeated record to remain atop the Pool A leaderboard with Ontario. Pool B was led by reigning champion Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, each 2-0 through Sunday's first two draws, until Alberto handed Newfoundland and Labrador their first loss on Sunday evening.
Read on below to catch up on all of Sunday's results and take a closer look at the day's action as well as look forward to Monday's schedule.
Sunday's Results
Draw 3
Wild Card def. Yukon, 10-6
Saskatchewan def. New Brunswick, 10-6
Northern Ontario def. Prince Edward Island, 6-2
Alberta def. Nunavut, 9-4
Draw 4
Manitoba def. Quebec, 10-8
Newfoundland and Labrador def. Nova Scotia, 5-2
Canada def. Northwest Territories, 7-3
Ontario def. British Columbia, 11-3
Draw 5
Canada def. New Brunswick, 8-4
Ontario def. Yukon, 10-6
Alberta def. Newfoundland and Labrador, 3-2
Manitoba def. Northern Ontario, 6-5
Monday's Schedule
Draw 6 (9 a.m. ET)
Nova Scotia vs. Prince Edward Island
Quebec vs. Nunavut
British Columbia vs. Saskatchewan
Northwest Territories vs. Wild Card
Draw 7 (2 p.m. ET)
Saskatchewan vs. Northwest Territories
Wild Card vs. British Columbia
Nunavut vs. Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island vs. Quebec
Draw 8 (7 p.m. ET)
Newfoundland and Labrador vs. Northern Ontario
Manitoba vs. Alberta
Ontario vs. New Brunswick
Canada vs. Yukon
Sunday Recap
Canada is seeking its third Brier championship in four years, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and '18, but lead Ben Hebert will remember Sunday for individual reasons:
Kevin Koe, who led Alberta to Brier glory last year, is now serving as Canada's skip. The 45-year-old is trying to become the first skip to win the Brier five times (h/t CBC). He and Canada had gotten off to a rough start on Saturday by dropping their opener 5-3 to Team John Epping from Ontario but rebounded Sunday against the winless Northwest Territories.
Epping, meanwhile, kept dominating en route to routing British Columbia 11-3:
"This is definitely up there in the top experiences," Epping told Curling Canada afterward, referencing his team's unbeaten record before home fans in Ontario. "... It's great to have a chance to play in a home Brier. You never know how many you're gonna get to, and it might be my last chance. You don't know."
Ontario upheld Epping's comments by tallying three points in the ninth end to top winless Yukon 10-6.
The morning's Draw 3 was highlighted by Saskatchewan and 24-year-old skip Matt Dunstone upset veteran skip James Grattan and his New Brunswick teammates. Saskatchewan outscored New Brunswick 5-0 in the ninth and 10th ends to complete the comeback victory.
Saskatchewan was led by Dustin Kidby throwing 98 percent, while Dunstone shot 79 percent.
Northern Ontario and Manitoba wrapped up competition as the last to leave the ice.
Skip Brad Jacobs gave Northern Ontario a 5-4 lead entering the seventh end:
Both teams were held scoreless until Manitoba narrowly pulled off a two-point 10th end for the 6-5 victory:
It marked Manitoba's second comeback upset of the day, having already defeated Quebec 10-8 in the afternoon:
While Manitoba will ride high into Monday tied for second in Pool B at 2-1, Northern Ontario is off to a surprising 1-2 start—good for sixth place—after entering the field as the world's top-ranked team.
Anything can happen at the Brier.
The first full day of the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier kicked off on Saturday at Leon's Centre in Kingston, Ontario, with 16 teams vying for the Canada men's national curling championship.
Team John Epping, ranked No. 2 in the world, took the opening match with ease for Ontario but will have some work to do to catch British Columbia's Steve Laycock and Co. The world's top team, Team Jacobs, will start pool play Saturday evening representing Northern Ontario in an opening match against Alberta.
Here's where each team stands after the first draw:
Saturday's Results
Draw 1
British Columbia def. Northwest Territories, 6-4
Ontario def. Canada, 5-3
Newfoundland and Labrador def. Manitoba, 8-4
Nova Scotia def. Quebec, 10-3
Draw 2
Alberta def. Northern Ontario, 7-2
Prince Edward Island def. Nunavut, 9-4
Wild Card def. Saskatchewan, 5-3
New Brunswick def. Yukon, 9-8
Sunday Schedule
Draw 3 (9 a.m. ET)
Wild Card vs. Yukon
Saskatchewan vs. New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island vs. Northern Ontario
Nunavut vs. Alberta
Draw 4 (2 p.m. ET)
Manitoba vs. Quebec
Newfoundland and Labrador vs. Nova Scotia
Canada vs. Northwest Territories
Ontario vs. British Columbia
Draw 5 (7 p.m. ET)
New Brunswick vs. Canada
Yukon vs. Ontario
Alberta vs. Newfoundland and Labrador
Northern Ontario vs. Manitoba
Saturday Recap
Team Epping third Ryan Fry notched his 100th career victory at the Brier in the Pool A opener as Ontario knocked off a defending champion Team Canada, led by skipper Kevin Koe.
Two stolen ends helped Ontario eke out a narrow 5-3 victory and hand Team Canada a crucial loss. It's the second victory for Epping over Koe this season as the former notched another win in the Home Hardware Canada Cup final in December.
Despite that, Epping said he couldn't relax until the match score went final.
"You never know with Kevin Koe," Epping told Curling Canada. "He's a magician. You never feel safe until the rock stops.”
That fear isn't misplaced. Koe is looking to win his fifth Brier as skipper, which would set the all-time record.
Saturday's first draw also featured a victory for skipper Brad Gushue and Team Newfoundland and Labrador, which is looking to win back the title after it captured the Brier in 2017 and 2018 before it missed the podium in 2019.
