Winnipeg’s Matt Dunstone has remained undefeated at the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier in London, Ontario. On Wednesday at the Canadian National Men’s Curling Championship, Dunstone’s Team Manitoba squad defeated Alberta’s Kevin Koe 9-5 in a battle of the only two undefeated teams entering the 15th draw.
Koe really struggled with his draw weight. After Alberta took an early 4-2 lead after two ends, Manitoba dominated the next seven ends as they outscored Alberta 7-1 en route to the four-point win. Dunstone picked up a key three points with the hammer in the fifth end, and then stole points in the seventh, eighth and ninth ends.
It was a strong day offensively for Team Ontario’s Mike McEwen. He reached double digits in scoring in both of his contests. First he scored 11 points in an 11-4 win over New Brunswick’s Scott Jones in the afternoon, and then scored 10 points in a 10-6 win over British Columbia’s Jacques Gauthier in the evening. Ontario improved to five wins and two losses. McEwen and Dunstone are both looking for their first Brier title.
Something to keep an eye on in the playoffs is the health of Canadian Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Gushue, who won the gold medal in men’s curling at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, is battling a lower body injury according to the Canadian Press. He is representing Team Canada, which is currently at six wins and one loss.
