Chain reaction!

Manitoba-Dunstone betters Canada’s Team Gushue for top spot in Pool A at Montana’s Brier

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This isn’t a lesson in physics; it also applies to the final day of the round robin at the 2025 Montana’s Brier, presented by AGI.

Two Pool A teams, Canada’s Team Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and Manitoba’s Team Matt Dunstone (Winnipeg) were firmly entrenched in the playoffs heading into their final round-robin game against each other on Thursday afternoon at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C. The game for first place in the pool created a chain reaction of outcomes for the rest of the teams in the playoff picture. 

With its swings in momentum, big-pressure shotmaking and blistering intensity, the game had all the making of a Montana’s Brier final.

Tied six apiece and coming home with hammer, Manitoba’s Team Dunstone scored one in the 10th for the victory. Gushue could not make a draw to the side four-foot to force Team Dunstone to throw its last. The win tied both teams in the standings at 7-1, with Dunstone earning top honours due to the head-to-head result. 

“We lose that game, we’re playing for our lives tomorrow night. Now we got that second life and have a chance to get into the 1-2 game,” said Dunstone.

But the win was far from certain. Canada’s Team Gushue started the game with all the momentum.

Canada made a quarter-rock double to force Team Dunstone to a single in the opening end and took the lead in the third. Team Dunstone missed a double on its last and set up Canada with a draw for three. Canada extended the lead in the fourth end by forcing Dunstone into a difficult angle raise that could have been for three, but Team Gushue came out of the end with a steal of one. 

“It was just staying the course. When we were down 4-1, I thought, truthfully, we outplayed them through those four ends. It was all about being the best team over the course of 10 ends,” Dunstone said.

The Gushue lead was indeed not safe. Team Dunstone scored two in the fifth, forced Team Gushue to one in the sixth and set up a brilliant run double takeout to score two and tie the game in the seventh. In the eighth, Dunstone made a cheeky hit-and-roll to sit shot in the back-four and Gushue could not follow the draw path for a chance to score. It was the first time Team Gushue allowed a steal all week.  

“If we gave up a deuce in eight, most times it’s going to be ballgame there. We made it almost as good as we could have. Got a little bit of a break on Brad’s last in eight. One of the things we talked about in our meeting today is if we can score multiple deuces and find a steal along the way, we’re going to win this game,” Dunstone said.

In the ninth end, Team Gushue was seeking a blank. Manitoba-Dunstone tucked its final rock on the side of the back-12 behind a wide corner guard. Canada tried to hit and roll out, but stuck around for the point to tie the game and give Team Dunstone the hammer in the final frame.

The Dunstone-Gushue result dictated the third playoff berth available. 

Northern Ontario’s Team Epping (6-2; Sudbury) completed its primary objective with a 13-2 win against Nunavut’s Team Shane Latimer (0-8; Iqaluit). However, that wasn’t enough to guarantee the team the final playoff spot. 

To qualify, Team Epping needed a Team Gushue victory to force a three-way tie between Team Reid Carruthers (6-2; Winnipeg) and Team Dunstone. However, the Dunstone victory helped the idle Manitoba-Carruthers team earn the final spot because of the head-to-head result between Team Carruthers and Team Epping.

The playoff format will see the first-place team from Pool A meeting second place from Pool B, and vice versa, in the first round of the playoffs at 12:30 p.m. (all times Pacific) on Friday, with the winners going directly to the Page playoff 1-2 game, while the losers meet the third-place finishers in the pools Friday at 6:30 p.m. The winners of those games will advance to the Page playoff 3-4 game.

The standard Page playoffs commence with the winner of the Page 1v2 game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., advancing directly to the final, and the loser plays the winner of the Page 3v4 game (scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday) in the semifinal. 

The semifinal (Sunday at 11 a.m.) winner takes on the winner of the Page 1v2 game in the gold-medal game at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The winner will represent Canada at the 2025 BKT Tires World Men’s Curling Championship March 29-April 6 in Moose Jaw, Sask.

In other Draw 17 action, Alberta’s Team Koe (4-4; Calgary) earned a 5-1 win over Newfoundland & Labrador’s Team Ty Dilello (1-7; St. John’s) and New Brunswick’s Team James Grattan (3-5; Oromocto) ended the week on a high note with a 7-5 win over British Columbia’s Team Cameron de Jong (2-6; Victoria). 

In Pool B, both Team Alberta-Jacobs (7-0; Calgary) and Team Saskatchewan-McEwen (7-0; Saskatoon) have solidified playoff spots. Ontario’s Team Sam Mooibroek (4-3; Whitby) and Nova Scotia’s Team Owen Purcell (4-3; Halifax) will battle for the final playoff spot.

The Montana’s Brier continues Tuesday with a draw at 6:30 p.m. (all times Pacific). 

Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2025 Montana’s Brier are available at www.curling.ca/scoreboard/.

TSN and RDS2 will provide complete coverage of the 2025 Montana’s Brier. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule.

For ticket information for the 2025 Montana’s Brier, go to www.curling.ca/2025brier/tickets/

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/2025brier/nouvelles/?lang=fr