Rookie Nova Scotia skip joins Montana’s Brier veterans in bid to raise the Tankard

Act one of the 2025 Montana’s Brier, presented by AGI, played out with its standard quota of thrills, disappointments and drama.

But now we get to the meat of the production, and what a finish we appear to be headed to at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C.

Eighteen teams arrived a week ago, and just six are left standing, featuring an intriguing blend of championship pedigree, led, of course by three-time defending champs Team Canada, skipped by Brad Gushue (7-1; St. John’s).

But it’s the other end of the experience spectrum that will have many other Atlantic Canada fans excited as Owen Purcell’s Halifax team (5-3) clinched Nova Scotia its first playoff spot in nearly two decades with a 7-3 win over Ontario’s Team Sam Mooibroek (4-4; Whitby) in a game that decided the third and final playoff spot in Pool B and a berth in Friday night’s 6:30 p.m. (all times Pacific) Page 3-4 qualifying game.

At just 24, Purcell, a former Canadian Under-18 champ, will be easily the youngest skip in the playoffs. Backed up by vice-skip Luke Saunders, second Scott Saccary, lead Ryan Abraham, alternate Calan MacIsaac and coach Colleen Jones, the tucking Bluenoser skip will take on the loser of the Page 1-2 qualifier between Pool B winner Alberta’s Team Brad Jacobs (8-0; Calgary) and Pool A runner-up Team Canada.

How, Purcell was asked, would he have responded if he had been told a week ago when he arrived that he’d be in a playoff position at the end of the round robin?

“I’d be telling you that we’re pretty happy and pretty friggin’ excited to be playing in the playoffs at my first Brier,” said a smiling Purcell, who broke the game open in the eighth end when he drew for two after Mooibroek barely missed on a slash double takeout to get out of trouble. “Sticking to our routines and our process, sticking to our game plan — I think that was really critical for us to succeed this week and we did a really good job of that. We’re really just living by that so, yeah, I think we’re in good shape heading into the playoffs.”

The playoffs will kick off Friday at 12:30 p.m. with the Page 1-2 qualifiers. Alongside the Alberta-Jacobs vs. Team Canada clash, Pool A winner Manitoba’s Team Matt Dunstone (7-1; Winnipeg) will take on Pool B runner-up Saskatchewan’s Team Mike McEwen (7-1; Saskatoon).

The two winners of the afternoon games will advance to Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. Page 1-2 playoff, with a bye to the gold-medal game on the line.

The losers, meanwhile, take advantage of their second life by dropping to the Page 3-4 qualifier. Manitoba’s Team Reid Carruthers (6-2; Winnipeg) finished third in Pool A and will play the Manitoba-Dunstone vs. Saskatchewan-McEwen loser.

The Nova Scotia-Ontario battle pitted two of Canada’s brightest young skipping talents, both former U SPORTS Canadian University Champs, and the stakes couldn’t have been higher.

“I imagine both of our teams knew that this game was coming and we were going to be in a pretty similar spot, so definitely pretty intense,” said Purcell. “Sam and those guys, they’re awesome — I mean, they’re showing that the next generation of curling in Canada is really, really strong and we always have really good games against them. Sam and I have played against each other a lot over the years so it’s kind of special, honestly, to play against him in a game of this calibre.”

The last time a Nova Scotia team made the playoffs was 2006 at Regina when Team Mark Dacey claimed a bronze medal.

“That’s pretty cool,” said Purcell of ending the 19-year dry spell. “I mean, I’ve always looked up to Dacey and he was even our coach last year and he’s an amazing curler. He did a lot for curling in Nova Scotia so it’s an honour to be sharing that kind of glory in a sense with him.”

The battle of Pool B unbeatens, meanwhile, went to an extra end as Team Alberta-Jacobs prevailed 9-6 over Team Saskatchewan-McEwen.

The winners of the Page 3-4 qualifiers 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 World Men’s Curling Championship March 29-April 6 in Moose Jaw, Sask.

In the other games to close out the round robin, Québec’s Team Félix Asselin (4-4; Glenmore/Valleyfield/Etchemin/Des Collines/Belvedere) toppled Saskatchewan’s Team Rylan Kleiter (3-5; Saskatoon) 8-5; and the Yukon’s Team Thomas Scoffin (4-4; Whitehorse) clinched his best record at the Montana’s Brier with a 6-2 win over Team Aaron Bartling of the Northwest Territories (0-8; Hay River).

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.