McEwen Defeated, Dunstone into Olympic Trials Curling Finals

HALIFAX – There was a fine display of shotmaking on sheet B at the Scotiabank Centre Thursday night, as Matt Dunstone’s Winnipeg crew defeated fellow Manitoba skip Mike McEwen in the men’s semifinal of the Olympic Trials.

After swapping singles, McEwen’s Saskatchewan team scored the first pair of the game in the third end after Dunstone was heavy on his first stone.

One end later, Dunstone made a critical hit and shove – not quite a double takeout – to score his own pair for a 3-3 tie.

Cat’s game.

In the fifth end, things got away from McEwen and he had to make a draw for a single point, facing four.

It was a sign of things to come.

The sixth frame was pivotal. McEwen third Colton Flasch made two nifty throws to put his squad in a decent position. However, on his final stone without hammer, Dunstone threw a tricky yet brilliant come-around to lie one and when McEwen was slightly heavy on his freeze attempt, Dunstone made the straight-back double for a whopping three points.

At this point, Dunstone was firing a 92% shooting average with his team clocked at 94%.

After a blank, the eighth end featured a crowded house when three big misses took place in succession. Flasch, facing two buried opponent’s stones, wrecked on a come-around which was immediately duplicated by Dunstone third Colton Lott.

Flasch then missed a runback; Dunstone still lay two in the four-foot, but wide open, so he threw a guard.

McEwen tried to manipulate things on his first throw, whereupon Dunstone drew in to lie three but overcurled, and McEwen had a tough and critical shot to save the end and score one.

McEwen made it – barely – and Dunstone led 6-5.

In the ninth end, McEwen faced two and, ignoring the open counter, tried to bury a draw for shot. He came just light, and Dunstone made a tap back for a pair and an 8-5 lead.

The 10th end was mayhem, as 14 of the first 15 stones were all in play. Dunstone had to make a key draw around a pile to lie two, just to make McEwen’s last-ditch bullet for three or even four points more difficult. It didn’t come off, and Dunstone stole for the final 9-5 result.

Dunstone has now earned a rematch from last March’s Brier final with Calgary’s Brad Jacobs, who clinched his spot in the Trials final on Thursday morning and then eliminated defending champion Brad Gushue that evening.

The only difference? It’s not a single winner-take-all game – it’s a best-of-three series, to be played out over Friday and Saturday… and possibly Sunday.