LOWS HIGHS. Here comes Saskatchewan! CANADA S GUSHUE LONE UNDEFEATED TEAM AT 5-0 TO THE

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1 ISSUE 5 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 CANADA S GUSHUE LONE UNDEFEATED TEAM AT 5-0 Here comes Saskatchewan! LOWS TO THE HIGHS Saskatchewan s Matt Dunstone was a picture of despair earlier this week as his team struggled, but it has all changed now. After four straight wins at the Tim Hortons Brier, Saskatchewan has qualified for the Championship Pool.

2 2 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier lberta s Brendan Bottcher and Darren Moulding look at all the angles; Northern Ontario skip Brad Jacobs was sensational in his win Tuesday against Quebec. Epping finds his A legs ntario among five teams advancing to Championship Pool By GRANT GRANGER Tankard Times Writer he weather outside the Brandt Centre cleared up and so did the Pool B playoff picture at the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, presented by Mosaic. As a result of play Tuesday night, Ontario (5-1), Northern Ontario (5-1), Manitoba (5-1) and Saskatchewan (4-2) have all advanced to the Championship Pool Thursday and Friday, even though there s one draw left to go in Pool B. The team on the biggest roll is Ontario (Toronto). Since losing their opener to Northern Ontario on Saturday, skip John Epping, third Mat Camm, second Pat Janssen, lead Tim March and coach Jim Wilson have reeled off five consecutive wins. The latest was a surgical 11-4 victory over Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown) skipped by Eddie MacKenzie (1-5). We re kind of finding our groove there. Tonight was a good performance. That was rock solid. We controlled the game, start to finish, said Epping, who executed a six-rock raise in the fourth end to score three and go in front 6-2. We ve got our A legs going right now, starting to feel really comfortable out there, feel good and hopefully keep the momentum going. Northern Ontario rebounded from a morning loss to Saskatchewan with a superb effort to subdue a stubborn, fine-shooting Quebec squad skipped by Mike Fournier 7-3. Both sides shot 88 per cent, but Northern Ontario skip Brad Jacobs made some fabulous shots to ruin some good setups Quebec had going. In the fourth end, Jacobs made a longrange triple takeout to leave Northern Ontario sitting three and forcing Fournier to draw for a single. In the fifth, Jacobs made a big raise takeout to score three to go ahead 5-2. Manitoba s Reid Carruthers defeated New Brunswick 7-3 to keep pace with the two Ontario teams. The big news for the home crowd fans was Steve Laycock s Saskatchewan squad winning its fourth straight, 10-3 over Nunavut, after opening with two losses. In the final Pool B draw today (2 p.m.), Ontario will play Saskatchewan and Manitoba will take on Northern Ontario. Although all four teams are in, the results from Pool B will carry over to the Championship Pool. (Teams will play a round robin against the four teams from the other pool.) From here on out, we need as many wins as we can. I still believe four losses is going to be tough to get in, and we need to win as many games as we can, said Epping. At two losses, Wednesday s game is even more of a must-win for Saskatchewan. You just can t just coast and say you re in the championship round. You take your losses with you, and realistically if we lose that game tomorrow (against Ontario) we ve got to run the table on the whole other side of the pool. Definitely a huge game, said Laycock. The Pool A picture has some clarity, too, with three teams looking like locks for a Championship Pool spot. Team Canada (5-0) is already in with Team Wild Card and Alberta at 4-1 and assured of at least a tiebreaker. Team Canada s Brad Gushue kept out in front in Pool A by defeating Nova Scotia (Jamie Murphy) 9-5. Team Wild Card bounced back from a loss to Team Canada Monday night by blowing out Northwest Territories We need to sharpen up a bit. We were good (against Koe), but they were off a little bit, said McEwen. Things sort of got out of hand. It ll be interesting to see if, in our next couple of games, if we get tested how we respond. Alberta skip Brendan Bottcher defeated his old University of Alberta teammate, Yukon skip Thomas Scoffin 7-5. But he has the tall task of taking on Gushue this morning and McEwen tonight.

3 @CurlingCanada #BRIER2018 Tankard Times Wednesday, March 7, Patch bursting at seams Brier s party central venue doing a whopping business en Lauzon isn t much for using superlatives, but he has parked that low-key approach for the moment to deem this year s Brier Patch a whopping success. And he ought to know. Lauzon is the food and beverage manager for Curling Canada, Season of Champions, in charge of the Patch, and has overseen its operation for eight years. And this one, located in the brand new Evraz Place, is certainly one of the best if not the best he has been a part of. It has, at times, he agrees, been bursting at the seams. This is pretty much the biggest one I ve ever had, said Lauzon, who owns a restaurant and catering company in Penticton, B.C. Our occupancy is around 7,000 but By DAVE KOMOSKY Tankard Times Editor we could do 8,000. Obviously fire regulations shortens up your attendance. The Patch is the Tim Hortons Brier s party central the biggest watering hole in the country and the warmest, friendliest place to plunk your butt and have a cold one. But it is also huge in the scheme of things, and next to the competition on the ice, the most important component to the Brier. So it s success is critical. Lauzon has obviously done his homework and planning well. It s been bumper-to-bumper traffic into the 84,000-square-foot Patch since it opened Friday night, and there is every indication the facility will be jam-packed again for the final weekend. Not even a blizzard has slowed the traffic into the Patch significantly, a testament to the curling fans in the city. We anticipated success in this one, said Lauzon, who has watched curling fans stream into the Patch to enjoy the Tim Hortons Brier s unique combination of music, food and assorted drink. We re running pretty close to where we want to be. I don t know if it will come out as the biggest sales at the end of the event, but we re thinking it will be close. Regina will be pushing hard to supplant the 2013 Brier Patch in Edmonton as the largest volume Patch (sales per unit). It s Regina, said Lauzon. The Brier is the Brier, so we know we re going to get a draw there, but the prairies draw a little better than other spots do. There is no shortage of things to do in the Patch. If you want to watch the action and a lot do there are eight giant screens. But most come in for the entertainment, a drink and something to eat. There are six different local food vendors serving up tasty food and the building supplies a lunch and dinner buffet. Patrons have had to get used to paying for drinks with debit or credit cards. We went cashless this year, said Lauzon. People are used to the old token system, so it s an education to get them converted over, but once they get used to the conversion, I think they get it. Dealing with money is the old way of doing things. The world s going cashless, and so is the Patch. The Patch s normal operating hours are 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and it is open to the general public based on occupancy, meaning ticket holders get a break when it comes to seating. Ken Lauzon Open your heart to drama Globe Theatre Regina is bursting with ideas and life. A place that can stimulate the senses and imagination. Let us welcome you with sincere and helpful hearts! #SeeYQR tourismregina.com

4 4 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier Epping carries a special coin By GRANT GRANGER Tankard Times Writer John Epping is carrying something special at his first Tim Hortons Brier, presented by Mosaic, that he s hoping will bring him good luck. His mother gave him a specially minted medallion he s been keeping with him on the ice. It came from Bob Ford, a long-time friend of his parents at the Peterborough Curling Club where little Johnny learned to play the game. It s from the 1992 Brier that was held BRIER NOTEBOOK in Regina and was won by Manitoba s Vic Peters. It just so happened that was the first Brier Epping watched on television. He was eight years old. On one side, the coin features The Little General, Garnet Campbell from Avonlea, the first Saskatchewan skip to win the Brier in And he did it in Regina, too. Epping said it also had special significance because his grandfather is from the Carnduff area down by the Manitoba and United States border. He s hoping some of the many relatives he has in the province will come to watch him play if they can plow their way through all the snow that s fallen in the last few days. n n n Jimmy the Kid has grown up, and if Russ Howard hadn t come along his life might have taken a different turn. I still feel like that Jimmy the Kid when I m out there, said James Grattan, the 43-year-old New Brunswick skip making his 12th appearance for the province at the Brier. The self-confessed curling geek, who was born in Ottawa, had to be dragged kicking and screaming to New Brunswick by his parents when he was in Grade 9. He went on to become a provincial junior champ losing the 1995 Canadian junior final in Regina to Chris Galbraith of Manitoba But he always found it difficult to get players willing to commit to competitive curling. Then Howard, a two-time world champion, took a job as a golf pro in the province about the turn of the millennium and he recruited the sharp-shooting Grattan to play third when the snow was on the greens. Since he didn t meet his wife Lynn until after he hooked up with Howard, he could have easily sought curling fame in provinces with a deeper pool of players. If Russ hadn t moved there, probably about 2000, my whole family probably wouldn t be there (New Brunswick) John Epping and the coin he hopes will be lucky. right now, said Grattan, an Air Canada customer representative and father of two. I think that might have changed the course of my career, my wife, and all that kind of stuff at that time. Brier10

5 @CurlingCanada #BRIER2018 Tankard Times Wednesday, March 7, Rookie debut long time coming Quebec skip Mike Fournier wanted to play in the Brier before he actually attended one. for Fournier By GRANT GRANGER Tankard Times Writer M ike Fournier is a stubborn man. That s a good thing. Without that trait he wouldn t be at the Tim Hortons Brier, presented by Mosaic, this week. It s also why he hasn t been to a Brier before just to take it in. This is the first trip to the Brier for the Quebec skip as a player. He hasn t even come to watch as a fan before. It s a lot of fun. I m really enjoying it, said Fournier with a chuckle when asked about his rookie debut at the age of 46. For me you start to wonder if I m ever going to get there or not. So just to have made it this year is really special for me. So what drove him to keep pursuing his Brier dream? Stubbornness, I guess. An unwillingness to give up on something. Having come close in the last few years made me feel like I could still do it, said Fournier. He got a boost this year when he hooked up with some young guns. Or at least young compared to him. Third Félix Asselin is half is age while second William Dion is 30 and lead Jean-François Trépanier is 31. I ve been watching (Asselin) in juniors for years and he wanted to play. It was an opportunity to play more with a guy that is at the top of his game, said Fournier. Félix is a shooter, a shotmaker, that s what he does. Their presence is the first for any Quebec team other than the one skipped by Jean- Michel Ménard for the first time since Ménard has skipped teams at the Brier 11 times, including the last five consecutive years. He won the championship in 2006 and finished second at the world championships. This is not only Fournier s first time playing in a Tim Hortons Brier, it s the first time he s been to one. When he was young, he vowed not to go until he d played in one. Even when the Brier was held close to home in 2016, when it was held in Ottawa, just down the highway from his home west of Montreal in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. That one was particularly painful since he lost the Quebec final to Ménard that year. I couldn t bring myself to go, even though it s an hour s drive from my house, said Fournier. I didn t want to go to one as a fan, I wanted to go as a player first. I kind of hoped it would happen sooner. Fournier would have liked to perform a bit better this week, but has enjoyed the experience. It s a little overwhelming, to be honest. We lost three games in a row, which sucks, obviously. Then we lost to P.E.I. in a game I thought we had good control of. Then we played our first TV game, which was something. Not the game we wanted to play. PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 2018 TIM HORTONS BRIER Sport is more than a game... sport skills are life skills. - truesport.ca respect teammates, competitors and of cials both on and off the ice 770 Broad Street, Regina bennettdunlopford.com win with dignity and lose with grace SaskEnergy is proud to support all of the volunteers who help make community events happen. Thanks to all of the volunteers who champion community spirit and make Saskatchewan a great place to call home. TM sasksport.sk.ca

6 6 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier Skip is still the boss Son trumps dad on ice for Team Yukon It s a privilege. I know this is Thomas s first (Brier) and this may be my last, so I m going to enjoy it as much as I can, get everything out of it. Wade Scoffin Twenty-three-year-old Thomas Scoffin hems and haws as he ponders the best way to answer a question about the leadership dynamics of being a skip and having his father playing second. It works out well, I think? said Scoffin, the Yukon skip as he looks at his dad. I do, too, Wade Scoffin, 51, quickly replied. Yeah, but who is in charge? Um I mean I m the skip and at the end of the day I m going to have to make that last shot and I m going to call it, said Thomas. But we work well as a team and we ve come to an agreement on the shots. There s no doubt curling has been in Thomas s DNA basically from birth. His Always Accommodating. stayinregina.com By GRANT GRANGER Tankard Times Writer first memory of the sport was when he was three years old and Wade was an alternate for Yukon/Territories at the 1997 Brier in Calgary. I definitely liked it, I loved it when I started playing. I grew up around the club so it just felt like second nature to me to just be out there playing, said Thomas. And boy has he played. He skipped Yukon at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, the same year as he skipped his first of seven Canadian junior championships. He was 12. I still have pretty fond memories of that first (Canadian junior) that I played at. I played against (Team Canada second) Brett Gallant there, said Thomas. We got to see where we needed to be in our development in a few years time, and that was just a huge motivating factor for me personally, and that s why I stuck with it and we just kept grinding. Every year we went back, our record just kept getting better and better. Wade talks about the 2013 Canadian juniors when William Dion, who is playing second for Quebec here at the Brier, was extremely grateful when Thomas beat Ontario in the final round-robin game, giving Dion a bye to the final. William went on to win that game, but after that they were so thankful of what Thomas did for them they gave him 16 broom heads because they were moving on to the worlds and they would be getting more (broom heads), said Wade, who played third for Yukon/Territories at the 2002 Brier in Calgary and 2008 Brier in Winnipeg. See SCOFFIN Opposite page SPONSORED EVENT

7 @CurlingCanada #BRIER2018 Scoffin FROM PAGE 6 Thomas went from 1-11 in 2007, to 7-5 in 2012, before moving to Edmonton to get his commerce degree at the University of Alberta. He skipped Alberta to the Canadian junior final in Fort McMurray going 9-2 in the round robin before losing the final to Manitoba s Matt Dunstone 4-3, who is here throwing fourth stones for Saskatchewan. He also skipped the Golden Bears at the Canadian university championships the last three years. He won in 2015 and lost the final the other two years. (Moving to Edmonton) was definitely the best decision I ever made, said Thomas. To move to go to school, but also to develop my career as a curler. But now he s back in Whitehorse working as an accountant. I m happy with my decision to move home. It was a tough decision to make. Obviously, I had a lot going in Alberta and I had a lot of great guys I was playing with, said Thomas. But instead of playing with teenagers or college students, he s playing with dear old dad, third Tom Appelman, 35, (an Edmontonian) and lead Steve Fecteau, 46. It s different, but it s fun. Different s always good. It gives you a lot of perspective. There s always something that your teammates can bring to a team. It s not always the same thing, but it s definitely been a lot of fun and we re enjoying ourselves, said Thomas. It s been pretty cool for his father, who is an occupational therapist, too. It s a privilege. I know this is Thomas s first (Brier), and this may be my last, so I m going to enjoy it as much as I can, get everything out of it, perform to the best of my ability, and I ll feel good, said Wade. We don t have expectations for winning the Brier. We have expectations of excelling and playing to the best of our abilities. It s the journey. Tankard Times Wade Scoffin (left) and son Thomas work together on the ice. For Thomas, playing in a Brier instead of watching it has been a blast. It s been amazing, just soaking it all in, he said. We got to play some of the best teams in Wednesday, March 7, the world in our first two games (Mike McEwen and Brad Gushue) and that s awesome. NOW FAST LIVES HERE. Stream, search, and game faster than ever. Plus, with maxtv, you can record 4 shows at once. Go faster with Saskatchewan s fastest Internet* at sasktel.com/infinet. *Conditions apply. See sasktel.com for details.

8 8 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier

9 @CurlingCanada #BRIER2018 Tankard Times Wednesday, March 7,

10 10 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier Spotlight on: B.C. KELOWNA CURLING CLUB, KELOWNA Q&A What is the one thing you wish you could do if given the chance? Attend the Masters Tournament. Got a phobia you want to share? I don t like hair. Who s your hero? My dad. What s playing on your ipod right now? 80s and country. If you could see one concert, what would it be? Zac Brown Band. Again. What s your biggest pet peeve? Disorganization. What s your fast-food guilty pleasure? Teen Burger. What s your favourite vacation destination? Maui. If you could meet anyone, who would that be? Tiger. How do you think the world is going to end? In flames or an ice age? In flames. What is your definition of an incredible weekend? Any weekend with my kids... and they behave. What are the five things you cannot do without? Rylan, Kennedy, Brynlee, Katie, golf. Are you a cat/dog person? Dog. What is your favourite breakfast meal? Hard-boiled eggs with fruit and coconut milk on top. sean geall AGE: 43 BIRTHPLACE: Surrey, B.C. RESIDENCE: Abbotsford FAMILY: Wife, Katie Prysunka; children, Ryan 5, Kennedy 4, Brynlee 2 OCCUPATION: Utility Equipment Sales and Rentals, Commercial Truck Equipment Co. Describe your life in one word: Chaos. What is your favourite TV show? Netflix Documentaries. If we re buying, you re having...? Bourbon. What is the one thing you own you wish you didn t? Xbox What is one of the things you would put on your bucket list?attend all four majors and watch the Cubs win another World Series. What superstition do you believe/practice? Same seat in the car on a winning streak. Name one thing you worry about. Kids If you could talk in your sleep, what would you say? Go back to sleep... it s 3 a.m. SKIP When you are in extra ends on the farm you need a teammate that will help to sweep you to the button. Markusson New Holland 26 G P R E P K markusson.com Markusson New Holland, Proud to be a part of your winning team.

11 @CurlingCanada #BRIER2018 Tankard Times THIRD SECOND LEAD Wednesday, March 7, ALTERNATE jeff richard andrew nerpin david harper brad wood Essentials AGE: 38 BIRTHDATE: March 24, 1979 BORN: Kelowna LIVES: Kelowna FAMILY: Wife Brooklyn Leitch YEARS CURLED: 30 OCCUPATION: General manager, Sunset Ranch Golf & Country Club Essentials AGE: 31 BIRTHDATE: Nov. 17, 1986 BORN: Marathon, Ont. LIVES: Kelowna FAMILY: Single YEARS CURLED: 20 OCCUPATION: Power engineer, Imperial Oil Essentials AGE: 40 BIRTHDATE: July 9, 1977 BORN: Ottawa LIVES: Kelowna FAMILY: Wife Jessica, daughter Lyla 3 STARTED CURLING AT: 8 OCCUPATION: Real estate agent, 2 Percent Realty Okanagan gerry COACH richard Delta Hotels by Marriott Regina 1919 Saskatchewan Drive marriott.com/yqrdr Proud Sponsor of the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier FORWARD, TOGETHER For over 20 years, Charter has been helping our customers success by providing increased network security simplified operations and improved collaboration. Ask us how we can help chart your course to success. Victoria Vancouver Calgary Edmonton Regina Toronto w w w. c h a r t e r. c a

12 12 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier Spotlight on: N.W.T. Q&A If you could meet anyone, who would that be? Rob Gronkowski. Which sitcom character do you relate to? The Fonz. Beer or wine? Pintnanza. What is your favourite breakfast meal? BLs. What is your dream car? Shelby Mustang (Eleanor). If you could talk in your sleep, what would you say? Just clean it boys. What is one of the things you would put on your bucket list? Play Augusta National. If we re buying, you re having...? Everything. What is your definition of an incredible weekend? Oldschool curling ending with a title. Describe your life in one word: Blessed. What s your biggest pet peeve? Surveys. What superstition do you believe/practice? All of them. YELLOWKNIFE CURLING CENTRE jamie koe AGE: 40 BIRTHPLACE: Yellowknife RESIDENCE: Yellowknife FAMILY: Wife, Chris, sons Niklaas 12, daughter Peyton 9 OCCUPATION: Comptroller General, government of Northwest Territories SKIP WE CARE CONCEPT DESIGN PRINT 300 Dewdney Avenue Regina, SK S4N 0E8 Bus: Toll Free: Fax: Crescent Point Energy is proud to sponsor the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier. crescentpointenergy.com Photo: s.yume. Used under CC BY 2.0

13 @CurlingCanada #BRIER2018 Tankard Times THIRD SECOND LEAD Wednesday, March 7, ALTERNATE none none COACH hris chille brad chorostkowski robert borden Essentials AGE: 35 BIRTHDATE: Feb. 19, 1983 BORN: Barrhead, Alta. LIVES: Red Deer, Alta. MARITAL STATUS: Single YEARS CURLED: 22 OCCUPATION: Business owner, Flooring Superstores Essentials AGE: 44 BIRTHDATE: Sept. 5, 1973 BORN: Yellowknife LIVES: Yellowknife FAMILY: Wife Christina, daughters Kalley 10, Brynn 8 OCCUPATION: Plumber/business owner, J&R Mechanical Essentials AGE: 31 BIRTHDATE: Oct. 3, 1986 BORN: Yellowknife LIVES: Yellowknife FAMILY: Wife Jessie, son Walter 2 OCCUPATION: Financial systems business analyst, government of Northwest Territories YOUR WORLD AT HOME HEATHER ANDERSON & LEE JONES WEEKNIGHTS 6

14 14 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier STANDINGS POOL A W L anada (Gushue) 5 0 ild Card (McEwen) 4 1 lberta (Bottcher) 4 1 ova Scotia (Murphy) 2 3.W.T. (Koe) 2 3.L. (Smith) 1 4 ukon (Scoffin) 1 4.C. (Geall) 1 4 POOL B W L anitoba (Carruthers) 5 1. Ontario (Jacobs) 5 1 ntario (Epping) 5 1 ask. (Laycock) 4 2 uebec (Fournier) 2 4.B. (Grattan) 2 4.E.I. (MacKenzie) 1 5 unavut (St. Louis) 0 6 ROB VANSTONE IN THE REGINA LEADER-POST BRIER SCOREBOARD LINESCORES Draw 9 9 a.m Total P.E.I. (MacKenzie) N.B. (Grattan) * Quebec (Fournier) * x x 8 Nunavut (St. Louis) x x 3 Manitoba (Carruthers) x 5 Ontario (Epping) * x 10 Sask. (Muyres) N. Ontario (Jacobs) * x x x x 8 4 Draw 10 2 p.m Total Nova Scotia (Murphy) x 5 Canada (Gushue) * x 9 N.L. (Smith) x 6 B.C. (Geall) * x 12 Alberta (Bottcher) x 7 Yukon (Scoffin) * x 5 N.W.T. (Koe) x x 3 Wild Card (McEwen) * x x 10 Draw 11 7 p.m Total Quebec (Fournier) * x 3 N. Ontario (Jacobs) x 7 Ontario (Epping) x x 11 P.E.I. (MacKenzie) * x x 4 Nunavut (St. Louis) x x 3 Sask. (Laycock) * x x 10 Manioba (Carruthers) x 7 N.B. (Grattan) x 3 * Last rock SCHEDULE TODAY 9 a.m. Draw A NL vs. WC; B YT vs NS; C BC vs. NT; D AB vs. CA 2 p.m. Draw A ON vs. SK; B MB vs. NO; C QC vs. NB; D NU vs. PE 7 p.m. Draw A YT vs. NT; B AB vs. WC; C NL vs. CA; D BC vs. NS A lifelong sports junkie, Rob has you covered from hack to house. SPORTS NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS LEADERPOST.COM The Road To Energy Savings Starts Here Toll-Free: varaxis.ca CIMCO Refrigeration welcomes all participants and fans to the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier

15 @CurlingCanada #BRIER2018 Tankard Times Wednesday, March 7, You can call Smith Mr. Entertainment Tankard Times EDITOR Dave Komosky ASSOCIATE EDITOR Grant Granger PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Burns Jr. PRINT PARTNERS Regina Leader-Post By GRANT GRANGER Tankard Times Writer rad Gushue is a hard act to follow, but Greg Smith is putting on a show at the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, presented by Mosaic. When Gushue became Team Canada this year by winning the 2017 Brier in their hometown of St. John s, the 21-year-old Smith took advantage by winning the provincial championship. He became the first Newfoundland/Labrador skip since 2006 at the Brier not named Gushue. Smith is a simultaneously a symphony conductor waving his arms and a Scottish dancer doing a jig as he encourages his stone to do what he wants it to while barking his line calls to his sweepers. He even delivers his hits with a flourish brandishing a big backswing as he wings the rock down the ice. His twists and shouts, and aggressive style of play, which sees plenty of rocks in the house, has fast made him a Brandt Centre fan favourite. He not only high-fives teammates, but little kids and spectators. People like Newfies, and I guess people like crazy Newfies as well. It s absolutely fantastic. The support here in Regina has been unbelievable, said Smith. I m not going to lie, yeah, (the adulation is) pretty good. I play with a ton of emotion, a ton of heart, and I do the same thing in everything I do. I bowl and I m whipping the hands around and all that, too. When Gushue won at Mile One Centre, Smith put out a call on Facebook to put a team together. It took until August, but he managed to hook up with some other young guns third Matthew Hunt, 26, second Andrew Taylor, 26, and lead Ian Withycombe, 22. Pretty well every team that could compete went all out. It was one of the first years in a long time that you ve seen Newfoundland teams, other than Brad, do events on the tour, said Smith. Their practice and prep paid off with the provincial title and a trip to the Brier. Oh my god, it s absolutely incredible. I never thought I d be going to the Brier at 21. I d never could have imagined that. It s a dream come true. We re just taking it by the horns and making the best of this week and see what we could do with it, said Smith. It s kind of nuts. You get in the hack and people are going wild on another sheet for a double takeout and you re there ready to throw a draw and you ve got to reset and take a deep breath. So all that s going to take some getting used to, but I m enjoying it, it s pretty good. He didn t deny getting a Brier under his belt could be considered a practice round for when Gushue retires. That could be true. There s some merit to that, said Smith, who figures he s basically playing with house money here. The tankard back home, we didn t have much to lose either. Going in to this we said we re just going to treat this like a Superleague game. It s a superleague game where they re doing stats, you ve got to curl 90 (per cent) and there s six and a half thousand people watching your game. Although they both curl at the Bally Haly, he s never played Gushue. That changes tonight. Smith has had his match on the final draw of Pool A against Team Canada circled ever since the draw came out. It s going to be an absolutely fantastic experience. Getting to play Brad here at The Show is going to be unreal. I can t wait for that game, said Smith, who works as an instructor at Bally Haly. Gushue can t wait either. That s probably the game I m looking forward to the most, said Gushue. It s not Greg, it s just playing Newfoundland. It s kind of cool coming to a Brier and play your home province. FRIEND OF THE 2018 TIM HORTONS BRIER Greg Smith has entertained the Brier crowds this week with his on-ice antics. The Markusson family has a history of being involved with Agriculture in Saskatchewan. Markusson New Holland's president, Hartley Markusson's grandfathers were early pioneers in the Foam Lake area. They arrived in the late 1800's and the Markusson family homestead is still being farmed by their decendants, Sheldon and Tyler Markusson. Today, Markusson New Holland is still a family owned and operated business, with Hartley and Lorraine's sons, Cory and Derrick, both of which became partners in They continue to follow their founder's philosophy of fair, honest dealings, and superior after the sale support to their customers. You can count on the Markusson's and their exceptional staff for anything New Holland produces, and the many other brands of products they carry. They continue to grow and exceed their customers expectations in Agriculture, and also Consumer and Construction equipment. everyone wins! when you buy a lottery ticket, you help saskatchewan lotteries fund over 12,000 sport, culture, recreation and community groups. That makes life better for people across saskatchewan, and that s something to cheer about!

16 16 Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Tankard Times curling.ca/2018brier Baby watch continues for Harper, Richard David Harper It s been a whirlwind of airports, snowstorms and maternity ward for David Harper in the last week or so. The British Columbia lead left in the middle of a first-draw game Saturday night to fly home to Kelowna to be his wife, who was believed to be in labour and about to give birth to their second child. Turned out to be a false alarm. So since then he s been scrambling to get back, and all the snow that s hit Regina hasn t helped. Just not quite there yet, said Harper after helping B.C. win its first game at the Tim Hortons Brier, presented by Mosaic, Tuesday afternoon. We re in hospital, everything seems to be good. My wife said, Go. You need to go back and play a game, live out your dream. We tried to get back (Monday) night for the game, but of course we couldn t land in Regina so we were rerouted to Saskatoon. Honestly, I was just heading home. I didn t think I was going to get here. But the curling gods were with me and I got to come live out my dream here. I am on a permanent state of on-call, and I have been for two weeks now. I ll go check my phone here in a minute and see what the scoop is. The baby watch continues, not only for him, but for B.C. third Jeff Richard, who said the due date for his wife, Brooklyn Leitch, to give birth to their first child was Sunday. But he s still waiting. B.C. defeated Newfoundland/Labrador 12-6 for its first win in five games. So maybe Harper s return made the difference, eh? I ve already put my request for a raise, and we ll see how that goes, quipped Harper.