Mike Mcewen as Thursday night approaches: must-win to keep Brier playoff hopes alive
mike mcewen and his Saskatoon rink lost 9-4 to Braden Calvert and dropped to 5-2 at the Montana’s Brier in St. John’s, N. L.; McEwen will need to try to beat Matt Dunstone on Thursday night (ET) to remain at two losses and preserve his path toward the playoffs.
What happens next for Mike Mcewen?
McEwen’s rink, which curls out of the Nutana Curling Club and lists Colton Flasch at third, Kevin Marsh at second and Dan Marsh at lead, gave up scoring in a sequence of ends that decided the game. Calvert put up two in the second following a blank in the first; McEwen managed a single with hammer in the third before Calvert extended the margin with two in the fourth. McEwen again produced only a single in the fifth while Calvert added two in the sixth. McEwen did score a double in the seventh, but Manitoba answered with a triple in the eighth and the teams shook hands after that end.
Practically, McEwen remains alive but faces a narrow path. If he beats Matt Dunstone on Thursday night (ET), a three-way tie among Calvert, Dunstone and McEwen would be settled by last stone draw distance. The loss to Calvert means that, in a tie specifically with Calvert, the tiebreaker would favour the Manitoba side.
How has Knapp’s run affected the playoff picture?
Kelly Knapp’s Regina rink recorded a morning win over Newfoundland and Labrador’s Nathan Young, a 7-10 result that improved Knapp to 3-3 and kept that rink in the playoff hunt while still depending on other results. Knapp’s lineup from the Highland Curling Club lists Brennen Jones at third, Dustin Kidby at second and Mat Ring at lead. That victory required overcoming two three-point ends allowed to Young’s crew; Knapp’s rink answered with two in the seventh and a trio of stolen points in the eighth to secure the win.
Knapp was scheduled to face the undefeated Brad Gushue rink in an evening draw at the Canadian men’s championship. Separate coverage provided in the submitted material indicates Knapp was later eliminated after a loss to Gushue, creating another shift in the field that influences which rinks can press for the final playoff spots.
Across these results, the field is fluid: some teams move closer to clinching with each win, while others must rely on favorable tiebreakers and last stone draw metrics. For McEwen, the immediate determinant is Thursday night’s matchup with Dunstone; for Knapp, the evening draw against Gushue was decisive for elimination or survival.
The limitations of this account are the same as the coverage supplied: play-by-play detail is confined to the described games and the stated lineup information. The practical takeaway for followers of the event is straightforward — the margins are slim, and final positioning will hinge on a mix of head-to-head results and last stone draw distance calculations.
Readers tracking the tournament should watch the Dunstone–McEwen matchup closely on Thursday night (ET): a win keeps mike mcewen
