Curling

The 2019 Tim Hortons Brier will begin on Friday with the wild-card game before Canada's official men's curling championship opens its full draw on Saturday.

The team led by two-time defending champion skip Brad Gushue will try to win qualification for the World Championship for the third year in a row, but things will be far from easy.

Gushue enters the tournament ranked fifth in the curling team ranking system (CTRS), with Alberta's Kevin Koe and Northern Ontario's Brad Jacobs leading the charge.

Pool matches will take place between Saturday and Friday, March 8, with the playoffs starting on Saturday, March 9, and concluding in the final the following day. For a look at the full draw schedule, click here.

   

Event Format

A total of 16 teams―representatives of each member association, the defending champions and wild-card winners―have been seeded into two pools using the CTRS rankings.

A round robin will take place until Wednesday, with four teams from each pool advancing to a championship pool. They'll then play four games against teams from the other pool, with the four top finishers advancing to the semi-finals.

The wild-card match will see a replay of the 2018 semi-final, as Team Bottcher and Team Epping go head-to-head. Team Bottcher―representing Alberta―would go on to lose 6-4 in the final to Gushue's Team Canada.

Here's a look at the two pools, according to curling.ca:

Pool A

2. Northern Ontario, Brad Jacobs (Ryan Fry, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden, Lee Toner, Adam Kingsbury; Sault Ste. Marie, 3)
3. Team Wild Card
6. Manitoba, Mike McEwen (Reid Carruthers, Derek Samagalski, Colin Hodgson; Rob Meakin; West St. Paul, 11)
7. Saskatchewan, Kirk Muyres (Kevin Marsh, Daniel Marsh, Dallan Muyres, Lyle Muyres; Saskatoon, 12)
10. Quebec, Martin Crete (Philippe Lemay, Eric Sylvain, Philippe Menard, Philippe Brassard, Robert Menard; Saint-Romuald, 58)
11. Newfoundland/Labrador, Andrew Symonds (Chris Ford, Adam Boland, Keith Jewer, Craig Jewer; St. John's, 141)
14. Prince Edward Island, John Likely (Anson Carmody, Steve Burgess, Robbie Doherty, Matt Nabuurs; Alberton/Charlottetown, NR)
15. Yukon, Jon Solberg (Bob Smallwood, Clinton Abel, Scott Odian; Whitehorse, NR)

Pool B

1. Alberta, Kevin Koe (B.J. Neufeld, Colton Flasch, Ben Hebert, John Dunn; Calgary, 1)
4. Team Canada, Brad Gushue (Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker, Tom Sallows, Jules Owchar; St. John's, 4)
5. Ontario, Scott McDonald (Jonathan Beuk, Wesley Forget, Scott Chadwick, Jeff Grant, Sean Turriff; Kingston, 8)
8. Nova Scotia, Stuart Thompson (Colten Steele, Travis Colter, Taylor Ardiel, Bill MacPhee, Kevin Patterson; Dartmouth, 25)
9. British Columbia, Jim Cotter (Steve Laycock, Tyrel Griffith, Rick Sawatsky, Brad Wood; Vernon, 39)
12. Northwest Territories, Jamie Koe (David Aho, Matthew Ng, Cole Parson; Yellowknife, NR)
13. New Brunswick, Terry Odishaw (Jordan Pinder, Marc Lecoq, Grant Odishaw, Jamie Brannen; Moncton, NR)
16. Nunavut, Dave St. Louis (Peter Mackey, Jeff Nadeau, Lloyd Kendall, Barry Westman; Iqaluit, NR)

   

With another gold medal, Gushue would become just the second skip to win the tournament three times in a row. The only man to accomplish the feat so far is Randy Ferbey, representing Alberta between 2001 and 2003.

This year's Alberta representatives enter the tournament first in CTRS rankings, and Koe has plenty of reasons to like his chances. With three titles under his belt already, he could join Ferbey, Ernie Richardson and Kevin Martin as the only four-time winners.

Scott McDonald will represent Ontario after a shock win over last year's semi-finalists led by John Epping, and hometown favourite Mike McEwen will have the backing of the Brandon crowds as the Manitoba skip.

Team Canada completed its dominant showing throughout the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier with a championship performance against Alberta at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Brad Gushue and company earned a 6-4 win in the final Sunday, avenging their only loss while finishing 12-1 in the tournament to bring home gold.

Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker won last year's event representing Newfoundland and Labrador and have now defended their title as part of Team Canada in 2018.

Curling Canada celebrated the victory:

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations @TeamGushue (@BradGushue, @MarkNichols_NL, @bpgallant, @gwalker71, @mountainmanadv and coach Jules Owchar) #Brier2018 pic.twitter.com/QPjFdOtxJu

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 12, 2018

Both skips were outstanding in this one to showcase a high-quality battle between some of the best in the world.

Brendan Bottcher shot 93 percent on the day for Alberta, although Gushue was nearly unstoppable with a 96 percent success rate. He was part of a nearly flawless showing for Team Canada, which finished at 91 percent for the match.

Things started relatively slowly with two straight scoreless ends, but Canada earned two points in both the third and the fifth. As it has done all tournament long, it prevented its opponent from transforming the match with big ends.

In 118 ends across 13 matches, the squad only allowed eight frames of more than one point while accomplishing the feat 31 times for itself.

Devin Heroux of CBC and CurlingZone discussed the strategy and effort as the match progressed:

Single for Alberta in the 7th.

Score two, force one.

CAN 4 AB 2 to the 8th

It’s been a clinic all week from @TeamGushue and they’re closing in now on back-to-back Brier titles. #cbccurl

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) March 12, 2018

Alberta plays aggressively, but Canada maintains control to score one in the 8th end. Gushue leads 5-2 after 8 ends. Both teams are shooting well, but Gushue's deuce, force, deuce combo in ends 3, 4, and 5 have forced Alberta to play with some desperation. #brier2018 #curling pic.twitter.com/QqOM0G5afV

— CurlingZone (@CurlingZone) March 12, 2018

Alberta finally got the big number on the board in the ninth end, scoring two after some missed shots and conservative play from Canada.

This left a 5-4 score going into the final end, and the underdogs did everything they could to try to steal a point to stay alive. However, Gushue drew perfectly to the button to clinch the win for the match and the tournament.

There is a long year of competition ahead for these players, but look for them to be back in this event looking to win a third straight title in 2019.

       

All statistics courtesy of Curling.ca.

The 2018 Tim Hortons Brier field was narrowed from four teams down to three Saturday at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Canada advanced to Sunday's gold-medal match by virtue of its win over Ontario, while Alberta eliminated Northern Ontario from the competition in the earlier contest.

While Canada knows that it will play for gold Sunday night, its opponent will be determined in a semifinal Sunday afternoon between Alberta and Ontario.

Here is a closer look at how Saturday's matches played out, along with a rundown of Sunday's schedule when the winner of the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier will be determined.

     

March 10 Results

Alberta 6, Northern Ontario 5

Canada 6, Ontario 2

     

March 11 Schedule

Ontario vs. Alberta, 1 p.m. ET

Canada vs. winner of Ontario/Alberta, 8 p.m. ET

     

Saturday Recap

In Saturday's first match between the No. 3 and No. 4 seeded teams, Alberta managed to outlast Northern Ontario 6-5 in 11 ends.

Alberta led 3-2 through six ends, but Northern Ontario put itself in prime position to pull off the come-from-behind victory with two points in the seventh end and one in the eighth.

Northern Ontario needed only to hold Alberta to less than two points in the 10th end in order to advance to Sunday's semifinal, but the Albertan team of Karrick Martin, Brad Thiessen, Darren Moulding and Brendan Bottcher came through with two clutch points to force an 11th end.

Since Alberta had the hammer in the all-important 11th end, it had a major advantage, and it made the most of it by scoring the decisive point to win 6-5.

Alberta still has its work cut out if it is going to win the Tim Hortons Brier for the second time in three years and 28th time overall, but Saturday's win ensured that it will at least have a chance to play its way into the gold-medal match.

After Alberta's big win, top-seeded Canada took on No. 2 Ontario in a huge tilt to determine one of the two representatives in the gold-medal match.

While both teams knew going into the match that they would remain alive in the tournament regardless of the result, winning created a much easier path to prevailing in the tournament.

Canada jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second end, and it held a 5-1 advantage after six ends.

Ontario picked up a point in the eighth end, but after Canada scored a point in the ninth end to make it 6-2, Ontario conceded because of the incredibly low chances to scoring four or more points in the 10th.

Canada received remarkable performances from Brad Gushue and Mark Nichols, who hit 100 percent and 96 percent of their shots respectively, while Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker also turned in strong showings.

After finishing second at the Tim Hortons Brier last year, Team Canada will have a chance to win the tournament Sunday for the first time since 2015, while Ontario is still in the hunt for its first Tim Hortons Brier title since 2012.

Canada, Ontario, Alberta and Northern Ontario qualified for the knockout stages of the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier following Friday's games at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.    

The seventh day of competition started with the placement round for the teams that were eliminated from title contention during round-robin play. The remaining squads then took part in the final two rounds of the Championship Pool to determine the four semifinalists.

Let's check out all of the Friday's scores and take a look toward Saturday's schedule. That's followed by a recap of the day's action.

                          

March 9 Results

Draw 18

Yukon 7, Nunavut 6

Northwest Territories 6, Quebec 3

New Brunswick 12, British Columbia 5

Prince Edward Island 12, Newfoundland and Labrador 3

             

Draw 19

Canada 5, Northern Ontario 3

Ontario 9, Alberta 7

Wild Card 6, Saskatchewan 4

Nova Scotia 7, Manitoba 5

             

Draw 20

Wild Card 8, Manitoba 3

Saskatchewan 7, Nova Scotia 5

Canada 5, Ontario 4

Alberta 9, Northern Ontario 3

                

March 10 Schedule

Page Playoff Match No. 1: (3) Alberta vs. (4) Northern Ontario — 3 p.m. ET

Page Playoff Match No. 2: (1) Canada vs. (2) Ontario — 8 p.m. ET

                     

Friday Recap

While most of the placement matches ended with lopsided results, the clash between Yukon and Nunavut came down to the final end.

Yukon, led by skip Thomas Scoffin, took advantage of the hammer to pick up the victory and prevent Nunavut from picking up its first win in the Brier.

Ontario, Canada and Northern Ontario entered the final Championship Pool draw with Page spots secured, but they still had to battle for positioning. Meanwhile, Alberta and Wild Card both had an opportunity to secure the last berth heading into the evening session.

The Wild Card team from Winnipeg took care of its end of the bargain with a victory over Manitoba. It didn't get the help it needed to advance, however, as Alberta came up with a clutch four-point end in the ninth to close out Northern Ontario.

Finally, a seesaw battle between Canada and Ontario for the top seed ended with Canada coming out on top after an extra end. The two sides will face off in a rematch tomorrow night, with the winner securing direct qualification to the title game.

The Page playoffs begin Saturday, and a champion will be crowned Sunday.

The Tim Hortons Brier 2018 reached its championship round on Thursday, which had the top teams from each pool going head-to-head.

Th first slate of games provided a little bit of separation among the top contenders, as No. 1 Alberta fell to No. 8 Saskatchewan. However, three other teams continued their winning ways to keep pace atop the leaderboard throughout the day. 

Check out Thursday's recap and how things stand following the latest action.

       

Championship Pool

1. Northern Ontario (8-1)

2. Canada (8-1)

3. Ontario (8-1)

4. Alberta (7-2)

5. Manitoba (5-4)

6. Wild Card (5-4)

7. Saskatchewan (5-4)

8. Nova Scotia (4-5)

      

Championship Round

Thursday 3 p.m. ET

Sheet A 

Saskatchewan 8, Alberta 6

Sheet B

Canada 7, Manitoba 2

Sheet C

Northern Ontario 6, Nova Scotia 4

Sheet D 

Ontario 8, Wild Card 7

     

Thursday 8 p.m. ET

Sheet A 

Ontario 8, Nova Scotia 6 

Sheet B 

Northern Ontario 8, Wild Card 1

Sheet C 

Alberta 8, Manitoba 2

Sheet D 

Canada 5, Saskatchewan 4

       

Thursday Recap

Take it for what it's worth, but Pool B took three out of the four matches against Pool A in the early slate. Team Canada was the only squad from Pool A to manage a victory.

Alberta was unable to follow up Wednesday's impressive performance that saw them take out its top two competitors in Pool A with an opening win in the championship round. 

Each Northern Ontario, Canada and Ontario improved to 7-1 to keep the race for the No. 1 spot tight. While Canada and Northern Ontario cruised to victory, Ontario need a rally in the ninth end and two points in the 10th to pull out a win over Wild Card.

In the second slate of matches, two of the top teams—Ontario and Canada—were tested. But alas, they both continued to pile up the wins. Ontario rallied for three points in the ninth and 10th ends to pull out an 8-6 victory over Nova Scotia, and Canada needed an extra end to escape with a 5-4 win over Saskatchewan.

By the end of Thursday's action, three teams in the championship pool had an 8-1 record, with Alberta failing to pull off the sweep on this day and falling back from the pack.

       

Friday Schedule

Draw 18 (10 a.m. ET)

Sheet A-A-1

Yukon vs. Nunavut

Sheet B-A2

Northwest Territories vs. Quebec

Sheet C-A3

New Brunswick vs. British Columbia

Sheet D-A4

Prince Edward Island vs. Newfoundland and Labrador 

      

Draw 19 (3 p.m. ET)

Sheet A

Canada vs. Northern Ontario

Sheet B

Ontario vs. Alberta

Sheet C

Wild Card vs. Saskatchewan

Sheet D

Manitoba vs. Nova Scotia

      

Draw 20 (8 p.m. ET)

Sheet A

Manitoba vs. Wild Card

Sheet B

Nova Scotia vs. Saskatchewan

Sheet C

Ontario vs. Canada

Sheet D

Alberta vs. Northern Ontario

Stats via curling.ca.

It was an eventful day at the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, as the standings got even more interesting.

Both Pool A and Pool B have a logjam at the top following Team Canada's first loss of the tournament on Wednesday. There are now no undefeated teams remaining, although a handful of teams still have only one loss.

Check out Wednesday's recap and how things stand following the latest action.

      

Standings

Pool A

1. Alberta (6-1) 

2. Canada (6-1)

3. Wild Card (5-2) 

4. Nova Scotia (4-3)

5. Northwest Territories (3-4)

6. British Columbia (2-5)

7. Newfoundland and Labrador (1-6)

8. Yukon (1-6)

   

Pool B

1. Northern Ontario (6-1)

2. Ontario (6-1)

3. Manitoba (5-2)

4. Saskatchewan (4-3)

5. Quebec (3-4)

6. New Brunswick (2-5)

7. Prince Edward Island (2-5)

8. Nunavut (0-7)

   

Draw 12

Wild Card 6, Newfoundland and Labrador 2

Nova Scotia 7, Yukon 4

British Columbia 7, Northwest Territories 3

Alberta 10, Canada 7

     

Draw 13

Ontario 8, Saskatchewan 4

Northern Ontario 6, Manitoba 3

Quebec 7, New Brunswick 6

Prince Edward Island 14, Nunavut 2

Draw 14

Northwest Territories 8, Yukon 2

Alberta 9, Wild Card 2

Canada 7, Newfoundland Labrador 2

British Columbia vs. Nova Scotia

Wednesday Recap

It was quite the day in Pool A—especially for Alberta.

Facing its top two competitors in the group, Alberta managed to pull off an impressive sweep. Three points in the ninth broke a 7-7 tie and handed Team Canada its first loss of the tournament in the team's first match of the day. Later, Alberta would dominate Wild Card, 9-2, to cap off a big day.

Alberta entered the day behind Canada and tied with Wild Card. Now, it owns the top spot in pool A.

Meanwhile, in Pool B, Manitoba (5-2) suffered its second loss in three matches, dropping a 6-3 decision to Northern Ontario (6-1). However, they still managed to finish in the top four to qualify for the championship round. Ontario also improved to 6-1 with an 8-4 victory over Saskatchewan (4-3). Northern Ontario's 4-3 opening-match victory over Ontario looms big now.

The race for the championship pool came down to the final match...which dramatically needed an extra end. Nova Scotia entered the match needing a victory to qualify, and although the W didn't come easily, a 7-6 victory in 10 got the job done.

Championship Pool

1. Alberta (6-1)

2. Northern Ontario (6-1)

3. Canada (6-1)

4. Ontario (6-1)

5. Wild Card (5-2)

6. Manitoba (5-2)

7. Nova Scotia (4-3)

8. Saskatchewan (4-3)

Championship Round

Thursday 3 p.m. ET

Sheet A 

Saskatchewan vs. Alberta

Sheet B

Canada vs. Manitoba

Sheet C

Northern Ontario vs. Nova Scotia

Sheet D 

Wild Card vs. Ontario

Thursday 8 p.m. ET

Sheet A 

Nova Scotia vs. Ontario 

Sheet B 

Northern Ontario vs. Wild Card 

Sheet C 

Alberta vs. Manitoba

Sheet D 

Canada vs. Saskatchewan

Stats via curling.ca.

The 2018 Tim Hortons Brier continued Tuesday, with pool play sussing itself out in Canada.

Team Canada looked to maintain its perfect record in Pool A, while a huge group of teams near the top of Pool B looked to sort itself out.

Here is a look at how things played out.

   

Standings

Pool A

1. Canada (5-0)

2. Alberta (4-1)

3. Wild Card (4-1)

4. Northwest Territories (2-3)

5. Nova Scotia (2-3)

6. Newfoundland and Labrador (1-4)

7. British Columbia (1-4)

8. Yukon (1-4)

   

Pool B

1. Northern Ontario (5-1)

2. Ontario (5-1)

3. Manitoba (5-1)

4. Saskatchewan (4-2)

5. Quebec (2-4)

6. New Brunswick (2-4)

7. Prince Edward Island (1-5)

8. Nunavut (0-6)

   

Draw 9

New Brunswick 9, Prince Edward Island 6

Quebec 8, Nunavut 3

Ontario 10, Manitoba 5

Saskatchewan 8, Northern Ontario 4

     

Draw 10

Canada 9, Nova Scotia 5

British Columbia 12, Newfoundland and Labrador 6

Alberta 7, Yukon 5

Wild Card 10, Northwest Territories 3

     

Draw 11

Northern Ontario 7, Quebec 3

Ontario 11, Prince Edward Island 4

Saskatchewan 10, Nunavut 3

Manitoba 7, New Brunswick 3

   

Tuesday Recap

Once again, Team Canada continues to look like a favorite as pool play winds down.

Canada earned a 9-5 win over Nova Scotia, moving to 5-0 overall and setting itself up to move on as the favorite to win Pool A. Alberta and Wild Card kept pace to stay within one game at 4-1 overall, with wins over Yukon and Northwest Territories, respectively. Alberta scored two points in the ninth to break a 5-5 tie and escape against a Yukon team that's now sitting 1-4.

Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia are currently sitting tied at 2-3 for the final spot in the championship round. The two both lost their matches on Tuesday, though Northwest Territories' 10-3 loss to Wild Card could wind up hurting it in the event of a tie.

Pool B looks filled out in terms of the championship round teams. The seeding, however, remains very much up in the air.

Northern Ontario, Ontario and Manitoba are all sitting tied at 5-1, with Saskatchewan sitting a game behind at 4-2. Northern Ontario's 7-3 win over Quebec helped it pull ahead on differential, while Ontario moved into second after unseating Manitoba with a 10-5 victory.

   

Tuesday Schedule

Draw 12 (10 a.m. ET)

Newfoundland and Labrador vs. Wild Card

Yukon vs. Nova Scotia

British Columbia vs. Northwest Territories

Alberta vs. Canada

     

Draw 13 (3 p.m. ET)

Ontario vs. Saskatchewan

Manitoba vs. Northern Ontario

Quebec vs. New Brunswick

Nunavut vs. Prince Edward Island

     

Draw 14 (8 p.m. ET)

Yukon vs. Northwest Territories

Alberta vs. Wild Card

Newfoundland Labrador vs. Canada

British Columbia vs. Nova Scotia

The 2018 Tim Hortons Brier entered into its third day Monday at Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.

With its 2017 Brier-winning squad representing Team Canada in the competition, things aren't looking good for reigning champion Newfoundland and Labrador, which lost its first two games to slip to last in Pool A.

At the other end of the spectrum, five teams—Canada, Wild Card, Nova Scotia, Northern Ontario and Manitoba—maintained a perfect record through the first two days, giving the quintet a great chance of advancing on to the championship round.

Below is a brief recap for how Monday's action unfolded.

     

Results

Draw 6

Wild Card 6, Nova Scotia 5

Alberta 9, British Columbia 8

Newfoundland and Labrador 7, Yukon 6

Canada 8, Northwest Territories 4

    

Draw 7

Manitoba 9, Quebec 6

Northern Ontario 9, New Brunswick 4

Saskatchewan 7, Prince Edward Island 6

Ontario 14, Nunavut 3

     

Draw 8

Alberta 9, Newfoundland and Labrador 2

Canada 6, Wild Card 5

Northwest Territories 7, Nova Scotia 3

Yukon 8, British Columbia 2

     

Standings

Pool A

1. Canada (4-0)

2. Wild Card (3-1)

2. Alberta (3-1)

4. Northwest Territories (2-2)

4. Nova Scotia (2-2)

6. Newfoundland and Labrador (1-3)

6. Yukon (1-3)

8. British Columbia (0-4)

    

Pool B

1. Manitoba (4-0)

1. Northern Ontario (4-0)

3. Ontario (3-1)

4. Saskatchewan (2-2)

5. Prince Edward Island (1-3)

5. New Brunswick (1-3)

5. Quebec (1-3)

8. Nunavut (0-4)

    

Tuesday Schedule

Draw 9 (10 a.m. ET)

Prince Edward Island vs. New Brunswick

Quebec vs. Nunavut

Manitoba vs. Ontario

Saskatchewan vs. Northern Ontario

     

Draw 10 (3 p.m. ET)

Nova Scotia vs. Canada

Newfoundland and Labrador vs. British Columbia

Alberta vs. Yukon

Northwest Territories vs. Wild Card

     

Draw 11 (8 p.m. ET)

Quebec vs. Northern Ontario

Ontario vs. Prince Edward Island

Nunavut vs. Saskatchewan

Manitoba vs. New Brunswick

     

Monday Recap

Draw 6

The sixth draw wasn't short on drama, as three of the four games were decided in the 10th and final end. Canada's 8-4 win over the Northwest Territories was the lone exception, as a three-point eighth end was enough for Northwest Territories skip Jamie Koe to concede.

The Wild Card team, which is represented by Mike McEwen and his Manitoba-based curling club, produced the most climactic result.

After going scoreless for four ends, McEwen and theFort Rouge Curling Club scored three points in the final end to beat Nova Scotia 6-5. Adding to the drama, McEwen released his rock with just seven seconds of allotted "thinking time" on the clock for his team.

"We're not a team that generally leaves a lot of time, but that's cutting it a little too close," McEwen said, per the Edmonton Sun's Terry Jones.

Trailing 5-1 after the fourth end, Alberta came back to beat British Columbia 9-8. Yukon's comeback attempt fell short, as two points in the final two ends weren't enough to push things to an extra end.

    

Draw 7

The seventh draw was the polar opposite from the draw that preceded it. Three of the four games were over before the 10th end.

Saskatchewan's 7-6 win over Prince Edward Island was the lone exception. The game was a roller coaster from start to finish. Prince Edward Island jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the fourth end before Saskatchewan tied it up in the fifth.

Saskatchewan had to come from behind again in the seventh and ninth ends, with a two-point ninth end putting Steve Laycock's side in the lead 6-5. This time, Prince Edward Island was playing from behind and stayed alive with a point in the 10th end. Alas, it wasn't enough to secure the win, as Prince Edward Island locked it up in the extra end.

Ontario delivered the most one-sided result of the tournament so far, beating Nunavut 14-3. The game was largely over after the fourth end, with Ontario owning a commanding 9-0 lead. Nunavut conceded after Ontario scored four points in the eighth end.

    

Draw 8

In the most highly anticipated matchup of the eighth draw, Team Canada defeated the Wild Card team to remain unbeaten. CBC News' Devin Heroux noted the unbeaten run for skip Brad Gushue and his group extends much further:

It’s over. @TeamGushue with a 6-5 victory over @mcewencurling and all alone in first place in Pool A.

That’s now 12 consecutive Brier wins for @TeamGushue dating back to last year. #cbccurl

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) March 6, 2018

Despite scoring a point in the ninth end to bring the deficit to just a single point, 6-5, McEwen conceded in the 10th end when it became clear there was no path to victory.

Yukon and British Columbia faced off with each team in search of its first win of the 2018 Brier. Yukon came through with a dominant 8-2 result to relegate British Columbia to last place in Pool A.

    

Full schedule and results are available at Curling.ca.

While the Tim Hortons Brier is only two days old, the top teams are already creating some separation at the top of the standings.

Manitoba and Northern Ontario got off to strong starts in Pool B, while Team Canada unsurprisingly looks like the team to beat in Pool A. Nova Scotia and the Wild Card team are also off to strong starts with a 2-0 record.

Considering only half the teams advance to the championship pool, there could be a lot of ground to make up over the next few days of competition in Regina, Canada.

          

Schedule/Results

Draw 3

Manitoba 7, Saskatchewan 5

Ontario 9, New Brunswick 7

Northern Ontario 6, Nunavut 3

Prince Edward Island 7, Quebec 6

              

Draw 4

Alberta 9, Northwest Territories 2

Canada 8, Yukon 3

Wild Card 9, British Columbia 3

Nova Scotia 9, Newfoundland and Labrador 6

            

Draw 5

Northern Ontario 9, Prince Edward Island 5

Manitoba 12, Nunavut 5

Ontario 7, Quebec 3

Saskatchewan 9, New Brunswick 4

            

Standings

Pool A

1. Wild Card (2-0)

1. Canada (2-0)

1. Nova Scotia (2-0)

4. Alberta (1-1)

4. Northwest Territories (1-1)

6. Newfoundland and Labrador (0-2)

6. British Columbia (0-2)

6. Yukon (0-2)

           

Pool B

1. Manitoba (3-0)

1. Northern Ontario (3-0)

3. Ontario (2-1)

4. Prince Edward Island (1-2)

4. Quebec (1-2)

4. New Brunswick (1-2)

4. Saskatchewan (1-2)

8. Nunavut (0-3)

              

Recap

Draw 3

Of the four matches in the first session of the day, three of them were decided on the final shot. Two went to an extra end.

New Brunswick had one of the more disappointing matches, overcoming an early 5-1 deficit to crawl back only to still suffer a 9-7 loss to Ontario. The squad scored one point in four straight ends, tying it up at 7 behind three straight steals.

Unfortunately, they couldn't keep it up by giving up two in the 11th.

Saskatchewan had a similar run, using a steal in the 10th to force overtime. Still, Reid Carruthers was able to overcome a sloppy match for Manitoba to escape with a 7-5 win.

The team from Prince Edward Island was more fortunate thanks to its ability to produce big numbers at the end of the match. Eddie MacKenzie and Co. scored three points in the eighth end and then two in the 10th to come away with a shocking win over Quebec.

Northern Ontario was the only squad with an easy time in the third draw, earning a 6-3 victory after just nine ends.

            

Draw 4

While Draw 3 was filled with close matchups, there were more one-sided battles in Draw 4.

Alberta overcame its disappointing loss to kick off the tournament with a dominant 9-2 win over Northwest Territories after just eight ends. Jamie Koe struggled mightily for NT with just a 61 percent success rate, allowing a 7-0 deficit through five ends. It didn't get much better from there in a huge loss.

Team Canada was also extremely impressive behind the play of Brad Gushue. The defending winner of this tournament as well as the 2017 World Championships came through with 100 percent shooting, helping his squad earn an 8-3 win over Yukon. The team shot 96 percent overall in a nearly flawless effort.

The Wild Card team led by Mike McEwen also cruised to victory over British Columbia, earning a 9-3 advantage with two ends going unused. 

It appeared the final match of the round would be closer, but Nova Scotia pulled away from Newfoundland and Labrador behind a three-point end in the seventh and a two-point steal in the eighth. Another steal in the ninth clinched an entire session with no 10th ends.

           

Draw 5

The top teams continued to shine in Draw 5 Sunday.

Manitoba earned a 12-5 win over Nunavut even without a great game from Carruthers. Mistakes on the other side allowed a four-point steal in the fifth, which turned a close battle into a blowout.

Northern Ontario also continued its undefeated start to the tournament with a 9-5 win over Prince Edward Island. Brad Jacobs shot 91 percent in the win, helping earn a four-point steal in the fifth and a two-point steal in the sixth.

These two ends prevented Prince Edward Island from even staying competitive.

The other two matchups in the session also ended in handshakes after the eighth end, with Ontario and Saskatchewan earning big wins over Quebec and New Brunswick, respectively.

Ontario was perhaps the most impressive as a team, finishing with a 91 percent success rate to keep Quebec from earning more than one point on any end.

With only three teams above .500 through three matches, though, everyone is still very much alive in Pool B.

           

Note: All statistics courtesy of Curling.ca.

The Olympics may have ended, but curling season continued Saturday with the first full day of action at the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier from the Brandt Centre in Saskatchewan.

Friday saw the one wild-card match, with Mike McEwen's team coming out ahead against Jason Gunnlaugson's quartet, 4-3, in 11 ends. 

All 16 teams in the field are in action Saturday. Newfoundland and Labrador is the defending champion, though it's a different group because the 2017 team led by Brad Gushue is representing Canada. 

Here are the updated results from this year's Tim Horton's Brier, as well as a look at the latest standings and upcoming schedule. 

           

Tim Hortons Brier Draw 1 Results

Sheet A: New Brunswick def. Nunavut, 9-3

Sheet B: Quebec def. Saskatchewan, 5-2

Sheet C: Manitoba def. Prince Edward Island, 12-7

Sheet D: Northern Ontario def. Ontario, 4-3

            

Tim Hortons Brier Draw 2 Results

Sheet A: Canada vs. British Columbia

Sheet B: Northwest Territories vs. Newfoundland and Labrador

Sheet C: Nova Scotia vs. Alberta 

Sheet D: Team McEwan vs. Yukon

           

Overall Standings 

Group A

Canada: 1-0

Nova Scotia: 1-0

Wild card (Team McEwan): 1-0

Northwest Territories: 1-0

Newfoundland and Labrador: 0-1

Yukon: 0-1

Alberta: 0-1

British Columbia: 0-1

          

Group B

New Brunswick: 1-0

Manitoba: 1-0

Quebec: 1-0

Northern Ontario: 1-0

Ontario: 0-1

Saskatchewan: 0-1

Prince Edward Island: 0-1

Nunavut: 0-1

             

Canada 10, British Columbia 2

The team name may have changed, but the results remain the same for Gushue and company in a huge 10-2 win over British Columbia.

Canada's big move came in the second end with four points, and the defense did the rest by shutting out the British Columbia team for four ends before they finally got on the board. 

All four members of the Canadian team displayed incredible accuracy and precision when it was their turn with the stone. Geoff Walker was the low man on the totem pole with 50 points, though he still had an 89 percent success rate with his shot. 

Northwest Territories 9, Newfoundland and Labrador 7

In the wildest battle of the day, Northwest Territories came out on top, 9-7, against Newfoundland and Labrador. 

There wasn't a scoreless round until the ninth end and the match featured a total of five lead changes in the process. 

Newfoundland and Labrador moved into the driver seat with four points in the fifth end, giving it a 7-4 advantage. The lead didn't last long with the Northwest Territories scoring two points in the sixth end and one in the seventh and eighth ends to move back on top for good. 

Nova Scotia 7, Alberta 6

Nova Scotia needed overtime to earn a 7-6 win over Alberta. 

Both teams exchanged two-point rallies in ends three through five, with Nova Scotia holding a 4-2 lead at the end of that run. It extended the advantage to three with a single point in the sixth end that appeared to give the group some breathing room. 

Alberta brought the pressure back with another two-point rally in the seventh end. It added single points in the ninth and 10th ends to force overtime. 

Nova Scotia won on the back of Jamie Murphy, who had 79 total points and connected on 94 percent of his attempts. 

Team McEwan 5, Yukon 3

McEwan's team continued their momentum on Saturday with a 5-3 victory over Yukon. 

Team McEwan wasted no time asserting itself with three points in the first end. Yukon chipped away at that deficit with single points in the third and fourth ends, leaving McEwan facing the pressure to respond.

That answer would come in the sixth end when McEwan added two points to extend the lead back to three points. Yukon tallied a single point in the ninth end before conceding defeat prior to No. 10. 

New Brunswick 9, Nunavut 3

A new team has yielded new results for New Brunswick at this year's Tim Hortons Brier. 

After posting a 1-10 record in 2017, New Brunswick has already matched that win total with a 9-3 victory over Nunavut. 

Skip James Grattan has taken over New Brunswick from Mike Kennedy. The early returns are encouraging, though it's too soon to determine if this will be a permanent sign of what's to come at the Brier. 

Nunavut is making its first appearance in this event after turning down an invite last year because it didn't feel it was ready for this stage. 

          

Quebec 5, Saskatchewan 2 

A late surge got Quebec off to a strong start with a 5-2 triumph over Saskatchewan in the first match for both teams. 

Each side went back and forth through six ends, with Saskatchewan getting on the board first. Quebec took off in the eighth end with two points to take a 4-2 lead, and one more point in the next end forced Saskatchewan to concede the match. 

William Dion and Felix Asselin led Quebec with 66 points each. The team was able to get two steals, compared to one for Saskatchewan, which also helped secure the win. 

               

Manitoba 12, Prince Edward Island 7

Storming out of the gate with a 6-0 lead after two ends, Manitoba had little trouble disposing of Prince Edward Island in Group B action. 

Reid Carruthers may be the captain for the Manitoba team, but Braeden Moskowy brought the offensive firepower. He led the way with a 92 percent success rate on his shots and 59 points. 

Prince Edward Island had a chance to climb back into the match in the third end with four points, cutting its deficit to two. 

Manitoba answered with six of the next seven points, including three in the seventh end to essentially lock up the match before Prince Edward Island conceded after the eighth end.

         

Northern Ontario 4, Ontario 3

A tense showdown went Northern Ontario's way in a 4-3 victory over Ontario thanks to one point in the 10th end. 

It wasn't a crisp match, with neither team scoring more than a single point in any of the 10 ends, nor did either side have a stolen end. 

After leading Northern Ontario to the playoff portion of last year's Brier before losing to Canada, skipper Brad Jacobs got his team off to a good start. It wasn't a crisp match for either side, but Northern Ontario did what it had to do for a much-needed win.