Curling

Just when teams appeared ready to separate themselves from the pack at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier, the drama returned with a handful of upsets.

Day 4 at the prestigious event featured several extremely close battles, many of them coming down to the final rock in the 10th end. A few even needed an extra end to settle the match.

While early losses seemed to be enough to derail a few squads, surprising results in the night session kept the standings jumbled with the majority of teams still in the running to make the playoffs. With 17 total draws in the 12-team round robin, anything can happen.

Here is a look at Tuesday's action with three separate draws at the Brier.

Draw	Team	Score/Start Time (ET)	Team
8	Newfoundland & Labrador	4-8	Northwest Territories
8	Nova Scotia	5-8	Canada
8	New Brunswick	7-9	Manitoba
8	Ontario	6-7	Quebec
9	Nova Scotia	3-8	Northern Ontario
9	New Brunswick	6-7	Saskatchewan
9	Quebec	5-4	British Columbia
9	Northwest Territories	3-10	Alberta
10	Saskatchewan	9-5	Ontario
10	Northern Ontario	5-7	Newfoundland & Labrador
10	Canada	4-6	Alberta
10	British Columbia	7-5	Manitoba

Pos.	Team	Games	Wins	Losses
1	Manitoba (McEwen)	6	5	1
2	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	7	5	2
3	Canada (Koe)	6	4	2
4	Newfoundland & Labrador (Gushue)	6	4	2
5	Quebec (Ménard)	6	4	2
6	British Columbia (Morris)	7	4	3
7	Saskatchewan (Casey)	7	4	3
8	Alberta (Bottcher)	7	3	4
9	Nova Scotia (Murphy)	6	2	4
10	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	6	1	5
11	Ontario (Howard)	6	1	5
12	Northwest Territories (Koe)	6	1	5

Draw 8 Recap

The last remaining undefeated team got a scare in the morning session as Manitoba needed a thrilling come-from-behind victory to survive against New Brunswick.

Down 7-3 after seven ends, Manitoba was at a point where many teams concede. However, Mike McEwen scored two points in the eighth with the last rock and then stole two points in the ninth and two points in the 10th to earn a shocking 9-7 win.

"You're probably going to have an ugly victory here or there," McEwen said after the match, per the Canadian Press (via SportsNet). "That's about as ugly as you want to get."

It wasn't pretty, but his team moved to 5-0 in the tournament.

The drama continued in Draw 8 with Ontario against Quebec, which was too good to finish after 10 ends. Ontario's one point in the 10th forced an 11th end, but Quebec was able to bounce back with the go-ahead point to win 7-6.

Both teams shot about 92 percent in what was a well-played battle for both sides.

The Northwest Territories earned an 8-4 victory in their match against Newfoundland and Labrador, although this one also came down to the final shots. Jamie Koe earned the go-ahead point in the ninth end before coming through with a three-point round to close out the victory.

The only team that had an easy time in the first session Tuesday was Kevin Koe and Team Canada. The squad used two different three-point ends to beat a sloppy squad from Nova Scotia.

Although the defending champions are no longer undefeated, they remain a top contender going forward.

           

Draw 9 Recap

Alberta had been one of the bigger disappointments in this tournament, but they came through with a huge win in Draw 9 against the Northwest Territories.

Brendan Bottcher scored a double in the second, third and fourth ends to earn a commanding lead, then kept it up until it was a 10-3 final after eight.

There were also early handshakes for Northern Ontario, which took advantage of every opportunity to go up 7-2 in the early going. Brad Jacobs' squad then remained defensive with a lead until Nova Scotia conceded down 8-3 with two ends remaining.

The battle between New Brunswick and Saskatchewan was much closer, although skipper Adam Casey missed the opportunity to close out a win for Saskatchewan in the 10th end, as described by Devin Heroux of CBC:

SK skipper Casey with a draw to the four foot to win the game. #cbccurl

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) March 7, 2017

Casey is heavy. Steal. Yikes. Extra end. #cbccurl #Brier2017

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) March 7, 2017

Fortunately for Casey, he was able to make up for it in his next chance to earn a 7-6 victory.

Quebec and British Columbia also needed extra time to settle their battle, although this one took an impressive double by BC to force the 11th end.

Once again, however, it was the team with the last rock that got the win. Quebec scored on its final attempt to win 5-4, improving to 4-2 in the tournament to remain in contention. 

             

Draw 10 Recap

The home fans at St. John's had a lot to cheer about in the Newfoundland & Labrador match against Northern Ontario. 

There were big shots from both sides, but Brad Gushue effectively sealed the game with a key shot in the eighth end to earn two points. Robin Short of the St. John's Telegram noted the shot and the reaction from the crowd:

Beauty shot by Gushue to score 2. Fist pumps the crowd 2ce and roof nearly comes off Mile One! 7-4 NL after 8.

— Robin Short (@telyrobinshort) March 8, 2017

The squad held on for the 7-5 victory over one of the top teams in the field.

Saskatchewan continued its solid day with a dominant showing against Ontario, which fell to 1-5 on the tournament and likely eliminated from contention.

Adam Casey's crew scored three points in the opening end, but the big moment was the five-point showing in the sixth end. Saskatchewan hadn't scored more than three points in an end all week but used the game-changing effort to earn a 9-5 victory that concluded after eight.

Things didn't go as well for the defending champions as Team Canada struggled with consistency and suffered its second loss at the hands of Alberta. Kevin Poe did his job at 94 percent for the match, but there simply weren't many opportunities for points as his squad suffered the 6-4 defeat.

The only positive note was the Manitoba struggled as well in the night session, grabbing its first loss of the tournament. British Columbia continued its relatively conservative approach, preventing opponents from grabbing multiple points on a single end.

This ended up working out in a 7-5 win over the first-place squad.

All of a sudden, teams that appeared out of the running are back in contention heading into Day 5.

             

Wednesday Draws

Draw	Sheet	Matchup	Time (ET)
11	A	Quebec vs. Alberta	8:30 a.m.
11	B	Northwest Territories vs. British Columbia	8:30 a.m.
11	C	Nova Scotia vs. Saskatchewan	8:30 a.m.
11	D	Northern Ontario vs. New Brunswick	8:30 a.m.
12	A	Northern Ontario vs. Manitoba	1:30 p.m.
12	B	Alberta vs. Ontario	1:30 p.m.
12	C	British Columbia vs. Newfoundland & Labrador	1:30 p.m.
12	D	Canada vs. Saskatchewan	1:30 p.m.
13	A	Northwest Territories vs. Canada	6:30 p.m.
13	B	Nova Scotia vs. Manitoba	6:30 p.m.
13	C	Ontario vs. New Brunswick	6:30 p.m.
13	D	Newfoundland & Labrador vs. Quebec	6:30 p.m.

Day 3 at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier showed the type of drama we have come to expect from the prestigious curling tournament.

Teams that got off to a rough start over the weekend bounced back with strong showings Monday, creating a jumbled set of standings. There are still four days until the playoffs begin, which leaves plenty of time for those on the bottom of the table to turn things around.

Here is the latest action from Draw 6 and Draw 7 with schedule and standings for the upcoming action.

Draw	Team	Score	Team
6	Alberta	7-2	New Brunswick
6	Northern Ontario	9-5	Northwest Territories
6	Saskatchewan	3-8	Quebec
6	Nova Scotia	3-4	British Columbia
7	Canada	4-5	British Columbia
7	Manitoba	10-6	Alberta
7	Northern Ontario	7-2	Ontario
7	Saskatchewan	5-10	Newfoundland & Labrador

Pos.	Team	Games	Wins	Losses
1	Manitoba (McEwen)	4	4	0
2	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	5	4	1
3	Newfoundland & Labrador (Gushue)	4	3	1
4	Canada (Koe)	4	3	1
5	British Columbia (Morris)	5	3	2
6	Quebec (Ménard)	4	2	2
7	Nova Scotia (Murphy)	4	2	2
8	Saskatchewan (Casey)	5	2	3
9	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	4	1	3
10	Ontario (Howard)	4	1	3
11	Alberta (Bottcher)	5	1	4
12	Northwest Territories (Koe)	4	0	4

Draw 6 Recap

Alberta had gotten off to a rough start with a young team trying to live up to the two titles in three years from their predecessors. After losing their first three matches, however, they finally earned a win in Draw 6 against New Brunswick.

Both sides had been conservative through the start of the match, but Brendan Bottcher and company started pulling away with two points in the sixth end. After conceding one in the seventh, Alberta came through with three in the eighth to earn a 7-2 advantage and a win after eight ends.

The other large blowout in the afternoon session came in the form of Quebec's 8-3 victory over Saskatchewan.

Devin Heroux of CBC described the disappointment with Saskatchewan's Adam Casey:

Quebec beats Saskatchewan 8-3. Casey won't be happy with his play this afternoon. Both teams now 2-2. #cbccurl #Brier2017

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) March 6, 2017

The skip finished at just 69 percent, the only player on either team at less than 80 percent for the match. This helped leave some points on the table and end the match two ends early.

Though the final score doesn't show it, things were much closer in the battle between Northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories. A two-point end for Jamie Koe helped the Territories take a 4-3 advantage after three ends. However, opposing skip Brad Jacobs won the duel between them going forward.

Northern Ontario earned three points in the eighth and 10th ends, pulling away for an impressive 9-5 victory.

The most drama came on Sheet D, which featured points in three-straight ends for Nova Scotia to tie the game at 3-3 going into No. 10. While skip Jamie Murphy had helped steal points on back-to-back ends to keep things interesting, he couldn't do it a third time as the last rock made the difference for British Columbia.

Jim Cotter finally ended the run and helped British Columbia survive for the 4-3 victory, making both teams 2-2 for the tournament. 

             

Draw 7 Recap

Draw 7 featured the biggest upset of the day as Team Canada suffered its first loss at the Brier, falling 5-4 to British Columbia.

Kevin Koe had been one of the most consistent skips in this tournament and arguably in the country the past few years, but he was not at his best Monday night while leaving Jim Cotter's crew multiple opportunities.

Team Canada remains in good shape, but this was a disappointing performance in the only match of the day.

Manitoba appeared to be in trouble in its match against Alberta as well, a contest that featured some impressive shots from both sides. Six ends out of the nine played featured multiple points scored.

This led to a 6-6 tie going into the eighth end, but Mike McEwen put it away for Manitoba with a four on the ninth end to earn a 10-6 advantage and finish the match.

Alberta is the defending champions but now appear to be a longshot just to reach the playoffs.

Newfoundland and Labrador saw a similar finish that was extremely close for most of the day until Brad Gushue ended things on one shot, per Heroux:

Gushue electrifies the building with a four in the 9th end. Game over. 10-5 NL beats SK. #cbccurl #Brier2017 @CBCNL pic.twitter.com/WhanrhAT58

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) March 7, 2017

Gushue finished 96 percent for Newfoundland while his entire team was 95 percent in the match.

Northern Ontario also continued their solid play in this tournament, improving to 4-1 thanks to a 7-2 victory over Ontario. Brad Jacobs and company simply kept the pressure on after earning a lead, stealing a point in the eighth end to force the opponent to concede down five.

        

Tuesday Draws

Draw	Sheet	Matchup	Time (ET)
8	A	Newfoundland & Labrador vs. Northwest Territories	8:30 a.m.
8	B	Nova Scotia vs. Canada	8:30 a.m.
8	C	New Brunswick vs. Manitoba	8:30 a.m.
8	D	Ontario vs. Quebec	8:30 a.m.
9	A	Nova Scotia vs. Northern Ontario	1:30 p.m.
9	B	New Brunswick vs. Saskatchewan	1:30 p.m.
9	C	Quebec vs. British Columbia	1:30 p.m.
9	D	Northwest Territories vs. Alberta	1:30 p.m.
10	A	Saskatchewan vs. Ontario	6:30 p.m.
10	B	Northern Ontario vs. Newfoundland & Labrador	6:30 p.m.
10	C	Canada vs. Alberta	6:30 p.m.
10	D	British Columbia vs. Manitoba	6:30 p.m.

The 2017 Tim Hortons Brier continued into its second day Sunday inside the Mile One Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Seven games opened up the event Saturday. Nova Scotia was a big winner, beating Yukon in the first draw and following up with a victory over Ontario later into the evening.

The rest of the field had an opportunity to catch up to skip Jamie Murphy and his team Sunday. Below is an overview for the day's action and how the results impacted the round-robin standings.

2017 Tim Hortons Brier Results

Draw	Winner	Loser	Score
3	Manitoba	Newfoundland and Labrador	8-4
3	Ontario	British Columbia	5-3
3	Canada	Northern Ontario	6-4
3	Saskatchewan	Alberta	11-5
4	Saskatchewan	Northwest Territories	8-3
4	Nova Scotia	Alberta	11-6
4	British Columbia	New Brunswick	8-3
4	Northern Ontario	Quebec	9-8
5	Quebec	Nova Scotia	10-6
5	Newfoundland and Labrador	New Brunswick	5-4
5	Manitoba	Northwest Territories	6-2
5	Canada	Ontario	5-4

 

2017 Tim Hortons Brier Schedule

Sheet	Matchup
A	Alberta vs. New Brunswick
B	Northern Ontario vs. Northwest Territories
C	Saskatchewan vs. Quebec
D	Nova Scotia vs. British Columbia

Sheet	Matchup
A	Canada vs. British Columbia
B	Manitoba vs. Alberta
C	Northern Ontario vs. Ontario
D	Saskatchewan vs. Newfoundland and Labrador

2017 Tim Hortons Brier Standings

Pos.	Team	Games	Wins	Losses
1	Manitoba	3	3	0
2	Canada	3	3	0
3	Newfoundland and Labrador	3	2	1
4	Northern Ontario	3	2	1
5	Saskatchewan	3	2	1
6	Nova Scotia	3	2	1
7	Ontario	3	1	2
8	British Columbia	3	1	2
9	Quebec	3	1	2
10	New Brunswick	3	1	2
11	Alberta	3	0	3
12	Northwest Territories	3	0	3

Sunday Recap

Defending champion Alberta didn't get off to a great start at the 2017 Brier, falling to host Newfoundland and Labrador on Saturday. A third title in four years looks to be out of reach for Brendan Bottcher's group.

Alberta lost to Saskatchewan in its first game Sunday and then suffered a defeat to Nova Scotia in the next draw. The Edmonton Sun's Terry Jones provided a bit of solace for Alberta:

Good thing relegation is gone after this Brier. Alberta's Brendan Bottcher 0-3.

— Terry Jones (@byterryjones) March 5, 2017

At the other end of the spectrum, Manitoba and Canada remain unbeaten.

Manitoba started Sunday with an 8-4 win over Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland and Labrador tried to make things interesting with a point in the seventh end to make it a 5-4 game, but Manitoba registered three points in the eighth end to seal the result.

Manitoba had an easier time in its second game against the Northwest Territories. Mike McEwen's team never trailed en route to a 6-2 victory.

Canada, meanwhile, put Northern Ontario away 6-4 before requiring late heroics to overcome a 3-4 deficit against Ontario. Canada scored two points in the 10th and final end to topple its opponent. Ben Hebert played a pivotal role in the result, scoring a match-high 76 points on 20 shots.

Newfoundland and Labrador responded well after its loss to Manitoba, beating New Brunswick 5-4 in the fifth draw. Geoff Walker led the team with 74 points on 20 shots. It was a strong all-around performance from Newfound and Labrador, with none of Walker's three teammates finishing with fewer than 65 points.

"We're trying to find the balance of enjoying it and putting blinders on to distractions," skip Brad Gushue said, per Curling Canada.

Quebec and Northern Ontario combined for the most dramatic match of the day.

Northern Ontario notched four points between the sixth and seventh ends to go ahead 7-4. Quebec clawed back with two points in the eighth end before Northern Ontario further bolstered its advantage with another point in the ninth end to go up 8-6.

With the match hanging in the balance, Quebec put two points on the board to force overtime.

The comeback was all for naught, though, with Northern Ontario getting the better of Quebec in the 11th and decisive end.

The 90th annual Tim Hortons Brier kicked off on Saturday from Mile One Center in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with Alberta looking for its second consecutive championship. 

Brad Gushue, who is the top-ranked curling player, is looking to lead the hometown Newfoundland and Labrador team to a gold medal after taking home the silver in 2016. 

Here are the results from the opening day at this year's Tim Hortons Brier:

Team	Score/Start Time (ET)	Team
British Columbia	7-9	Northern Ontario
Saskatchewan	5-6	Manitoba
Newfoundland & Labrador	8-6	Alberta
Yukon	6-9	Nova Scotia
Canada	7-5	Quebec
Ontario	5-6	Nova Scotia
New Brunswick	6-5	Northwest Territories

Here are the standings after the first day:

Position	Team	Games	Wins	Losses
1	Newfoundland & Labrador	1	1	0
2	New Brunswick	1	1	0
3	Manitoba	1	1	0
4	Canada	1	1	0
5	Northern Ontario	1	1	0
6	Nova Scotia	1	1	0
7	Alberta	1	0	1
8	British Columbia	1	0	1
9	Saskatchewan	1	0	1
10	Quebec	1	0	1
11	Northwest Territories	1	0	1
12	Ontario	1	0	1

          

Northern Ontario 9, British Columbia 7

Northern Ontario's tournament got off to a good start with a 9-7 comeback victory over British Columbia. 

British Columbia jumped ahead 3-0 after two ends, a lead that would be short-lived when Northern Ontario responded with three points of its own in the third end. 

With the score tied at six after six ends, Northern Ontario pulled away with one point in the seventh and two in the eighth. 

The tandem of E.J. and Ryan Harnden was magnificent for the Northern Ontario team. E.J. finished with a match-high 75 points on his 20 shots, one point ahead of his brother. 

          

Manitoba 6, Saskatchewan 5

Manitoba had to fight off Saskatchewan's comeback efforts in its 6-5 victory. The Saskatchewan club took a 2-1 lead after three ends but was unable to hold it for long. 

Manitoba jumped back ahead for good with two points in the sixth end and tacked on another point in the seventh for a 6-3 lead. 

Saskatchewan tried to make a late comeback with single points in each of the last two ends, but it wasn't enough to avoid an early loss. 

There was a terrific back-and-forth showdown between Saskatchewan's Catlin Schneider and Manitoba's Denni Neufeld, who each finished with 77 points and a 96 percent success rate. 

 

Newfoundland and Labrador 8, Alberta 6

Using three big ends, Newfoundland and Labrador proved to be too much for Alberta in an 8-6 victory in Sheet C. 

Last year's silver medalists got two points each in the second and fourth ends, making a victory appear imminent with a 5-3 lead after six. 

When Alberta evened things up at five with two points in the seventh end, Newfoundland and Labrador got three huge points in the eighth to secure the victory. 

Gushue fulfilled his end of the bargain with a 100 percent success rate, to go along with 76 points for the Newfoundland and Labrador squad.

              

Nova Scotia 9, Yukon 6

The final score isn't indicative of how dominant Nova Scotia was in its 9-6 victory over Yukon. 

The Nova Scotia team was up 9-3 after seven ends, holding Yukon without a point in five of the first seven ends. 

Nova Scotia stole 12 ends. No one on Yukon's team had a success rate higher than 76 percent. By comparison, every other team in the first draw had at least one player over 80 percent. 

Canada 7, Quebec 5

A thrilling finish gave Canada a 7-5 victory over Quebec in the opening game of the Brier for both teams. 

Both groups went back and forth with two-point ends, starting in the seventh when Canada took a 5-3 lead. Quebec evened things up in the eighth end before Canada responded with the final two points in the ninth end to secure the win. 

Marc Kennedy was Canada's star in the round with 73 points and a 91 percent success rate, though he was followed closely by Kevin Koe's 72 points and 90 percent success rate. 

Nova Scotia 6, Ontario 5

In the best match of the opening day, Nova Scotia prevailed 6-5 over Ontario in 11 ends. 

Nova Scotia appeared to be on its way to a 5-3 victory after putting up three points in the ninth end. It wasn't a lead the team was able to hold onto, as Ontario squared things at five with two points in the 10th end. 

Instead of letting that emotional gut punch knock it down, Nova Scotia rode Jamie Murphy to one point in the 11th end to earn a victory and a 1-0 record after Saturday's action. 

New Brunswick 6, Northwest Territories 5

Not far behind Nova Scotia-Ontario on the drama scale, New Brunswick was able to salvage a blown lead of its own in the ninth end to earn a 6-5 win over the Northwest Territories. 

New Brunswick had the only steal of the match and only put up single points in the first, second, fourth and seventh ends before finally getting a crooked number with points in the ninth to hang on for a victory. 

That two-point round for New Brunswick came after the Northwest Territories tied things up in the eighth with two points of its own. Northwest Territories was able to get one point in the 10th end to close the gap to 6-5, but it wasn't enough to keep things going. 

Team Alberta will be out to secure another triumph at the Tim Hortons Brier event, which gets underway in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada on Sunday.

Skipper Kevin Koe will lead the charge for the holders, as they seek to secure their spot at the World Men's Curling Championships as the Canadian representative.

In an extra incentive for the 12 crews involved—and especially the 2016 winners—the showpiece will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, next month.

It means the competition at the Brier will be especially fierce out on the ice, although this is an event that has so often seen the coolest heads prevail.

Here are the tournament details, the format and a look ahead at what to expect from this year's showdown.

Key Details

Date: March 4-12

Venue: Mile One Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Format: The 12th team involved will be determined by a pre-qualifying tournament between Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island and Yukon.

Once the lineup in full is determined, the teams will go head-to-head in a round-robin format, playing every team involved once. From there, the top four sides progress into a playoff bracket, with the squad that finishes top of the table moving straight into the final.

In 2016, Newfoundland & Labrador won all 11 of their league matches before coming a cropper against Alberta at the final hurdle.

For the competition draw and schedule in full, check out the event's official website.

Preview

The Mile One Center, which will stage the event, offered an insight into what spectators and viewers can expect:

Excitement is building as MOC transforms to host all the curling action - just days away from 2017 Tim Hortons BRIER! pic.twitter.com/60yQF1lyVk

— Mary Brown's Centre (@MBCentre_SJSEL) February 28, 2017

As the champions and world champions, Koe and his Alberta team will don the Canadian colours for this year's event. Based on their recent performances, they are going to be a tough squad to get the better of once again in 2017.

The captain has been involved in two of the last three victories for the team and is among the most experienced competitors in the field. As noted by the Curling Canada Twitter feed, his achievements in 2016 saw him nominated for the Calgary Booster Club Male Athlete of the Year award recently:

Kevin Koe is nominated for Calgary Booster Club Male Athlete of the Year! Vote for Kevin here: https://t.co/uHswF96iiy pic.twitter.com/M7nkjCbqFm

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) February 15, 2017

The Alberta team endured an inconsistent start to the year, although there were signs at the recent Pinty's All-Star Skins Game that they were finding their feet again just in time, taking home three quarters of the prize money.

Marc Kennedy, who will be third for Alberta again this year, opened up on how difficult it can be to stay motivated after such a run of success.

"I don't want to make any excuses," he said, per Donna Spencer of the Canadian Press (h/t the Toronto Star). "I really don't, because I don't think it has as big an impact as people say it does. But it's certainly hard to get motivated as quickly as you normally would. We might have been a little slow getting things going this year."

The main rivals for Alberta will likely be the Newfoundland & Labrador crew, especially given they'll be roared on by a home crowd this year. Per their Twitter feed, they are keen to get started in front of the locals:

Skip Brad Gushue will feel as though he has a score to settle, too, especially given how well the team played in 2016, only to come up short in heartbreaking fashion.

The holders and the hosts are scheduled to meet on March 9 in the group-stage format in what will be the penultimate league fixture for both sides. However, given the quality of the two teams, it would be no surprise to see them contesting another memorable final.

Alberta won the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier gold medal match over Newfoundland and Labrador on Sunday night, 9-5. The win punched Alberta's ticket to the 2016 World Curling Championships in Switzerland, where it will represent Canada.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Newfoundland and Labrador	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	2	0	X
Alberta	1	1	0	2	0	0	3	0	2	X

Alberta struck first with a single point in each of the first two ends to take a 2-0 lead. It wasn't the start that Newfoundland and Labrador wanted, having had the last-rock advantage early.

Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun reacted to the early proceedings:

Gushue with another narrow miss on last rock. Koe steals another. It's 2-0 Alberta after two. So much for Newfoundland's last rock advantage

— Terry Jones (@byterryjones) March 14, 2016

Newfoundland and Labrador salvaged a point in the third end, but Alberta pounced with two more in the fourth to open up a sizable 4-1 lead.

But back came Newfoundland and Labrador with a point apiece in the fifth and sixth ends. Alberta was close to a double in the sixth, which would have given it a 6-2 lead, but on the last rock, skip Kevin Koe miscued on his throw and allowed Newfoundland and Labrador to record a steal. 

So instead of 6-2, it was 4-3 heading into the seventh end.

Postmedia Network's Rob Brodie looked on:

That was a big steal for Gushue in sixth. Suddenly, it's a 4-3 game. Need a force on Koe here in seventh now. #Brier2016

— Rob Brodie (@Post_Brodie) March 14, 2016

Newfoundland and Labrador didn't take advantage, though, and Alberta all but put the game away in the seventh end with three points thanks to a big shot.

Curling Canada showed the end that put Alberta up by four:

WHAT A SHOT x2!! @TeamKevinKoe makes the pick for 3. Score: AB 7 NL 3 #Brier2016 pic.twitter.com/2VQbuXMm34

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 14, 2016

Four-time world curling champion Glenn Howard loved what he saw during the hectic seventh end:

@CurlingCanada Now that was an entertaining end of curling. Just say'n!!!! #Koedogclutch

— Glenn Howard (@howardfour) March 14, 2016

Newfoundland and Labrador made things interesting, though, as it replied with a pair of points in the eighth end to make it a 7-5 match.

But as it did all night, Alberta punched back. This time, it delivered a decisive blow with two points in the ninth to clinch the Brier.

Koe continued his domination over Newfoundland and Labrador's skip, Brad Gushue. It was the fourth time in five matches this season that Koe has come out on top. This, of course, was the largest stage thus far. 

Gushue, who has skipped Newfoundland and Labrador's team 13 times, has yet to win the Brier, and the wait will have to continue.

Stats courtesy of Curling.ca.

It took an extra end, but Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs pushed to a 7-6 victory over Manitoba’s Mike McEwen in the bronze-medal match at the Tim Hortons Brier on Sunday. 

Trailing 6-4 heading into the 10th frame, McEwen rallied a double takeout to score a pair and tie the game, pushing the match to extra ends.   

After McEwen hung a goose egg in the 11th frame, Jacobs narrowly scored to reclaim the lead and take the victory. Here is a look at the final moments, courtesy of Curling Canada:

The rock stops JUST in the nick of time at the back of the 4ft for @TeamBradJacobs to take the bronze medal! pic.twitter.com/oHo9T05CTa

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 13, 2016

A day after losing 6-5 to Alberta's Kevin Koe in the semifinals, Jacobs came out Sunday with an answer to everything McEwen had for him. 

McEwen took a 2-0 lead through the first frame, and Jacobs tied the match with a deuce in the second. Jacobs then jumped to a 4-2 lead halfway through regulation, taking a single in the fourth and fifth each. 

But McEwen kept pace, scoring a pair in the sixth frame to tie the match at 4-4. 

After Jacobs scored another deuce in the eighth frame, McEwen answered with a tie at the 11th hour, pushing the match to overtime.

Here is a look at McEwen's play, courtesy of Curling Canada:

.@mcewencurling makes the triple to pick up the deuce in 10. Extra ends here we come! #Brier2016 pic.twitter.com/dmcrLUnobh

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 13, 2016

While winning the gold medal was assuredly Jacobs’ top goal, ahead of Sunday's bronze-medal match, he had an optimistic attitude following his semifinal loss:

Thankfully, the ☀️ will rise tomorrow - time for a few 🍺🍺. We greatly appreciate everyone's support and encouragement this week! #Brier2016

— Brad Jacobs (@curlercups) March 13, 2016

Jacobs was the lone unbeaten in round-robin play before losing to Koe in the penultimate match. If he would’ve gotten a shot at Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue in the gold-medal match, he might’ve had a great shot at the top prize. 

The 2016 edition of the Tim Hortons Brier continued Saturday with Kevin Koe's Alberta side at the center of attention.

Playing for a spot in Saturday night's semifinal against a Northern Ontario squad led by Brad Jacobs, Koe and Co. staved off Mike McEwen and Manitoba to secure a win. 

Here's a look at how things shook out Saturday at TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario.

Alberta (Koe) Def. Manitoba (McEwen), 7-5

Squaring off in the No. 3 vs. No. 4 game set up by the Page playoff system, Alberta and Manitoba met for the second time since Brier play started.

And just like the previous clash in Draw 7, Alberta emerged victorious behind an efficient display by Koe, Marc Kennedy and Brent Laing.

After a blank end started things off, Alberta went on to take a 2-0 lead in the second end before building a 5-1 lead by the time the proceedings had reached the midway point. 

Manitoba responded by posting a 3-1 scoring advantage between the sixth and eighth ends, as Curling Canada documented on Twitter, but that was as close as McEwen's side would get:

.@mcewencurling picks up a deuce in the 8th end. Score: AB 6 MB 4 #Brier2016 pic.twitter.com/5IRVzZVWOO

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 12, 2016

Alberta went on to pad its lead in the ninth end with a single point, and that proved to be all Koe's side needed to stave off Manitoba.

Curling Canada snapped a picture once the result was official: 

BREAKING: @TeamKevinKoe to face @TeamBradJacobs in the #Brier2016 semi pic.twitter.com/CtyWwXxkap

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 12, 2016

Here's a look at how the players on both sides of the affair performed: 

Manitoba Player	Shots	Points	Percentage
Alberta Player	Shots	Points	Percentage
Denni Neufeld	20	79	99%
Matt Wozniak	20	79	99%
B.J. Neufeld	20	65	81%
Mike McEwen (S)	19	65	86%
Ben Hebert	19	67	88%
Brent Laing	20	79	99%
Marc Kennedy	20	74	93%
Kevin Koe (S)	20	73	91%

"We held on and we're on to the next one," Koe told reporters following the win, according to Curling Canada. 

Alberta (Koe) def. Northern Ontario (Jacobs), 6-5

In what can only be described as a back-and-forth affair, Alberta squeaked out a narrow 6-5 win thanks to some clutch play in the 10th and final end, according to TSN Curling on Twitter:

AB scores two in the 10th end on a measure and will play NL for the #Brier title Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/i0Hmumqz6i

— TSN Curling (@TSNCurling) March 13, 2016

After trading singles for the first nine ends in perfect symmetrical fashion, Alberta bucked the trend when it needed to most and secured a spot in the final against Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Any time you can beat a great team in a tight game, it feels good," Koe said, per Curling Canada on Twitter. 

Alberta Player	Shots	Points	PCT
Northern Ontario Player	Shots	Points	PCT
Ben Hebert	20	73	91%
Brent Laing	20	72	90%
Marc Kennedy	20	71	89%
Kevin Koe (S)	20	66	83%
Ryan Harnden	20	69	86%
E.J. Harnden	20	72	90%
Ryan Fry	20	62	78%
Brad Jacobs (S)	20	64	80%

Complete video of the post-game scrum with all of the key figures from Saturday's clash can be viewed below, courtesy of Curling Canada: 

With a thrilling semifinal victory in hand, Alberta can turn its attention to Sunday's gold medal showdown against a strong Newfoundland side. And with the 7:30 p.m. ET start time fast approaching, Alberta will need to put Saturday's pair of victories in the rear-view mirror as it seeks to emerge with some shiny new hardware in hand.  

Round-robin play at the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier came to a close Friday at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, with the 17th and final draw. The results set the final rankings for the playoffs, which kick off Friday night utilizing the Page playoff system.

Northern Ontario, led by Brad Jacobs, and Brad Gushue's Newfoundland and Labrador squad headlined the action after coming into the day with a combined 19-1 record. Those sides could very well end up meeting again in Sunday's championship match.

Let's check out all of the day's results, which will be updated through the end of play. That's followed by a look at the playoff schedule and a recap of the top storylines.

Draw 17 Results

Sheet	Matchup	Result
A	British Columbia vs. New Brunswick	7-5 BC
B	Manitoba vs. Prince Edward Island	8-3 MAN
C	Quebec vs. Northwest Territories	8-6 NT
D	Northern Ontario vs. Newfoundland and Labrador	4-1 NO

Page Playoffs Schedule

Round	Game	Matchup	Date/Time (ET)
Position	1	No. 2 Newfoundland and Labrador vs. No. 1 Northern Ontario (7-6 N&L)	Friday
Position	2	No. 3 Alberta vs. No. 4 Manitoba	Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Semifinal	3	Northern Ontario vs. Game 2 Winner	Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Bronze	4	Game 2 Loser vs. Game 3 Loser	Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Gold	5	Newfoundland and Labrador vs. Game 3 Winner	Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Draw 17 Recap

As expected, the first battle of the tournament between Northern Ontario (11-0) and Newfoundland and Labrador (9-2) was a technical battle. The sides went five scoreless ends before Jacobs' group finally broke the deadlock in the sixth.

Northern Ontario ended up carrying a 2-1 lead into the final end and locked up the victory with an additional two points to close it out. It finishes the round-robin portion of the tournament with a perfect 11-0 record as a result.

Gregory Strong of the Canadian Press provided an accurate description of the matchup:

Absolute snoozer in round-robin finale between top two teams at #Brier2016 - Jacobs leads Gushue 2-0 in 8th after five blanks to open

— Gregory Strong (@GregoryStrongCP) March 11, 2016

There were a couple of reasons for that. Both teams have showcased terrific shot-making ability throughout the event. And, perhaps more importantly, Jacobs and Gushue knew they were in line to play again in the playoffs, meaning they may not have wanted to show too much.

Manitoba (8-3) will also enter the playoffs on a high note after a strong showing to knock off Prince Edward Island (2-9). Mike McEwen and Co. fell behind 3-1 through three ends before storming back with seven points over the next five to secure the victory.

They will need to carry that momentum into their meeting with Alberta (8-3) to start their playoff run. Kevin Koe's team scored a dominant 9-4 victory in the first matchup back in the seventh draw, which included a four-point end.

Elsewhere, British Columbia (3-8) ended its tournament journey in thrilling fashion with a deuce in the final end to edge New Brunswick (3-8). Team skip Jim Cotter would have liked to finish with a better record, but it ends on a high note.

The Northwest Territories (3-8) held off a late rally from Quebec (4-7) in the draw's final match. The Jamie Koe-led group scored four in the sixth to take a commanding lead. Jean-Michel Menard tried to mount a comeback starting with two in the eighth, but it was too little, too late.

Friday night's meeting between Jacobs and Gushue provided a little more entertainment value as Draw 18 got under way, with Newfoundland and Labrador narrowly winning the heralded 'Battle of the Brads'.

Both sides adopted a more conservative approach in their Draw 17 tie, but they came flying out of the blocks on Friday night. It was Northern Ontario that started the brighter, as Jacobs' side sprung into a 4-1 lead after five ends.

However, Gushue and co. then turned on the style to win three of the next five and force an extra end, where Newfoundland and Labrador just edged it to secure a spot at Sunday's final.

Northern Ontario have been nothing but solid throughout the Brier, but sloppy mistakes and Gushue's class ultimately cost them. However, they still have a chance to get revenge, as they take on one of Manitoba or Alberta for a place in the final.

Alberta will be the favourites to emerge from that contest, and if they do earn the right to face Northern Ontario, Jacobs will be full of confidence that his side can repeat their 8-3 demolition of Koe's side back in Draw 10. 

All statistics courtesy of the tournament's official site.

  

The round-robin leg of the Tim Hortons Brier continued Thursday, leaving just two days before the Page playoffs begin.

Here is a look at the latest draw and schedule following Thursday’s action:

Friday, March 11 (Draw 17)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
Draw 18
TBD	TBD	TBD

Team	Score	Team
Draw 14
Ontario	4-7	Saskatchewan
Canada	3-8	Alberta
British Columbia	7-8	Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island	7-4	Northwest Territories
Draw 15
Prince Edward Island	7-11	Newfoundland and Labrador
British Columbia	8-9	Northwest Territories
Northern Ontario	8-5	Manitoba
New Brunswick	7-9	Quebec
Draw 16
Manitoba	8-5	Quebec
Northern Ontario	10-5	New Brunswick
Canada	9-8	Ontario
Saskatchewan	5-7	Alberta

Saskatchewan 7, Ontario 4

A 7-4 loss to Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock eliminated Ontario’s Glenn Howard from his chase for his fifth Brier championship in 16 tries.

Howard fell behind early, then scored two points in the sixth frame to pull to 4-3, but Layock responded with two in the eighth frame to reclaim the lead and ride it to victory.

"We tried real hard. [Thursday’s game against Saskatchewan], definitely the breaks didn’t go our way,” Howard said, per Tim Baines of the Ottawa Sun. "There were a few breaks that went Sask’s way. That’s the way the cookie crumbles."

Alberta 8, Canada 3

Alberta’s Kevin Koe dominated Canada’s Pat Simmons, 8-3, to earn a playoff berth. 

Koe jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first frame, and Simmons failed to score until the fourth. Koe then shut the door with three scores in the fifth frame.

Newfoundland and Labrador 8, British Columbia 7

Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador came through with a score in the final frame to clinch a playoff berth with an 8-7 win over British Columbia’s Jim Cotter. 

Cotter regained the lead with two scores in the ninth frame before Gushue made his comeback. 

Prince Edward Island 7, Northwest Territories 4

Prince Edward Island's Adam Casey took care of Jamie Koe by three points in the first draw of the day.

The back-and-forth affair took a turn in favor of Casey, who scored two points in the sixth round to increase the lead before securing a 7-4 win.

Newfoundland and Labrador 11, Prince Edward Island 7

Gushue outscored Casey, 11-7, in the later draw. 

Casey scored two points in the opening frame, but Gushue responded with five scores in the second and third frames to build momentum. He finished with four frames of multiple scores. 

Northwest Territories 9, British Columbia 8

Jamie Koe scored two go-ahead points in the final frame to beat Cotter, 9-8. 

The match featured eight lead changes and was arguably the most exciting of the day. 

Northern Ontario 8, Manitoba 5

Brad Jacobs dictated the pace throughout the match, winning by three points over Mike McEwen.

Northern Ontario scored three points in the seventh round to put the match away and secure an 8-5 victory.

Quebec 9, New Brunswick 7

Two points in the ninth round by Jean-Michel Menard's crew gave Quebec a two-point victory over New Brunswick.

Mike Kennedy tied the match at 7-7 in the round before Menard put it away.

Northern Ontario 10, New Brunswick 5

It was another dominant victory for the Northern Ontario side, which won 10-5 after a three-point third round had pushed its lead to 5-2.

Northern Ontario ended the draw with a clean sweep over the competition.

Manitoba 8, Northwest Quebec 5

It took four points in the eighth round to give Manitoba a lead and an eventual 8-5 win over Quebec. 

The Quebec squad had a 2-1 lead in the fourth, but Manitoba scored six of the final nine points to win the match.

Canada 9, Ontario 8

A two-point final round was the difference-maker in Canada's 9-8 win over Ontario.

After four points in the seventh round, Ontario seemed to have a chance, but it was not meant to be.

Alberta 7, Saskatchewan 5

Alberta scored early and often to notch a 7-5 win to close the day.

Two points in the eighth round by Saskatchewan weren't enough to pull out a much-needed win heading into Friday.