It was a long and productive Tuesday for Saskatchewan’s teams at the Brier.
By the time the final stone was thrown late Tuesday night, Mike McEwen had another two victories in the win column, but not before surviving one of the wildest games of his week. At the same time, Regina’s Kelly Knapp picked up a much-needed victory to keep himself in the conversation.
Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen (3-1) opened his day against James Gratton (2-2) of New Brunswick in the first draw featuring the newly textured stones.
McEwen adjusted quickly. He scored two in the first end, then immediately put the hammer down. Back-to-back steals of two in the second and three in the third blew the game wide open early.
New Brunswick managed a single in the fourth. Saskatchewan was forced to one in the fifth, and Gratton clawed back with a pair in the sixth. But McEwen responded with authority, scoring two with hammer in the seventh to build a commanding 10-3 lead.
Handshakes followed a single from New Brunswick in the eighth.
Final: 10-4 Saskatchewan.
McEwen improved to 4-1 and continued to look comfortable near the top of Pool B.
In the afternoon draw, Regina’s Kelly Knapp (1-3) found himself in must-win territory against winless Nunavut (0-4), skipped by Derek Samagalski.
Knapp wasted little time seizing control. He scored three in the opening end with hammer and followed it up by stealing two more in the second to jump out to a 5-0 lead.
Samagalski managed a single in the third. After blanks in four and five, Nunavut stole one in the sixth to make it 5-2 and briefly create some tension.
Knapp responded like a veteran. A deuce with last rock in seven restored order, and he stole another in eight to close it out 8-2.
The win moves Knapp to 2-3 in round-robin play.
His Wednesday gets no easier. He opens against Newfoundland and Labrador’s Nathan Young before a night draw showdown with Brad Gushue.
If the morning was clinical, the night was chaos. Back on the ice at 4-1, McEwen squared off with winless British Columbia skip Cody Tanaka in a game that quickly turned into a track meet.
Tanaka was forced to one in the first. McEwen answered with two in the second. B.C. countered with two in the third to take a 3-2 lead.
Momentum swung wildly. McEwen scored three in the fourth. Tanaka responded with three of his own in the fifth to grab a 6-5 lead at the break.
After the intermission, McEwen struck again with three in the sixth to reclaim the edge. Tanaka was forced to one in seven. McEwen added two more in eight to take a 10-7 lead.
But B.C. wouldn’t go quietly. Tanaka scored two in the ninth to trail by one and then stole a single in the 10th to force an extra end.
In the eleventh end, it all came down to McEwen’s final stone — a delicate raised tap on his own rock to the button. He made it. One point. Game over.
An 11-10 extra-end victory moves McEwen to 5-1 and sitting second place in Pool B.
He’s right back at it Wednesday afternoon against Manitoba’s Braden Calvert (3-2).
Saskatchewan leaves Tuesday with momentum.
McEwen is firmly in the hunt near the top of Pool B, while Knapp has given himself life with a crucial afternoon win.
At this stage of the week, that’s all you can ask for, meaningful games in front of you and stones still to throw.
