CALGARY, Alta. — It has been a roller-coaster week for Seven Mile Bay native Adam Casey and his Manitoba teammates at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier.
Casey is playing the third position for the Jason Gunnlaugson-skipped rink out of the Morris Curling Club at this week’s Canadian men’s curling championship in Calgary.
Manitoba won its first five games, before dropping three close contests to close out the round-robin schedule 5-3 (won-lost). That was good enough to advance to the championship pool.
“Everybody is throwing it very close to where we want to be throwing it,” Casey told The Guardian in a phone interview. “We are having a lot of fun.”
Manitoba plays two games on Friday against Ontario’s John Epping (6-2) and Team Canada’s Brad Gushue (6-2) and Charlottetown native Brett Gallant, who plays second with the St. John’s, N.L.-based rink. An effort to contact Gallant before Friday's deadline was unsuccessful.
Saturday, Manitoba will take on the Wild-Card Two’s Kevin Koe (7-1) and Saskatchewan’s Matt Dunstone (6-2).
Team Canada also faces Norther Ontario's Brad Jacobs (5-3) on Friday, before facing Glenn Howard's Wild-Card Three rink (7-1) that is being skipped by Wayne Middaugh this week and Alberta's Brendan Bottcher (6-2) on Saturday.
Playoffs
The top three teams after Saturday advance to the playoffs on Sunday. The first-place rink advances to the final while the second-and-third-place rinks meet in a semifinal game.
“This field is so deep, but against the top teams, in particular, you have to play incredibly well, and the games are decided by a few key shots,” said Casey.
“This field is so deep, but against the top teams, in particular, you have to play incredibly well, and the games are decided by a few key shots."
- Adam Casey
The Brier marks the first time Team Gunnlaugson has played together as a team all season due to COVID-19. Second Matt Wozniak joined the rink in the off-season. Connor Njegovan handles the lead’s responsibilities.
“We showed up in the bubble and got down to business,” said Casey. “Matt and I have rooms side by side, and we weren’t allowed to leave our rooms the first 2 ½ days.
“We spent the evenings out on the deck hamming it up, getting to know each other and what to expect from each other on the ice and try to build that bond. The four of us are gelling, and I have a great relationship with the other three guys. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Casey, who has experience skipping, said he is enjoying playing the third position with Gunnlaugson. It is the second year the duo has played together.
“Jason is awesome to play for,” said Casey. “He called me a couple of years ago, and I didn’t know what I was going to do.
“I was so thankful to get the call, and it’s been a good fit. He’s a great leader. When you play that third role, you get to liaison with Jason and the front end and kind of be that go-between.
“I haven’t known Matt for long, but he’s a really solid person, and Connor drives the team. He’s like the mother everybody needs. He takes care of us, makes sure everybody has all the stuff they need and is a really good teammate.”
Casey said that although he did not play any games with Team Gunnlaugson this season leading up to the Brier, it allowed him to get in more practice time than usual at the Silver Fox in Summerside and the Cornwall and Montague clubs.
“I was able to get quite a few rocks in,” said Casey. “We never really shut down other than a couple of weeks for the circuit-breaker (in December).
“Usually, I’m at a disadvantage because P.E.I. gets their ice so much later than everybody else, but this year with everybody else shut down, I was one of the few people practising.”
Casey said his participation in the Brier is a family event. He said he is only able to play thanks to strong family support on P.E.I., especially from his wife, Tessa (Roche). The couple resides in West Royalty and has one daughter, 15-month-old Rooney.
“Obviously, going away for 10 days and coming back and isolating (for 14 days) puts a lot of extra work on Tessa,” said Casey. “She is the one sacrificing more than I am.”
Standings
Round-robin standings at Tim Hortons Brier:
Pool A
W L
- Wild-Card Three (Glenn Howard) 7 1
- Alberta (Brendan Bottcher) 6 2
- Northern Ontario (Brad Jacobs) 5 3
- Manitoba (Jason Gunnlaugson) 5 3
- New Brunswick (James Grattan) 4 4
- Wild-Card One (Mike McEwen) 4 4
- British Columbia (Steve Laycock) 3 5
- Northwest Territories 2 6
- Yukon (Gregory Skauge) 2 6
- Yukon (Dustin Mikkelsen) 0 8
Pool B
W L
- Wild-Card Two (Kevin Koe) 7 1
- Team Canada (Brad Gushue) 6 2
- Ontario (John Epping) 6 2
- Saskatchewan (Matt Dunstone) 6 2
- Nova Scotia (Scott McDonald) 4 4
- Quebec (Mike Fournier) 4 4
- Newfoundland and Labrador (Greg Smith) 2 6
- P.E.I. (Eddie MacKenzie) 1 7
- Nunavut (Peter Mackey) 0 8
Note: Wayne Middaugh is skipping the Glenn Howard rink this week.
Jason Simmonds is a sports reporter with the SaltWire Network.