Outlook

The monkey is finally off Mike McEwen’s back. McEwen and his Winnipeg foursome finally punched their first ticket to the Brier by topping Canadian junior champion Matt Dunstone 4-2 in the Manitoba final. McEwen, 35, and his rink have been together for nearly a decade and had lost five of the last six provincial finals before finally finding a way to win this season, going undefeated at provincials. Interestingly, even if Team McEwen had lost to Dunstone, their rink would still be on their way to Ottawa. Team Dunstone was always committed to playing the world junior championship (the competition is the same week as the Brier) and would have given their entry to the national championship up if they had beaten McEwen. As for 2015-16, McEwen is having another very solid year on the WCT. The rink has won three events including the Grand Slams’ Masters of Curling and made the final of the Canada Cup where they lost to Kevin Koe.

Final Word: This may be McEwen’s first Canadian championship, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be one of the top favourites in the nation’s capital. The native of Brandon, MB is in the prime of his career with a great rink in front of them. It would be a surprise to no one if Team McEwen wins their first Brier on their first try.