Brad Jacobs is set to face Team Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone rink in the Brier final.
In the semifinal, Brad Gushue of Team Canada was close to making it to his fourth straight Brier final. He had a chance down 6-5 in the 10th end, but his last rock didn’t curl as needed. That slip allowed Jacobs to take the victory and move on to the final.
The game was filled with tension, played in front of an excited crowd at Prospera Place in Kelowna. It started slow with three blank ends. Jacobs started with the hammer but after a steal by Gushue in the fourth, Jacobs bounced back strong in the fifth, scoring three points.
Both teams traded points in the sixth and seventh ends. In the eighth, a mistake by Jacobs opened the door for Gushue, who seized the moment and scored three points with a double, putting him ahead 5-4.
Jacobs, however, wasn’t done. He made an impressive last rock in the ninth end to reclaim the lead at 6-5, which Gushue couldn’t answer in the final end.
Time management was a struggle for both skips. Gushue was down to seconds on the clock, while Jacobs had less than two minutes left to play all his rocks in the 10th end.
This victory was significant for Jacobs, breaking a long losing streak against Gushue. It had been almost nine years since Jacobs last beat the six-time Brier champion in a playoff setting.
Now, Jacobs will battle against Dunstone, who has had an impressive season. The 29-year-old Dunstone’s team is the top-ranked in Canada, and they have only one loss in this year’s Brier. Dunstone is aiming for his first title after appearing in the finals in 2023.
The final will kick off at 5 p.m.
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