New Brunswick skip James Grattan watches his shot while playing Newfoundland and Labrador during the Brier, in Regina, Thursday, March 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
February 02, 2025 - 5:42 PM
Teams skipped by James Grattan and Aaron Bartling will compete in the Canadian men's curling championship after winning their provincial and territorial finals Sunday.
Bartling stole a point in the 10th end and another point in an extra end to defeat Jamie Koe 7-6 to take the Northwest Territories championship in Hay River. Koe was trying for his 18th appearance at the Brier.
Grattan defeated Jamie Stewart 8-2 in Fredericton to win in New Brunswick. Grattan will appear in the 17th Brier of his career and 10th as skip.
A field of 18 teams will curl Feb. 28 to March 9 in the Montana's Brier in Kelowna, B.C.
The victor represents Canada at the men's world championship March 29 to April 6 in Moose Jaw, Sask.
The Brier field will be complete Feb. 9 with the crowning of the Manitoba and Alberta men's champions.
Teams already Brier-bound include Cameron de Jong (B.C.), Rylan Kleiter (Saskatchewan), Sam Mooiebroek (Ontario), John Epping (Northern Ontario), Tyler Smith (Prince Edward Island) and Ty Di Lello (Newfoundland and Labrador), Owen Purcell (Nova Scotia), Thomas Scoffin (Yukon), Felix Asselin (Quebec) and Shane Latimer (Nunavut).
Six-time champ Brad Gushue of St. John's, N.L., returns as defending champion.
Teams skipped by Brad Jacobs, Mike McEwen and Matt Dunstone pre-qualified for Kelowna based on their rankings at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Jacobs, a Canadian, world and Olympic champion, took over as skip of Brendan Bottcher's Alberta-based team, that ranked No. 2 in Canada at the end of last season.
The winner in Kelowna can claim a berth in November's Olympic trials as long as that team ranks in the top six at world championships.
Defending Brier champion Gushue and Jacobs are already bound for trials.
Should Gushue or Jacobs prevail in Kelowna, the trials berth goes to the highest ranked team at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season following the Players' Championship in April.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2025.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2025