Emotional 24 hours leads to Team Dunstone reaching 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials final

It’s been a roller-coaster 24 hours for Team Matt Dunstone. First came a loss that appeared to eliminate the Winnipeg-based team from the playoffs, ending its ambitions at the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials, presented by Connect Hearing. However, after Wednesday’s final round-robin games, a favourable tiebreaker situation emerged, bringing Team Dunstone back into the playoffs.

Now, after a 9-5 semifinal win over Saskatoon’s Team Mike McEwen on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Dunstone and company advance to the best-of-three final series and are two games away from winning the Montana’s Trials crown and being nominated to the Canadian Olympic Committee to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

“It’s been emotional. (Feeling) the lowest lows to having a chance, and then trying to turn game mode back on,” Dunstone said. “Most of us had our stuff back in the hotel, the curling stuff, already. We had to come back and unpack our stuff today and get ready to play. I said last night we were going to leave everything out there in this game. The curling gods gifted us one yesterday and gave us this opportunity. You don’t want to pass up on these opportunities and didn’t.”

Team Dunstone — with vice-skip Colton Lott, second E.J. Harnden, lead Ryan Harnden and coach Caleb Flaxey — lost to Team McEwen in the final men’s round-robin draw on Wednesday night and needed outside help to reach the three-team playoffs. Once in, the team from the Granite Curling Club made the most of its second chance.

In the 10th end, Team Dunstone held a three-point lead but faced an unusual end with most stones in play. Dunstone executed a reverse freeze to add another counter and prevent Team McEwen from having a shot to tie or win.

“That’s good curling, isn’t it? I mean, very exciting. Thank God we don’t have the three-rock rule anymore, right?” Dunstone joked. “I don’t know, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, it’s just the way it is. You had to start making freezes, but Mikey and them made everything under the sun. Even Mike’s first one, if he chaps off on that, we can blast it, then it’s (giving up) max three, and we take hammer to an extra. But he welds it onto a corner, and it’s like holy — I’m not going to say the final word to that.”

McEwen and his team came close to advancing. The 45-year-old skip was one win away from reaching his second Montana’s Trials final appearance.

“He put it just about perfect,” McEwen said of Dunstone’s final shot. “We need him to probably slide another two inches, and then the shot would have been there. But just to even have a chance before Matty’s throwing his last stone was remarkable. So we hung in there, did all the right things, heads were high, we’re even-keeled, never got down on ourselves, did all the things right, the prep was right, everything was good. I was feeling good, playing well, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.”

The win puts Team Dunstone into a best-of-three final against Team Brad Jacobs of Calgary. Game 1 is Friday at 7:30 p.m. (all times Atlantic), Game 2 is Saturday at 7 p.m., and, if necessary, Game 3 is Sunday at 7 p.m.

Team Jacobs, with a 6-1 round-robin record, earned the hammer to start the finals series.

Team Dunstone’s vice-skip Lott summarized what fans can expect and whether his team is ready for this opportunity.

“Yes, I truly do,” he said. “I think we’re more than ready. It’s going to be a battle there between us and Jacobs. We know it. They know it. Let the best team win.”

Game 1 of the best-of-three women’s final is up next on Friday, with Team Rachel Homan (6-1) of Ottawa against hometown favourites, Team Christina Black (4-3) of Halifax at 1 p.m. Those teams will play in Game 2 on Saturday at 1 p.m. and, if necessary, on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials are available by CLICKING HERE.

TSN and RDS will provide coverage of the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule.

For ticket information for the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials, go to www.curling.ca/2025trials/tickets.

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/fr/2025trials/nouvelles.