Is It Their Time

He is skipping the number one ranked team in the world. Mike McEwen, along with third B.J. Neufeld, second Matt Wozniak and lead Denni Neufeld, have earned almost $118,000 on the World Curling Tour this season. They have won three times including the BDO Canadian Open. The team they beat in that Grand Slam final is the foursome that McEwen and company have directly in their sights this week in Dauphin…nine-time provincial men’s curling champion Jeff Stoughton.

McEwen has lost the last two Safeway Championship finals to the two-time world champion. Stoughton beat McEwen 9-8 in Steinbach in the 2010 final and 5-4 last February in Beausejour. In fact the three-time Brier champion has won five of the last six provincial men’s curling championships. Will the ending be any different this time around? Stoughton, Jon Mead, Reid Carruthers and Steve Gould…Manitoba’s best again?

There are 32 teams at Credit Union Place in Dauphin who believe they will be one of the eight to qualify for the Playoff Round which begins Friday night. Stoughton, McEwen and….who else? Surely Rob Fowler, William Lyburn, Dean Dunstone and Daley Peters have a great chance to play on the weekend. Terry McNamee lost his first game of the 2011 Safeway Championship and made it to Sunday morning before losing to McEwen in the semifinal. So let’s gaze into the crystal curling rock. Which two teams will be sliding out of the hack on Sunday afternoon with it all on the line? Could it possibly be any different than what we saw in Steinbach and Beausejour?

The overwhelming majority of curling fans agree that Mike McEwen has the best chance to dethrone Jeff Stoughton who is looking to win his 10th men’s crown. The hard work has paid off with a spot in the last two provincial finals but can McEwen and company take it one step further this week in Dauphin and finally embrace the Safeway Championship Trophy? It is a long week and upsets happen….but!

Mike McEwen

AM 1250 Sports Director Clayton Dreger asked Mike McEwen to talk about the work his team has done in preparing for the 2012 Safeway Championship.

Draw #1  8:30 a.m.
Kelly Skinner, Brandon 7 Rob Van Kommer, Carberry 5
Mike McEwen, Fort Rouge 7 Glen Toews, Dauphin 6
Dean Dunstone, Rossmere 8 Rob Atkins, East St. Paul 2
Dave Elias, West Kildonan 10 Rae Kujanpaa, Dauphin 9 (ee)
Kyle Foster, Arborg 8 David Hamblin, Morris 3

Draw #2  12:15 p.m.
Sean Grassie, Deer Lodge 9 Dave Johnson, Pembina 2
Rob Fowler, Brandon 5 Bruce Jones, St. Vital 3
Richard Muntain, Pinawa 10 Jared Kolomaya, Stonewall 4
Kelly Robertson, Neepawa 10 Dean North, Carman 3
William Lyburn, Deer Lodge 7 Curtis McCannell, Pilot Mound 3

Draw #3  4 p.m.
Daley Peters, West Kildonan 7 Rae Hainstock, Thompson 5
Scott Ramsey, Granite 11 Jim Coleman, Pembina 6
Murray Woodward, Ste. Anne 9 Trevor Loreth, West Kildonan 4
Jeff Stoughton, Charleswood 11 Brad Hyrich, Flin Flon 2
Jason Gunnlaugson, Assiniboine Memorial 9 Carl German, West St. Paul 2

Draw #4 8:15 p.m.
Jerry Chudley, Neepawa 11Terry McNamee, Brandon 6
"B" side
Glen Toews, Dauphin 8 Rob Van Kommer, Carberry 3
Rob Atkins, East St. Paul 8 Rae Kujanpaa, Dauphin 2
David Hamblin, Morris 6 Dave Johnson, Pembina 4
Jared Kolomaya, Stonewall 9 Bruce Jones, St. Vital 2