SASKATOON 鈥� A capsule look at the nine men's teams entered in the Nov. 20-28 Tim Hortons 91原创 Curling Trials at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Sask. (team members listed skip to lead with home club location).
TEAM DUNSTONE
Matt Dunstone, Braeden Moskowy, Kirk Muyres, Dustin Kidby; Regina.聽
Saskatchewan curling fans are some of the most passionate in the country, and they'll be cheering the Highland Curling Club foursome's every move. Dunstone's rink is the only Saskatchewan-based team in the field.
TEAM GUSHUE
Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker; St. John's, N.L.
Gushue and Nichols were surprise winners at the 2005 trials and they won Olympic gold the next year in Turin, Italy. Gallant and Walker came on board later and helped the team win a world title in 2017.聽
TEAM JACOBS
Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden; Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Kennedy's arrival in 2019 made a powerhouse team even better. Currently ranked No. 1 in the world, Jacobs is looking to get back to the Games for the first time since winning Olympic gold in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
TEAM KOE聽
Kevin Koe, B.J. Neufeld, John Morris, Ben Hebert; Calgary.
Koe has tinkered with his lineup since winning the 2017 trials in Ottawa. Neufeld has served as vice in this quadrennial and Morris is the most recent addition at second. Morris and Hebert won Olympic gold at 2010 91原创 Games with skip Kevin Martin.
TEAM BOTTCHER
Brendan Bottcher, Darren Moulding, Brad Thiessen, Karrick Martin; Edmonton.
After settling for silver at three straight national championships, the team's first Tim Hortons Brier title came last season in the Calgary bubble. Bottcher came through the pre-trials in 2017 but missed the playoff cut at the trials.
TEAM EPPING
John Epping, Ryan Fry, Mathew Camm, Brent Laing; Toronto.
Epping locked up his trials spot two years ago by winning the Canada Cup. Fry won Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014 and Laing represented Canada at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Veteran skip Glenn Howard is serving as team alternate.
TEAM GUNNLAUGSON
Jason Gunnlaugson, Adam Casey, Matt Wozniak, Connor Njegovan; Morris, Man.聽
Gunnlaugson was shut out in his lone trials appearance as a skip in 2009. He qualified for Saskatoon by earning the first berth out of last month's pre-trials in Liverpool, N.S.聽
TEAM McEWEN
Mike McEwen, Reid Carruthers, Derek Samagalski, Colin Hodgson; West St. Paul, Man.
McEwen had different teammates in 2017 when he lost the trials final by a single point. His current foursome earned a trials spot at the direct-entry qualifier last September in Ottawa.
TEAM HORGAN
Tanner Horgan, Jon Beuk, Wes Forget, Scott Chadwick; Kingston, Ont.
The youngest skip in the field at 23, Horgan booked his ticket with a pre-trials win over four-time world champion Glenn Howard. His teammates represented Ontario at the 2019 Brier with skip Scott McDonald.
This report by The 91原创 Press was first published Nov. 18, 2021.聽
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Gregory Strong, The 91原创 Press
