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With the field all but set here are my thoughts on the field and the teams there:

Alberta - Kevin koe has won this event 3 times and with the field as it is has to be considered the co favorite with northern ontario, and newfoundland .this team had trouble at first but they are rolling now and you know kevin would love to get back to worlds and improve on last years performance

Canada - they are hard to judge. at times they looked great and others down right average. they have hardly played this year but i dont think that'll hurt them to much.

British Columbia - returning finalists from last year jim has gotten more comfortable with skipping but at the same time his record at the brier as a skip is pretty bad. so can he finally have a good showing at a brier as skip ? i think he will do better than before but doubt they make final 4

Saskatchewan - heartbreaking steal to new brunswick last year caused them to miss the playoffs. they have had a great year and can make the playoffs .

Manitoba - the surprise winner for some but reid has had a great year. they had a scare early in manitoba but rolled from there. no lack of experience here either . they should be in the mix

Ontario - great to see team kean get out of ontario(even if i was hoping salightly more for epping). This is a great young team and they can beat pretty much anyone here. i would only really but jacobs and koe out of their reach

Northern ontario - brad returns to the brier and is most definately one of the 2 co favorites. if they play like they did late in 2013 at the brier they could win this again

Quebec - jean michel menard returns for quebec and will hope to improve on last year when they gave koe everything he could handle in the semi and were this close to making the final. They proved last year they can beat anyone and if they red line like that again this year they will be a factor

New brunswick - first time here and, really they will be here for the experience. with the field as deep as it is they will be happy to win more than one game

Newfoundland - absolutely no surprises here. they have been great this year and should be in the playoff mix. can brad finally win it all? well to do so he will probably have to go through alberta and northern ontario

Northwest territories - jamie koe has proven he can beat the top teams . problem is that he almost never gets to play on arena ice so how he does will depend on how fast he can adapt to the conditions

Playoffs:

alberta, northern ontario, newfoundland, ontario

it was really hard to choose here because i could see at least 8 teams having a shot at playoffs. i went with ontario but i could also see quebec , manitoba, canada or saskatchewan getting there

for this reason im not naming dark horses

WINNER:

newfoundland (it just seems like its their year to finally do it)

dark horse winner:

quebec

Last edited by misty1 on 02-09-15 at 06:42PM

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Your missing some teams I think ?

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Originally posted by Island Roger
Your missing some teams I think ?

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quote:

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Originally posted by misty1
With the field all but set here are my thoughts on the field and the teams there:

Alberta - Kevin koe has won this event 3 times and with the field as it is has to be considered the co favorite with northern ontario, in fact it would be pretty shocking if thats not the final. this team had trouble at first but they are rolling now and you know kevin would love to get back to worlds and improve on last years performance

Canada - they are hard to judge. at times they looked great and others down right average. they have hardly played this year but i dont think that'll hurt them to much.

British Columbia - returning finalists from last year jim has gotten more comfortable with skipping but at the same time his record at the brier as a skip is pretty bad. so can he finally have a good showing at a brier as skip ? i think he will do better than before but doubt they make final 4

Saskatchewan - heartbreaking steal to new brunswick last year caused them to miss the playoffs. they have had a great year and can make the playoffs .

Manitoba - the surprise winner for some but reid has had a great year. they had a scare early in manitoba but rolled from there. no lack of experience here either . they should be in the mix

Ontario - great to see team kean get out of ontario(even if i was hoping salightly more for epping). This is a great young team and they can beat pretty much anyone here. i would only really but jacobs and koe out of their reach

Northern ontario - brad returns to the brier and is most definately one of the 2 co favorites. if they play like they did late in 2013 at the brier they could win this again

Quebec - jean michel menard returns for quebec and will hope to improve on last year when they gave koe everything he could handle in the semi and were this close to making the final. They proved last year they can beat anyone and if they red line like that again this year they will be a factor

New brunswick - first time here and, really they will be here for the experience. with the field as deep as it is they will be happy to win more than one game

Newfoundland - absolutely no surprises here. they have been great this year and should be in the playoff mix. can brad finally win it all? well to do so he will probably have to go through alberta and northern ontario

Northwest territories - jamie koe has proven he can beat the top teams . problem is that he almost never gets to play on arena ice so how he does will depend on how fast he can adapt to the conditions

Playoffs:

alberta, northern ontario, newfoundland, ontario

it was really hard to choose here because i could see at least 7 teams having a shot at playoffs. i went with ontario but i could also see quebec , canada or saskatchewan getting there

for this reason im not naming dark horses

WINNER:

newfoundland (it just seems like its their year to finally do it)

dark horse winner:

quebec

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Originally posted by Western Newbie


Interesting discussion. Instead of Ontario in the quarters, I see Manitoba in there. Otherwise I fully agree! NS has a new rep with little experience compared to the field. PEI might have Adam Casey who will bring his experience with Gushue, and they have done fairly well on the circuit for a new team.

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Originally posted by Manitoba Legend


Barring something untoward the only locks I can see for playoff spots are

Northern Ontario and Koe Canada.....

after that its a pig scramble

Goo might have a leg up for 3rd but Manitoba, Sask'n, Ontario and even Sask'n will also lay claim to 4th or a tie-breaker.

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Last edited by misty1 on 02-09-15 at 09:00AM

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I agree with pretty much with everything that's been said so far. After the two heavyweights, you could make the case for a handful of teams. Likely Gushue or Canada will get the #3 spot, but after that...

I'm interested to see how this young Ontario team is forged after Brier week.

I expect Manitoba to play very well and be in playoff contention.

I'd guess that Quebec, Ontario, Sask and Manitoba will probably battle it out for #4.

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Hasn't Koe just won it twice? Still a great accomplishment but premature to give him three, I think. Would like to see Cotter do well but can't see them making playoffs. I think Sask. team is going to contend.

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Alberta-Kevin Koe has won this event 3 times and with the field as it is has to be considered the co favorite with Northern Ontario, in fact it would be pretty shocking if thats not the final.
Playoffs:

alberta, northern ontario, newfoundland, ontario

it was really hard to choose here because i could see at least 8 teams having a shot at playoffs. i went with ontario but i could also see quebec , manitoba, canada or saskatchewan getting there

for this reason im not naming dark horses

[/B][/QUOTE]

I have to disagree with alot of this. You said you would be shocked if Alberta and Northern Ontario weren't in the finals. And you said Koe is rolling now. He won a pretty thin Alberta. Previous to that the rest of his season was a disappointment. Gushue won 2 majors this year, in fields stronger than this Brier. Even tho this Brier is pretty loaded with elite teams, ithink you could argue he should be as much of a favorite (behind Team Jacobs obv) as Koe.

You also put Kean ahead of Carruthers and Laycock. Kean has had a tumultuous year. Beating John Epping twice is impressive, but that's diminutive compared to beating Mike Mcewen twice. And he did lose 3 games to a pretty weak field. Carruthers team has had much more success on tour, and Laycock has as well. There is absolutely no reason/logic to have Kean ahead of either of those teams.

One weekend is too small of a sample size to decide if teams are playing well/rolling now/back in form/etc. And it shouldn't hold precedence over the previous few months.

Personally i think Team Kean is an underdog to finish above 500.

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Originally posted by MBTuck
Alberta-Kevin Koe has won this event 3 times and with the field as it is has to be considered the co favorite with Northern Ontario, in fact it would be pretty shocking if thats not the final.
Playoffs:

alberta, northern ontario, newfoundland, ontario

it was really hard to choose here because i could see at least 8 teams having a shot at playoffs. i went with ontario but i could also see quebec , manitoba, canada or saskatchewan getting there

for this reason im not naming dark horses

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Last edited by misty1 on 02-09-15 at 06:46PM

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Yeah, if you go by a team's season to date, then you'd have to put the likes of Carruthers, Laycock and Casey ahead of Kean. You could even throw in Menard for being a former champ and just having more National experience in general. But make no mistake, this Kean team can swing a big stick and look like some of that big potential may start to be realized after the Ontario Tankard.

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Last edited by Radio-Man on 02-09-15 at 07:14PM

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Two years ago were we predicting Jacobs to win?
Did we expect him to even qualify for the olympics yet win Gold?
His taking on Fry definitely changed their lives in a way they could only hope for. They have a huge target on their backs. But they are certainly capable of proving their wins were no fluke.

Gushue is still licking that wound, but now that nichols is back, and wants to play he is a force to be reckoned with. 2 Grand Slams so far. I think he wants this more than anyone else out there. Gushue has also settled down. He had a lot of anger a few years ago, and now he seems to be more of a team player. Goodness knows he has some great talent on his team.

So predictions are just that, based on play to date. Barring illness, bad ice etc the top team is going to be one of the 4 -5 solid teams. I don't think Ont is part of that mix. Reading Kean's comment about asking his 3rd to cover for him so he can recover from a tough loss to Howard. That does not sound like world champ material. Yet. He is only ?26 Lots of time to get that high level experience and become a machine.

I am finding it hard to like Koe this year. His is an interesting team. Laing living in Ont, Man and Alberta. (Oh no one has even considered Laing moving to Manitoba???) Oh I digress. A team of talent no doubt.

Reid has impressed on the circuit and yesterday. He too has some great talent that seems to have solidified under his direction. He brings 4 years of experience under Stoughton playing with the likes of Mark, Jon, and Steve Gould. He has a gold at the worlds under his belt too.

I have said it before, and I will again. I wish I was going to Calgary but line scores will have to do.

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The Trials win already proved the Brier win wasn't a fluke. The gold medal cemented it. For my money, they are the heavy favorites at the Brier.

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[in a way it do3snt matter what happened in the season building up to this. its all about peaking at the right time and so if kean is playing their best right now , and can build on what they did inw provincials to the brier they can do well and you can throw the rest of the seasom out the window, they can beat most of the teams here. the only ones i put out of their reach are alberta and northern ontario [/B][/QUOTE]

I just don't think it makes sense to predict Kean would do better than Carruthers and Laycock. Both those teams made significant strides this year. Kean won an event in which a Wayne Middaugh led team put together 5 minutes before the event finished 3rd. Seemed to be a rather soft field.

And i agree. Peaking is very important. But what Carruthers did this weekend alone was more impressive than what Kean did. A team can get hot on any given weekend. Especially one in which they were the co-favorites.

Now Kean has to go to an environment in which he struggled on this year that yields strong competition, different ice/bigger arena, etc.

I agree that this Kean team has the tools to be a contender. But vs Northern Ontario, Newfoundland, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Canada, he will be a definite underdog. I wouldn't even consider him a fav vs Quebec, BC and PEI either.

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Originally posted by MBTuck
[in a way it do3snt matter what happened in the season building up to this. its all about peaking at the right time and so if kean is playing their best right now , and can build on what they did inw provincials to the brier they can do well and you can throw the rest of the seasom out the window, they can beat most of the teams here. the only ones i put out of their reach are alberta and northern ontario

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Last edited by misty1 on 02-09-15 at 08:13PM

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Originally posted by Manitoba Legend
I think there's no question Ryan Fry comes into this event as the top 3rd in the pool. His reputation precedes him - at the end of the week just look at the stats - Fry will be #1 outright or tied or within 1% of whoever ends up there.

Here's the remainder of my 3rd ratings:

2. Bray Moskowy (aka The Big Show, Manitoba)
3. Dr. Simmons, the curling chiropractor won't end up on top of the 3rds parade but he's a key shot player.
4. Marc Kennedy (could be slightly vulnerable in his first brier as a 3rd)
5. Mark Nichols (gold medallist 3rd shooter, tons of experience, great team player, will help Goo immensely)

I know I'll get a ton of heat for putting Moskowy up at #2 but the guy impresses me more every time I see him play. He might be the most intense 3rd in the competition - and that's a good thing for the normally sonmanbulent Carruthers.

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Originally posted by Manitoba Legend


You're really serious about putting Nichols ahead of Fry!

I'd say Fry would get 92% or more of all brier competitors rating as top third!

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Originally posted by misty1


you are not allowed to give me flack for putting nichols ahead of fry when you put moskowy ahead of nichols, kennedy and simmons.

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Originally posted by Manitoba Legend
Just revealed that Reid Carruthers has brought a blast from the past aboard as his 5th player.

Former Stoughton lead Steve Gould.

Better hope nobody on the front goes down. Stevie is one big boy.

Norm Gould named as coach! I woulda gone with Jon Mead....

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Also, no one has suggested that Adam Casey and his new team could come out of PEI and contribute to the guessing game of winners? They have had a pretty decent year.

He is ranked 19th in his first year, 3 below Cotter. Cotter would carry pts from last year with John Morris' contribution, if I am correct.

If he gets out of PEI would anyone want to add him to that list of top 5 6 or 7? He is ranked higher than Kean.....

just want to stir the pot a bit more!

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Originally posted by Western Newbie


Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, catch breath, ha ha ha ha

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Originally posted by Western Newbie
Also, no one has suggested that Adam Casey and his new team could come out of PEI and contribute to the guessing game of winners? They have had a pretty decent year.

He is ranked 19th in his first year, 3 below Cotter. Cotter would carry pts from last year with John Morris' contribution, if I am correct.

If he gets out of PEI would anyone want to add him to that list of top 5 6 or 7? He is ranked higher than Kean.....

just want to stir the pot a bit more!

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Originally posted by misty1


you think its ridiculous that i have mark over ryan but its okay that you have moskowy as second?. there is now way moskowy is a better third than any of those guys you listed. i would even rate martin crete and kirk muyres ahead of him

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Originally posted by Western Newbie


Sorry but I was laughing at your discussion ("your not allowed!! brought back school memories of being chastised by a long forgotten teacher!!), not the actual comments about thirds. Please don't confuse me with Manitoba Legend. He made the critical comments that are verboten!! I just laughed at the comments. Still laughing.

I can't even begin to weigh in on the thirds argument I am biased.

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Not much to add. Only thing is regarding Simmons' former 3rd, also former Jr. Champ out of SK. Watched the final and there were a LOT more misses than I saw in ANY of the MB games last week. Not sure Laycock will qualify. Just sayin'.

Agree Gushue seems to have momentum. Agree Menard has strength of character - such an important and undervalued component of the winner. Can not see Morris meshing. Koe has the material, and is no more established than Carruthers, in a team sense. Jacobs has to know it is tough at the top and rise above that, if possible.

The rest will be pushing these teams for all they're worth. They will also need luck to qualify.

If anyone would pay my way to Calg... I'd geek games all week. That'd be a gas. But alas - linescores also for me.

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