CurlingZone: Asselin headed back to Brier

Team Felix Asselin (Photo: Curling Quebec) are headed back to the Montana's Brier after a strong week at the provincial men's tankard in Alma.

By: Cameron Sallaj

With Felix Asselin throwing fourth stones and Jean-Michel Menard skipping the game, Team Asselin will return to the national men's championship for the first time since 2023, losing just one game en route to claiming the 2025 Quebec Tankard at the Centre Sportif Mistouk in Alma this past weekend.

Facing Team Robert Desjardins in the final, the Asselin rink with front-end Martin Crete and Jean-Francois Trepanier got off to a strong start with a deuce in the second end. The teams then traded singles for the rest of the first half with Asselin holding the 3-2 lead.

In the sixth, the 2023 champions, representing four clubs, got their second deuce of the game, allowing them to go ahead 5-2. Desjardins could then only respond with one in the seventh, giving Asselin a two-point lead with hammer in the eighth.

After scoring a third deuce with hammer in eight, the Asselin rink sealed the game with a stolen two points in the ninth, downing Desjardins 9-3 to head back to the national championship.

REPLAY: Quebec Men's Final - Asselin vs Desjardins:

During the off-season, Team Asselin made waves when they announced the return of Jean-Michel Menard to competitive men's play. Initially playing third, Menard now calls the game while Asselin continues to throw fourth rocks. This dynamic, paired with Crete and Trepanier on the front-end has proven to be integral to the team's success as they return to the Brier.

With the win this week in Alma, Menard claimed his twelfth Quebec men's title and first since 2017 when he retired. It also marked a twelfth title for Martin Crete who was a longtime teammate of Menard's before joining Asselin. Felix and lead J-F Trepanier each won their third titles respectively.

Eighteen teams will compete in the 2025 Montana's Brier, scheduled to take place February 28 to March 9 at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. The winning team will represent Canada at the 2025 World Men's Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan from March 29 to April 6, 2025.

Team Asselin finished 4-1 through the triple knockout of the 2025 Quebec Tankard. In the A Event, the team got on a roll, defeating Zachary Janidlo (Pointe-Claire) 11-4, Zackary Wise (Glenmore) 7-4 and Raphael Patry (Kenogami) 6-1. In the final, they lost a 9-8 extra end game to Julien Tremblay (Etchemin/Victoria/Chicoutimi), the 2024 champion. They bounced back in the B Event final to beat Robert Desjardins (Chicoutimi/Riverbend/Etchemin) 7-4.

In the playoffs, Asselin upended Tremblay 5-4 in the A vs. B game to qualify for the final while Desjardins beat Francois Roberge (Aurele-Racine) 9-7 in the C final. Desjardins then beat Tremblay 7-4 in the semifinal to set up the championship game.

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