Reid Carruthers, Mike McEwen, Derek Samagalski and Colin Hodgson are one win away from a trip to the Brier next month in Brandon.

The West St. Paul foursome defeated Jason Gunnlaugson of the Morris Curling Club 9-2 in six ends in the 1-2 page playoff game Saturday night at the 2019 Viterra Manitoba Men’s Provincial Curling Championship in Virden.

“We were pretty solid, especially the last two days,” said Carruthers who will play in the final Sunday at 2:30 p.m. “I’m very happy about how we’re playing and excited and nervous about tomorrow.”

The loss was Gunnlaugson’s first at Tundra Oil & Gas Place this week.

This year it’s both but from 2009 through 2018 it was either McEwen or Carruthers playing on Sunday afternoon in the Provincial Men’s final.

“Mike and Reid are awesome,” said Samagalski when asked about the dynamic of watching McEwen and Curruthers on the same team. “It’s been a struggle a little bit this year just trying to find our perfect combination and I think we finally found it. We all have confidence in each other and tomorrow we’re going to give it all we got and hopefully we’re the ones wearing that Buffalo on our backs.”

Gunnlaugson will face William Lyburn of the Granite in the semifinal Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

Lyburn outscored Tanner Lott of Winnipeg Beach 8-7 in the 3-4 page playoff game.

 

2019 Viterra Championship All-Stars (photo courtesy CurlManitoba) lead Colin Hodgson, second Kyle Doering, third Colton Lott, skip Jason Gunnlaugson, Jason Bell (Winnipeg Free Press)