Alberta’s Jacobs two wins away from Brier title after win over Carruthers
Heading into Friday, Brad Jacobs and Team Alberta needed four wins to take home the Brier title, and Jacobs talked about the steep mountain to climb. After a win on Saturday, they’re halfway up now. “Two down, two to go.”
KELOWNA — Brad Jacobs’ pre-game routine at the Brier includes a walk or a run along the waterfront boardwalk to get his blood pumping while he looks at the mountains and listens to Morgan Wallen.
“And, if I’m angry, Rage Against the Machine,” Jacobs said.
Well, the 39-year-old skipper from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., hasn’t had anything to be angry about lately. On Saturday afternoon at Prospera Place, his Team Alberta earned a 6-5 win that came down to Jacobs’ last stone, punching a ticket to the Brier semifinals.
As he came off the ice, a smiling Jacobs fist-bumped a bunch of guys here, wearing matching shirts for a bachelor party, and told them: “You guys look awesome.” One of them replied that Jacobs did, too.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played in the Brier on Sunday,” Jacobs said, six years in fact, the last time in 2019 when his Northern Ontario rink won a bronze medal. “We can check that off again, which is nice.
“But I know the guys are super jacked about getting that win and being able to play tomorrow. This was a goal of ours, to get to Sunday at the Brier, and we’ve accomplished that. So we’re just gonna leave it all out there tomorrow. It’s gonna be awesome.”
To get there, Jacobs looked to be in clear control early on against Reid Carruthers and Team Manitoba, up 5-2 through seven ends. But the game changed big-time in nine when Carruthers managed a steal of two to tie things up heading into 10, after Jacobs missed a peel on his first.
“I broke my wrist,” he said.
“Looked like it,” Kennedy said, with a laugh. “No, that’s not a miss that Brad Jacobs has very often. That’s probably his first peel miss in six months.”
Jacobs said the ice felt a little flat, but made no excuses. “My fault, but you know what, my guys made everything in the last end and we were able to bounce back even though I threw one up my butt there in nine.”
Kennedy had a big takeout double with his last to help set up a clear single for Jacobs to give Alberta the win.
“I know Brad missed a couple in nine, but here’s the thing with Brad: He’s been our best player all week, and it was really easy for us to rally behind us in that tenth end,” Kennedy said. “Like, he hasn’t missed anything.”
Kennedy, a three-time winner here, also pointed out: “It was not a bad thing for us to have a game tied up coming home with a shot to win.”
Next up, Team Alberta plays the loser of Team Canada’s Brad Gushue and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone, who play Saturday night, with the winner of that game earning a direct ticket to the final. That sets up for Jacobs to either play against his cousins, E.J. and Ryan Harnden, who he won his only Brier title with back in 2013, or a Battle of the Brads, for that berth to the championships.
In preparation, the team plans to crush Bublys of all flavours and play hearts and rest up before what they hope will be a two-game championship Sunday.
“We need to rest, we need to play some cards, we need to hang out and just continue to have a great dynamic and be with one another through this hard time,” Jacobs said, of what seems like a long wait until their next game. “And also we get to spend a little bit of time with our families as well, and I think that’s gonna be awesome for us.”
Heading into Friday, Team Alberta needed four wins to hoist the Tankard, and Jacobs talked about the steep mountain to climb. They’re halfway up now as Jacobs looks ahead to the final day, now in his 15th Brier.
“Two down, two to go,” Jacobs said. “Nice little mindset to have.”
