Manitoba’s Dunstone beats Gushue, advances to Montana’s Brier final
Matt Dunstone slid down the ice, fired out a fist pump and then threw his arms in the air. A second victory in three days over Brad Gushue sends Dunstone’s Team Manitoba to the Brier final.
KELOWNA, B.C. — Matt Dunstone slid down the ice, fired out a fist pump and then threw his arms in the air.
He’d done it, yet again. For the second time in three days, the 29-year-old skipper from Winnipeg led his Team Manitoba to a win over Brad Gushue’s defending Canadian champions, and this latest one on Saturday was the biggest of all, punching them a ticket to Sunday’s Brier final.
“It feels good,” Dunstone said when it was over. “I thought we had control of that game kind of right from the get-go, and got key forces when we needed to.”
Dunstone, Colton Lott, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden entered this Brier as the top-ranked team in Canada, and they’re the first to the final. Gushue, meanwhile, will face Brad Jacobs and Team Alberta earlier Sunday in a Battle of the Brads that’s sure to be a classic, with the winner facing Dunstone for all the marbles.
Saturday was a close one, both teams waiting for the other to blink first. It was all tied up at 4-4 heading into the ninth end. Lott then nailed a key double, which got the sold-out crowd at Prospera Place roaring. Dunstone tapped a deep Gushue stone out with his first to sit two, then made another takeout with his last to give Manitoba a 6-4 lead into 10.
In the final end, the house was packed with 10 rocks and Gushue faced a near impossible double on his last — “it wasn’t my best shot,” he said — and Manitoba earned the 7-4 win.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369803797112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369803797112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369803797112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-361007" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6369803797112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/6369803797112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/curling/video/manitoba-head-to-brier-final-after-canadas-gushue-misses-last-rock/" }); });
Dunstone led all players in the game, curling at 94 per cent.
“Phenomenal,” a grinning E.J. Harnden said of his skip. “For his age, the composure that Matt showcases in the biggest games at the highest level is admirable. Like I said, I know he’s going to win this at some point in time. I’d love to be a part of that tomorrow.”
Harnden joined Dunstone in December, reuniting with his brother, Ryan, after he was let go by Team Gushue. “I think quite honestly, everything works out the way that it should have. As I mentioned there’s no hard feelings, there’s no animosity,” Harnden said. “I’m really enjoying myself on the ice and having a lot of fun with it, probably more than I have had in a little while.”
Dunstone is one of the more expressive skips out here, sometimes running, fist-pumping “and I think I was giggling, too,” he said, of one celebration, after a big shot earlier this week. His team is expressive and fired up, and the newest addition is a big part of that.
“I think that was a major reason why we made the switch in December that we did,” Dunstone said of when they dropped B.J. Neufeld in favour of E.J. Harnden. “We were looking for that passion, that energy, and you know a guy like E.J brings that out in everybody. Those are the moments that our entire team thrives on and are very hungry for. It definitely makes our presence felt out there when you see that.”
When Dunstone nails a thin double, you’ll see a fist pump at the very least.
“It’s the best feeling. Those feelings, those moments, that’s why I love this game,” he said. “That’s why I skip, that’s why I throw the last rock. I look for those moments, and it’s fun to celebrate those with teammates and family.”
There’s a big contingent of Dunstones here in the crowd living those moments along with him, all of them sporting Sheriff badges in honour of the skip who’s known as “The Sheriff.”
“They’re everywhere,” Dunstone said, with a grin. “There’s probably 20 to 30 people here cheering us on, just from my family alone.”
Dunstone won silver here two years ago, losing in the final to Gushue. He’s a two-time bronze medallist (2020 and 2021).
“We put ourselves in the best position possible to go and win this thing, right? We’re beating a lot of really good teams right now — I love where our game’s at, whole group’s really confident,” he says. “I think this group has a lot of belief and we feel about as good as we possibly could heading into tomorrow.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369794937112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369794937112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6369794937112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-297633" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6369794937112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/6369794937112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/curling/video/brier-page-playoff-3-4-highlights-alberta-6-manitoba-5/" }); });
And now with two wins over Gushue in the last three days.
“Brad Gushue is, in my opinion, the best player of all time. He’s dominated this event for the last decade it seems,” Dunstone said. “We’re gonna have to play a Brad tomorrow, and either one is gonna be tough.”
He’s 2-0 against Brads here so far, and one win away from raising his first-ever Brier Tankard.
