What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
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Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
“It’s got to curl a mile!”
Those were the words shouted out by Team Jacobs third Marc Kennedy as skip Brad Jacobs released his final stone Sunday in the men’s final at the Canadian Olympic curling trials at SaskTel Centre.
Down 4-2 in the 10th end, Jacobs’ takeout slid too far and he scored just one point, handing Brad Gushue the win.
Gushue returns to the Olympics after winning gold in Turin in 2006. Back then he was a kid in the sport. Now he’s taking two newcomers — second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker with him.
“Once you’re and Olympian you’re always an Olympian, but the special part is the fact that Brett and Geoff get that opportunity,” Gushue said. “It’s kind of come full circle where I’m taking some younger guys to the Olympics.”
The battle of the Brads may not have lived up to the billing, but it certainly came down to the final rock and it was certainly a battle.
“They’re the one team that scares us, quite honest,” Gushue said of the tight game. “One shot was going to make the difference out there today.
“When that rock rolled, the emotions, the excitement was just crazy. I can’t even describe it.”
“Not our best, and as a result, not the outcome that we wanted,” Jacobs said following the crushing loss.
“The Gushue team — one heck of a team and Canada has got a great representative. Hats off to them. They played great today and well deserved.”
Compared to the hectic and stress-filled women’s final played Sunday morning, the battle of the two most-polished teams in Saskatoon the past nine days was pragmatic and defensive.
Knowing the ability of their counterparts, neither Team Jacobs nor Team Gushue wanted to provide any opportunity for multiple points.
“In a big game like that you need to bring your best as a team in order to give yourself the best chance to win,” Jacobs said.
It was a chess match on ice. Knights, kings and queens were replaced with yellow and red rocks as Gushue and Jacobs carefully chose where they wanted each rock to be — and most of them weren’t in play.
After four points were split by the teams through eight ends — including three blanks in ends five through seven — Gushue scored the first deuce of the game in the ninth end.
Knowing he couldn’t let Gushue have hammer in the 10th end, Jacobs tried a hit and roll to force Gushue into a difficult shot for one, but Jacobs spilled his rock a little too far to let Gushue hit and stick for two points going into the final end.
In the 10th, a takeout by Gushue third Mark Nichols jammed a yellow Jacobs stone to open the door slightly. A seemingly ordinary moment in many other curling games turned into a huge moment. That’s how close and calculated the final was ahead of Jacobs’ final shot.
After four years of hard work to get to the curling trials and a dominant weekend from both skips, the chance to go to the Olympics ended up coming down to one missed shot at the very end.
“That’s the way it goes sometimes,” Jacobs said.