Team McEwen pushing for Brier berth as season hits halfway mark

With the first half of the curling season in the books for most teams, new Saskatchewanian Mike McEwen feels like his team is gaining momentum as it gears up for a push to represent Saskatchewan at the 2024 Brier in Regina.

“Our first goal as a team was to make this Grand Slam (in Saskatoon), and we had to climb the rankings to do that,” said McEwen, who noted that his team had to climb into the top 16 rankings in order to get an invitation to the tournament.

He said the team is consistently qualifying for finals and playoffs, which he called a promising sign.

“Honestly, I would say that our consistency probably exceeded our expectations,” he said.

McEwen’s decision to join a new team in Saskatchewan raised some eyebrows last year. Originally from Winnipeg, he represented Manitoba provincially from 1998 to 2022, but in the 2022-23 season he formed his own team out of Ontario, which featured Ryan Fry, Brent Laing and Joey Hart.

Fry eventually announced he was stepping away from the Ontario team, which dissolved soon after.

The transition led McEwen to Saskatchewan, where he decided to join forces with Saskatoon curlers Colton Flasch, Kevin Marsh and Dan Marsh.

It’s a big season for the squad, as Saskatchewan will be hosting the Brier in March.

McEwen said it’s been easy to adjust to playing with team in person, but said it was difficult to practise on his own in Manitoba.

“I find coming to work with the guys is easy,” he stated. “It’s when I’m working on my own is the challenge – to still have that engagement and working on your own is a little harder.”

But McEwen said the team has spent a lot of time together this year.

Mike McEwen says his team has achieved a lot of consistency, which he called a promising sign. (Shane Clausing/650 CKOM)

“We’re away competing quite a bit, so I probably see them too much,” he joked.

This past weekend in Saskatoon, McEwen’s rink finished with a record of 2-2 at the Grand Slam of Curling – which wasn’t good enough to make the playoff rounds.

While failing to get to the playoffs wasn’t ideal, McEwen will have a shot at redemption in January as preparations for the Brier heat up. He said the team will attend events in Lloydminster and Red Deer before provincial finals.

“There’s not a lot of time between then and now and we’ll probably find time to train leading up as a group in Saskatoon. It’s busy,” he said.

With preparations for the Brier ramping up, McEwen said qualifying for that event remains the team’s top priority. McEwen said he’s just as excited playing now as he was in Manitoba.

“We’re the favorite going in, and it’s our goal to represent Saskatchewan at the Brier, especially with it being in Regina,” he explained.

“That’s pretty exciting – even if I’m wearing a green jacket – and I know how much it would mean for the guys to represent their home province.”

McEwen said he hopes his analytical approach to the game is something the whole squad can all benefit from.

“We’ve really meshed well as a team and got some different personalities and process things differently,” he said.

“I’m a little bit of a skip who tries not to miss any of the fine details, and I think I’ve been able to bring that to the plate where there’s a really detailed look at the game as a whole.”

The provincial championship to decide who will represent Saskatchewan at the Brier is to take place Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 in Saskatoon.