 Matt Dunstone's squad (Photo: Curling Canada) prepares to face John Epping in the opening draw of the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. AST. By Meredith McCullum Dunstone - backed by Colton Lott, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden - has been on a roll, with a win and two finals appearances at the three Grand Slam of Curling events this season. Dunstone also won the PointsBet invitational in October, defeating Brad Jacobs 6-4 in the final. Dunstone has 2 silver medals and 2 bronze at the Brier since 2020, but he has yet to break through with a win to qualify for Worlds. Based in Winnipeg, Dunstone's current squad came together in the 2024-25 season when E.J. Harnden parted ways with Brad Gushue and reunited with his brother. The team earned a silver medal in their first Montana's Brier together this past March in a heartbreaking loss that came down to the final stone. Dunstone's rink has been on a role so far this season, picking back up right where they left off in that Brier final. They are a confident group and Dunstone's focus is on treating this event like any other event, knowing they already have what it takes to do well. "With the nice little stretch we've been on, there's no reinventing the wheel," said Dunstone following the teams pre-event practice Friday morning. "For us, it's just continue to do what we have the last two months and that's going to give us the best odds to have success here." Dunstone faces Epping in the opening draw, Nov. 22 at 7pm AST. The two teams have faced each other three times this season, with Dunstone wining twice. "They're one of the best teams in the world. They're getting stronger every single event." said Dunstone, on the upcoming Epping matchup. "We didn't draw the easy straw early on. But it's good. I like starting events against teams where, you have to be sharp or if you're not sharp, you're going to come in second place. So I think it's a nice way to start for us." Epping - backed by Jake Horgan, Tanner Horgan and Ian McMillan - had a strong start to the season, winning the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic in September. Since then, the Sudbury, Ont. rink has made playoffs in two of the three Grand Slam events, losing two quarterfinals and one semifinal. "You know what, we're feeling pretty confident," said Epping ahead of the event. "We've had a great start to the season, qualified in pretty much every event we've played in. We've worked hard to get to this point. We don't want to change anything and just hopefully we can put it all together." Though not a favourite to win on paper, this is Epping's fifth Trials appearance, so he has experience staying composed through a long, challenging week in a loud, intense atmosphere. Facing Dunstone in the opening draw, Epping knows his team needs to come out sharp and limit mistakes to get the win. "Yeah, I mean if you look at it right now, they're the hottest team in Canada. We're going to have to be at our best," said Epping. "They've been in every big game possible. So yeah, we're going to have to be really good, but I'm glad we're getting them off the hop." TSN will broadcast the games with scores and standings available at curlingzone.com. For ticket information, team lineups and the schedule, go to the event website: www.curling.ca/2025trials/ |
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Matt Dunstone's squad (Photo: Curling Canada) prepares to face John Epping in the opening draw of the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials, Nov.
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