HALIFAX – Brad Gushue of Newfoundland failed to repeat the feat in his return to the building where he won the Olympic trials to sent him to 2006 Olympic gold medal fame.
In his seventh Brier, the 26-year-old Gushue lost the 3-4 game of the Page playoff system for the third time and left his Brier playoff record at one win and four losses with a 6-5 defeat by Alberta's Kevin Koe here Saturday.
Considering the stranglehold Koe had on the game early, it was actually an accomplishment for Gushue to force Koe to draw to the button to win the game with his last rock on the 10th end.
Koe shot 100% for the first five ends while Gushue made a bad decision to hit with a bad shot to follow to give Koe a draw for two. In the third the skip of the team out of the Edmonton Saville Centre had a draw for two again and a 4-1 lead.
But a steal on seven and a deuce on nine and it was tied up coming home.
“It felt like we were beating them up every end until they got that steal,” said Koe, who advances to tonight's semi-final against Brad Jacobs of Northern Ontario with the winner advancing to Sunday's final against undefeated Glenn Howard of Ontario.
“That slow start. That's what killed us,” said Gushue.
“They made so many good shots in the first five ends ...
“They really out-curled us in those first five ends.
“It was very disappointing. It's just so frustrating not to have played your best. But we have a few more years. I personally want to continue. I don't want to play at a half-ass level. If all four of us want to come back and attempt to curl at this level, if we have the sponsorship and the family support, then we'll do it,” he said of returning to try get to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.”
