KINGSTON, ONT. — Marc Kennedy wanted to double-check: “I think we’re in the championship round?” he asked, brow furrowed, after his team from Northern Ontario rattled off a third straight win at the Brier on Wednesday afternoon.
Yes, Marc, it’s true: You and Team Jacobs have advanced to the Brier’s championship round, which opens Thursday.
“Yeah, man — with no tiebreaker. Ho, miracle,” Kennedy said, grinning. “A miracle in Kingston.”
Well, it’s not quite a miracle, but Kennedy and skip Brad Jacobs and the Harnden brothers (Ryan, the first and E.J., the second), the World No. 1 ranked team, are still kicking at the Brier. You figured they would be, but it really didn’t start out so hot for Jacobs and Co. They conceded their opener here against Alberta, then after a win over PEI, dropped two straight to Manitoba and Newfoundland. It meant they had to run the table with three straight wins for a shot at the next round. This team of Olympic gold medallists did just that, punctuated by a 10-3 drubbing of Nunavut on Wednesday afternoon at The Leon’s Centre.
“I think that adversity was good,” Kennedy said, of the early rough goings. “It was tough to get through, I’ll be honest. We didn’t want to be 1-3 but we were and I think we managed it really well yesterday and today.”
The team had “lots” of meetings over the last few days, Kennedy said. “We’ve got a sports psychologist that’s worked with the team for a really long time and we have [coach] Rick Lang, we’ve got the right people around us to get us in the right mind frame to fight through adversity. So, you get faced with that type of stuff and you have two choices: You either run and hide from it or face it head on. I think we did a good job of facing it head on.”
There was a lot of talk about the world’s top-ranked team, down 1-3 early. But it didn’t bother Jacobs much: “I don’t listen to people,” he said. That approach worked beautifully.
“It’s been up and down,” Jacobs said, of his team’s play here so far. “It’s been a battle. I would say we’re in a fight for our lives here, our backs are against the wall, and we welcome every bit of adversity and hardship. It’s the Canadian championship, it’s not supposed to be easy.”
The eight teams in the championship round have their records carry over, and the top four after Friday night move on to the Page playoffs. It means Team Jacobs, at 4-3, is treating the rest of the tournament like a virtual must-win situation, with already three losses on their record.
Jacobs, 34, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., won this national championship back in 2013, along with the Harnden brothers. Kennedy, meanwhile, is a three-time winner here. Kennedy says facing that early challenge this week could be a good thing for this team.
“I think any time your back’s up against the wall, you’re a little more alert, you’re a little more into the game and engaged,” he said. “You’ve got to give it everything you’ve got or you’re going home. Sometimes that brings out the best in people and I think for this team it could be a really good thing.”
“We’ve been building, I think getting stronger, more confident every game,” Jacobs added. “Feeling great at this point.”
It’s good timing, because the Brier is heating up, down to its top eight. And Kingston is ready, as its host. An electronic sign that says: “Welcome curling fans!” greets you as you get off the highway. The roads leading to the Leon’s Centre boast banners that read: “Kingston Curls 2020.” The city is offering free transit during the tournament. And fans are coming out in droves, the night-time draws often packing this 6,700-seat building.
It’s only going to get more raucous in this building — and tougher on the ice — from here on out.
And no, Team Jacobs won’t be letting their hair down or taking any time to revel in their three straight wins to advance to the championship round here. Their work has just begun. “No, we’re not celebrating anything,” Jacobs said. “We’re in a tough battle here.”
He added: “Long way to go. Long way to go.”
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