Team Jacobs returning to Brier after provincial win

Thanks to an unbeaten run at provincials, Brad Jacobs and his team from the Community First Curling Centre will once again represent Northern Ontario at the Tim Hortons Brier.

The Jacobs rink, which includes third Marc Kennedy, second E.J. Harnden, and lead Ryan Harnden, won the Northern Ontario Curling Association provincials in New Liskeard on Sunday afternoon with a 7-3 win in eight ends over Mike Badiuk of the Geraldton Curling Club.

The 2020 Brier is set for Kingston, Ont. beginning on Feb. 29 at the Leon’s Centre.

Jacobs opened the game with the hammer and blanked the opening end.

The two teams then traded deuces in the following two ends, Jacobs grabbing two in the second end before Badiuk scored two of his own in the third.

The Jacobs rink then retook the lead with two in the fourth to go up 4-2.

After Badiuk blanked the fifth end, Jacobs extended the lead by stealing two in the sixth and one more in the seventh to go up 7-2 before Badiuk capped off the scoring with a single in the eighth end.

Badiuk took the long road to the final.

After starting the round robin with an 0-3 record, the Badiuk rink reeled off four consecutive wins and got into a tiebreaker game on Saturday night where he beat Jordan Chandler, who curls out of the Little Current and Port Arthur Curling Clubs.

Trailing 5-3 heading into the final end, Badiuk scored three in the tenth end to move into the semifinal on Sunday morning against Sandy MacEwan of Curl Sudbury.

Badiuk proceeded to pick up an 8-5 win against MacEwan to advance to the final.

MacEwan took a 3-0 lead in the opening end, only to see Badiuk erase the lead with a pair in the second and a steal of one in the third.

After MacEwan scored one in the fourth end, Badiuk took the lead for good with a pair in the sixth before stealing two more in the seventh.

Ahead of the Brier, the list of confirmed teams along with the Jacobs rink include:

• Team Canada: Kevin Koe
• Ontario: John Epping
• Newfoundland: Brad Gushue
• Nunavut: Jake Higgs
• Quebec: Alek Bedard
• Nova Scotia: Jamie Murphy
• Prince Edward Island: Bryan Cochrane
• Yukon: Thomas Scoffin