There are so many really good young curling teams in Manitoba and four of them are in Portage this week competing at the 2017 Viterra Provincial Men's Championship.

Braden Calvert qualified for the Safeway Championship playoffs in 2015 in Brandon and lost out to two-time world champion Jeff Stoughton in the 3-4 page playoff game. He took that momentum from the provincials and brought home gold from the World Junior Championships.

Matt Dunstone won the Provincial and Canadian Junior Championships and then faced Mike McEwen in the final of the 2016 Viterra Championship in Selkirk. Dunstone captured bronze at the World Juniors.

J.T. Ryan won the 2017 Provincial Junior and lost out in a tie-breaker at the Canadian Championship in Victoria.

Ryan lost his opener in Portage Wednesday afternoon falling 8-6 to Hayden Forrester who they beat in the semifinals of the Provincial Juniors.

“I was really looking forward to getting out there and playing,” said Ryan on their opening day loss. “There were no nerves. Just tried to treat it like another bonspiel. We just didn't play our best.”

As for playing a fellow junior in his Viterra debut.

“I was a little disappointed,” Ryan said. “There are 32 teams in it and I'll finally get to play some variety and then I get the draw and I'm playing Hayden again for probably the 10th time this year. Would have liked some diversity but what can you do.”

Ryan, Jacques Gauthier, Graham McFarlane and Brendan Bilawaka lost their last two round robin games in Victoria and then dropped an 8-7 extra end decision to Matthew Hall of Ontario in the tie-breaker.

That ended Manitoba's run of three straight Canadian Junior Championship victories.

“Still disappointed,” said Ryan. “Would have liked to have done a little bit better but you got to move on. This is another big championship and we want to represent ourselves well so we're not going to harp on the past too much.”

Ryan, Forrester, Dunstone and Calvert are skipping solid teams in Portage.

The reigning provincial junior men's champion is impressed that so many young talented curling teams are making a statement at the Provincial Men's Championship.

“It's pretty cool,” Ryan said. “I really haven't thought about it too much yet because I'm still pretty focused on juniors. I still got a few years left there. It is nice seeing all the guys your playing in juniors and you have good games against them and then they come out here and then they play well against the men's team's too."

Terry Braunstein, Ron Braunstein, Ray Turnbull and Jack Van Hellemond rocked the Grand Old Game's hierarchy known as the Manitoba Curling Association when they won the 1958 British Consols.

That's because Terry Braunstein was 18 years-old, Ron Braunstein and Ray Turnbull were 17 and Jack Van Hellemond was 16 years of age when they captured the Provincial Men's Championship.

And come to think of it - Kerry Burtnyk won the 1981 Tankard and the Brier at the age of 22.

Can the youngsters win again?

Welcome to day two of the Viterra Provincial Men's Curling Championship.

 

2017 Viterra Provincial Men's Curling Championship
@ Portage la Prairie
Thursday, February 9th
Draw #5  8:30 a.m.
"A" Side
Matt Dunstone, Deer Lodge 6 Randy Neufeld, Portage 2
William Lyburn, Granite 7 Hayden Forrester, Fort Rouge 1
Sean Grassie, Fort Rouge 8 Jason Gunnlaugson, Granite 5
"B" Side
J.T. Ryan, Assiniboine Memorial 8 Jim Renwick, Brandon 6
Kyle Foster, Arborg 8 Howard Restall, Fort Rouge 4

Draw #6  12:15 p.m.
"A" Side
Mike McEwen, Fort Rouge 8 Kelly Marnoch, Carberry 3
Trevor Loreth, Granite 6 Daley Peters, East St. Paul 4
Taylor McIntyre, Pembina 11 Dennis Bohn, Assiniboine Memorial 4
Reid Carruthers, West St. Paul 7 Richard Muntain, Pinawa 2
David Bohn, Assiniboine Memorial 5 Braden Calvert, Deer Lodge 4

Draw #7  4 p.m.
"B" Side
Derek Oryniak, Granite 8 Shaun Parsons, Thompson 2
Ray Baker, Dauphin 8 Graham Freeman, Virden 4
Travis Bale, East St. Paul 8 Neufeld 3
Foster 7 Forrester 5
Gunnlaugson 7 Ryan 4

Draw #8  7:45 p.m.
"B" Side
Irwin 8 Peters 5
Marnoch 11 Ewasko 5
Dennis Bohn 9 Fisher 2
Oryniak 8 Calvert 5
Baker 7 Muntain 5