Playoff hopes take a hit for Team Howard at Brier

Glenn Howard’s playoff hopes representing Team Ontario at the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier ended on Tuesday night in Lethbridge, Alta.

Facing a must-win situation against Saskatchewan’s Colton Flasch, the Howard rink dropped a 6-3 decision in the afternoon draw on Tuesday, falling to 1-4 in the process.

In an interview with Curling Canada, Howard called Friday’s game “probably the worst Brier game I’ve ever curled.”

“I wasn’t fully confident all week, I struggled to put the broom in the right spot, I couldn’t get the speed. My draw game, which is normally my bread and butter, just wasn’t there,” Howard added. That’s the disappointing part, you want to play to the best of your ability, you play really good and lose, it’s easy; you play average and lose it’s upsetting.” 

In the opening end, Flasch overcame some early misses in the end to score one.

Facing a Flasch rock as shot and looking to draw for one in the second end, Howard was heavy, leading to a steal of one for the Saskatchewan team.

Flash would extend the lead in the third end with another steal of one.

With a chance to score four in the end, Howard attempted a tap back, but it over curled, knocking his own shot rock out and leaving the steal for Saskatchewan.

“I kind of over-read it a bit,” Howard said of the shot. “I thought I could throw it quiet, and I threw it a little too quiet and the boys couldn’t hold it.”

With his final shot in the fourth end and looking to score two, Howard attempted to play a raise to get the second point but couldn't and came out of the end with a single to make it 3-1.

 In the fifth end, Flasch scored a pair after a draw on his last shot to make it 5-1.

After blanking the sixth end, Howard made a hit and stick to score two and cut the Saskatchewan lead to 5-3.

In the eighth end Flasch would extend the lead to three by scoring a pair on a runback double, thwarting a potential steal for Howard in the process.

After Howard blanked the ninth end Flasch would run the Howard rink out of rocks in the final end to seal the win.

The Howard rink, which features third Scott Howard, second David Mathers, and lead Tim March, faces Newfoundland and Labrador’s Nathan Young in the morning draw at 10:30 a.m. Midland time before facing P.E.I.’s Tyler Smith in the evening draw at 8:30 p.m. Midland time.

Howard will conclude the round robin on Thursday afternoon against Thomas Scoffin (Yukon) in the afternoon draw.

After the conclusion of the round robin, the top three teams in each of the nine-team pools advance to the expanded playoff format.

The second- and third-place teams in each pool meet Friday afternoon with the winners facing the top teams in the evening draw.

The page playoff games are set for March 12 with semifinal and final action set for the following day.