Team Jacobs skip Brad Jacobs delivers a stone against Team Dunstone on Friday. Jacobs is attempting to return to the Olympics for the first time since his 2014 first-place finish.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
Team Brad Jacobs closed within one victory of its berth to the 2026 Olympics on Friday by beating Team Matt Dunstone 9-8 in the first night of their best-of-three men’s final.
In a wild night at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, Winnipeg’s Dunstone missed his last shot in the 10th end which let Jacobs and his Calgary-based rink score two to seize the advantage in the championship matchup.
Team Dunstone must win Saturday night to keep its Olympic hopes alive by forcing a third game on Sunday. Otherwise Team Jacobs will punch the ticket to represent Canada at the Olympics in Milano Cortina in February.
“I feel for Matt and that team after that miss. I really do. And none of you may believe me, but I do … I still don’t know if we won that game,” said Jacobs of his opponent, which includes his two cousins, E.J and Ryan Harnden.
And why did he feel bad?
“Because I have a heart ... I know that it’s competition, and I know that we want to win, but my cousins are on that team. They’re my family, I love them,” added Jacobs. “And I was expecting to have to make my last one to win that game.”
Jacobs is looking to return to the Olympics for the first time since he won gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. His teammates – Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert, have all been Olympians with other skips.
Dunston and Jacobs are the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the world.
Jacobs had a comfortable 5-2 lead in the fifth end before they let it disintegrate with a mistake which opened the door for Dunstone to score four and propel his team into the lead.
Jacobs was able to quickly recover with a tap for two to steal back the lead. Then Dunstone pulled ahead again with two in the ninth, before he missed his last attempt to hit-and roll in the 10th, missing Jacobs’ stone and going through the house.
Matt Dunstone of Team Dunstone during Friday's game against Team Jacobs in Halifax. Dunston and Jacobs are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 internationally.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
It was an odd night full of uncharacteristic mistakes, chalked up to some nerves and challenging ice conditions.
“Entertaining for the fans, hard on the brains of the curlers on the ice, but we played pretty good,” said Team Jacobs lead Ben Heberts. “Ice is good, it’s just a little bit inconsistent, so sometimes it’s fast, sometimes it’s slow, and slopes tough … but this thing is far from over.”
Dunstone agreed the ice surface was “tricky to navigate” but refused to blame the ice makers in Halifax, who he called the best in the world but have been dealt a tough hand with the mild weather outside impacting conditions inside.
The Winnipeg skip is looking to debut at the Olympics, and so is vice-skip Colton Lott. His other teammates, the Harnden brothers won Olympic gold with Jacobs in 2014.
Jacobs, for his part, remained level, saying he’s felt “emotionally in control and intelligent” since arriving in Halifax, reasoning that winning the 2025 Brier took some weight off his shoulders.
“I remember in the past, you know, in big games like that, I’d be full of nerves, very anxious, just wanting to win so badly, and it affected the way that I played,” said Jacobs. “I’ve kind of reached a point in my career where I just don’t care. But I mean that in a very good way.”