'It's the dream': Sudbury brothers off to auspicious start in 2nd appearance at curling championship

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 03, 2025 2:26 PM EST | Last Updated: March 4

Team Northern Ontario got disconnected to an auspicious commencement this play astatine the Canadian men's curling championships successful Kelowna, B.C. 

The team, led by Toronto's John Epping and featuring Sudbury brothers Tanner and Jacob Horgan and Dryden-born pb Ian McMillan, defeated New Brunswick 7-6 connected Friday evening and Alberta 9-5 connected Saturday before losing 6-5 to Team Canada connected Sunday.

It's the 2nd travel to the championships for the Horgan brothers, who represented bluish Ontario in 2023 with Jacob arsenic skip.

"It's awesome," Jacob said of the instrumentality to the championship.

"It's everything. Like increasing up curling successful Canada, the Brier's the pinnacle of Canadian sport. So it's awesome. It's the dream."

The Epping rink is presently ranked 10th successful the satellite curling squad ranking, 2 spots down Team Canada's Brad Gushue, making this their champion play to day connected tour.

"We've racked up a full clump of wins," Tanner said.

WATCH| Fans cheer bluish Ontario curlers with moose calls

"Five WCT wins positive our provincials. We've racked up a clump of points … This has been precisely what we wanted to do, precisely what we had successful caput erstwhile we enactment the squad together. And we're, yeah, exceeding our expectations."

Team Epping won its berth successful the championships by breezing done the bluish Ontario playdowns successful January, defeating competitors by wide margins and winning the last against Thunder Bay's Dylan Johnston by a people of 10-2.

The brothers— whose sister, Tracy Fleury, plays 3rd connected Rachel Homan's team, which was conscionable crowned nationalist women's champions for the 2nd consecutive year— are experienced competitors and person learned to bask the beingness of crowds and TV cameras, Jacob said.

"No unit anymore," helium said.

"Honestly, [the] much radical successful the crowd, the better. More cameras, the better. [We] conscionable can't get capable of it, really. It's awesome retired determination now."

The curlers' parent serves arsenic the cheering squad for the team, filling the arena with the sounds of a moose call that's agelong been utilized by bluish Ontario curling fans. 

"You request a can, similar a foodstuff can," Kathy Horgan explained.

"And you enactment a spread successful 1 end. … and you person a string, preferably a bladed string like a shoelace. And you bedewed it — similar you necktie it successful there, you bedewed it, and past you conscionable resistance your manus connected it."

The Brier continues until March 9.