Men's Draw 3 - Liveblog

Morris of Alberta (huh? someone explain this to us - did he not get the Brier a few years ago from Ontario??) vs. Pat Ryan. In the first end, they exchanged rocks in the house pretty much the whole end. No score after 1.

Ray made an interesting point that curling percentages have been increasing steadily over time. Partly due to better ice. Partly due to better brushes and brushing. And partly due to improved skills.

End #2
Morris's second set up a double, but Ryan's second couldn't make it, leaving a double for Morris's team, which they missed, too. Ryan tries a hit and roll, but is exposed, leaving a beautiful hit and roll double for Morris's 3rd. Finally someone made a really good shot. And Ryan returns the favour with a good hit & roll of his own. Morris's 3rd (looks Agassi, according to Ms. Eclectic) drifts to the back of the 12'. On to skips' stones.

Cotter (throwing skip's stones for Ryan) hit and stuck at the back of the 12'. Morris's sweepers dragged his 1st stone right down to Cotter's with a perfect freeze. The Ryan team discussed what to do with Cotter's last stone. They tried to remove the back of the freeze, leaving theirs frozen to the Morris stone, but they wrecked on the guard, leaving Morris with a hit and stick for two. Over to you, Alan!

Morris 2, Ryan 0

End #3:

Thank you of course. Nice to see these ads for the Scott in London. I am already excited!

So I still think Morris was once fomr Ontario. In the regional system we have I can understand moving your rink somewhere else for some advantage. But to Alberta?? What is this about? Maybe I will find out tonight.
It is interesting seeing the men's and women's matches alternating as they are.
OK let me see where we are here now.
Two Morris rocks in the house, two Ryan guards up front. Joined by a Morris guard - pretty wild.
Ryan takes one Morris rock out of the house but thing are still messy. Morris puts yet another realy fine guard up on the centre line. Ryan does some fine sanitation - clearing pretty much all the major cover. Morrris now has two in the house with not a lot of cover. And Ryan has the hammer. Sorry - bloody political person at the door. Still two Morris rocks in the house
(They show us Ferbey-Gushue closing to 2-2 - with amazing shots. I may have to bow down to The Amateur if these constructed rinks keep doing so well!)
To be honest I simply do not get the feel of this end. You may have noticed I got lost in the afternoon too.
I guess Morris is ok with blanks from now on, leading 2-0. Or even more with the single that Ryan takes.
Back to John, who seems to be able to pay more attention.

End 5 (from Alan - our real lives are intruding)
Morris took 1 in the 4th end so he leads 3-1.
In other matches Martin is ahead of Dacey (5-3) and Gushue is toe to toe with Ferbey.
OK where do we stand? Morris has three rocks in the house, and a cntre guard; Ryan has a rock in the front of the house. Oh and he has a corner guard close to hte house, and just added a rock in the fron of the house. This is very messy! Morris seems to want to clean up a bit - he rmoves his own guard and moves Ryan's into the front of the house.
And now we have good mischief - all Morris rocks in the house are behind the T, and Ryan just parked a stone at the back of the 4-foot in front of a Morris stone.
Morris now clears things up a bit - delicate shot, leaving most of his own in place, and pushing the Ryan rocks to positions of irrelevance.
Meanwhile Nedohin misses an open draw for 2 and Ferbey gets only one against Gushue (elder Howard) to take a 4-3 lead out of the 5th end.
Meanwhile Ryan has parked a rock in front of some of the Morris rocks in the back of the house.
Morris clears one but all rocks in the middle of the house remain behind the T.
This is one slow end. Almost a great Ryan freeze to a Morris rock in the 4-foot behind the T. (Well, the Morris rock is now in the 8-foot! :-) ) Morris misses only slightly a draw to the button - Ryan has a chance for 2. His drawcomes up way short.

3-2 Morris