Two early-season titles have quietly helped the new-look Team John Epping emerge as one of the more interesting storylines this curling season. Epping follows his stone against Team Bottcher during Draw 16 of the 2021 Canadian Olympic curling trials in Saskatoon, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
Two early-season titles have quietly helped the new-look Team John Epping emerge as one of the more interesting storylines this curling season.
Epping joined forces with the Horgan brothers – Jacob and Tanner – and lead Ian McMillan to create a foursome with an intriguing combination of experience, youth and potential.
After missing the playoffs in their first two events, they ran the table at bonspiels in Waterloo, Ont., and Toronto to help fuel a rather quiet rise to No. 10 in the year-to-date world rankings.
“We want to keep sliding under the radar here,” Epping said with a chuckle in a recent interview.
Tanner skipped a team last season that included his brother, McMillan and Scott Chadwick. After that team disbanded in April, a new rink was formed with Epping and Tanner moved to second.
“I think they were hiding their best sweeper forever at skip with Tanner,” Epping said. “His sweeping ability, combined with Ian’s, is extraordinary.
“His way to adapt to playing front end and wanting to be the best sweeper and second that he can be I think is massive in the success that we’ve had.”
The team is one of the headliners at this week’s Red Deer Curling Classic. Kevin Koe, Matt Dunstone and Rylan Kleiter are also in the field.
The women’s event features names like Chelsea Carey, Selena Sturmay and Kayla Skrlik.
Team Epping plans to accumulate points this season ahead of the Northern Ontario playdowns by participating in events a level below the Grand Slam circuit. Many of those bonspiels still tend to draw high-quality fields.
“We’re putting ourselves in position to play against top teams at the world level, which the guys haven’t done before,” said Epping, a 41-year-old Toronto native.
Teams skipped by Brad Gushue, Matt Dunstone, Mike McEwen and Jacobs have pre-qualified for the Feb. 28-March 9 Montana’s Brier. Epping’s team, which is 29-10 this season, has the potential to be a dark horse if it qualifies for that championship and the Canadian Pre-Trials in October.
Recent wins over reigning world champion Bruce Mouat of Scotland, third-ranked Joel Retornaz of Italy and fifth-ranked Canadian Brad Jacobs have left Epping’s teammates feeling bullish about the future, he said.
“I think that’s just going to really bode well for their confidence. I think it’ll make the guys realize that the ceiling for this team is really high.”
SLAM INVITES
Christina Black’s team out of Halifax has been given the 16th and final spot in the women’s field for the Nov. 26-Dec. 1 Kioti National in St. John’s, N.L.
By winning the Grand Slam of Curling’s Tier-2 competition at the HearingLife Tour Challenge last month, Black earned an invite to the Jan. 14-19 WFG Masters.
However, the timing of the Nova Scotia curling championship conflicts with the Masters, so the team was invited to the third Grand Slam stop of the season instead, organizers said.
Kleiter won the men’s Tier-2 event and will be in the Masters field at Guelph, Ont.
EUROPEAN PLAYDOWNS
Defending champion Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland is one of the headliners at the European Curling Championships starting Saturday in Lohja, Finland.
Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg, Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont are also in the 10-team field.
Mouat, from Scotland, is back to defend his men’s title. He has won gold at all four previous appearances at the competition.
Retornaz, Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller, seven-time champion Niklas Edin of Sweden and Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell are also expected to contend.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
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