Colton Flasch leads his foursome to victory at SaskTel Tankard

February 23, 2022, 4:50 pm
Donna Beutler

Team Flasch holding the Tankard trophy after their win in Whitewood on Feb. 13, 2022.

In a nail-biting Saskatchewan men’s championship final, Team Colton Flasch of Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club claimed the Tankard title as his foursome battled it out against Team Matt Dunstone of Regina’s Highland Curling Club. The two teams were two of 12 teams that competed against each other over the five-day event held in Whitewood from Feb. 9-13.

Both teams had previously played against Kody Hartung’s foursome from Langenburg in playoff curling action, with Dunstone’s team capturing a 7-2 win against Hartung in the Saturday night game and Flasch taking the win against Hartung 5-2 in Sunday morning play. Hartung had won the B event top spot after a close game Saturday morning against Team Kelly Knapp of Regina when he counted 8 to Knapp’s 7.

Skip Matt Dunstone’s rock is swept by his second, Kirk Muyres, left, and his lead player, Dustin Kidby early in the final game played against the Colton Flasch team in Whitewood during the Feb. 9-13 SaskTel Tankard. Dunstone’s team lost to Flasch when Dunstone’s final rock failed to net him what he needed to lead his team to victory.

Flasch had previously lost to Team Knapp in the B event but claimed two wins in the C event after playing Team Gedak in a resounding 11-4 win after six ends and against Team Deis in a 10-1 win after seven ends. Both games were played on Saturday and took Flasch into the playoffs.

Matt Dunstone and teammates Braeden Moskowy (third), Kirk Muyres (second) and Dustin Kidby (lead) went undefeated in the A event, winning against both the Rylan Kleiter team and the Shaun Meachem team before winning 8-5 against Team Flasch in a Friday evening game. Dunstone, though, couldn’t get the edge over Flasch in Sunday’s final.

Colton Flasch, who plays with Catlin Schneider (third), Kevin Marsh (second) and Daniel Marsh (lead), took the lead in the final with one point in the 3rd end after a scoreless first two ends, but Dunstone counted two in the 4th for a 2-1 lead. A three-point score in the 5th end put Flasch ahead with a 4-2 advantage.

Skip Colton Flasch watches carefully after his third, Catlin Schneider, throws his rock in what was a close final game during the SaskTel Tankard in Whitewood Feb. 13. Sweeping Schneider’s rock were Flasch’s lead and second, Kevin Marsh and Daniel Marsh.

In the 6th end of play, Dunstone’s yellow rock knocked Flasch’s red out to count one, but Dunstone at this point was still one point behind Flasch and the scoreboard sat at 4-3 for Flasch. In the 7th end Flasch, holding the hammer, knocked one of his opponent’s rocks out, but when his hitter rolled off, it left Dunstone counting one for a 4-4 tie.

At the end of the 8th end, Dunstone’s team is sitting one before Flasch clears the house and neither team counts. By the end of the 9th, Flasch has counted one and is in a 5-4 lead with Dunstone holding the hammer into the 10th. It wasn’t enough, though, to allow Dunstone to win or even to tie the game up. Flasch was sitting two in the centre at this point and Dunstone was faced with a difficult shot that didn’t result in what he needed it to do. Though he managed to move one of his opponent’s two red rocks, it wasn’t enough to make a difference to the game and Flasch counted one to win the game 6-5.

Coach Colton Flasch is ready to sweep his opponent’s rock as it rolls into the ring during the playoff game at the Tankard in Whitewood on Feb. 13. Skip Matt Dunstone (behind Flasch) and Kevin Marsh and Daniel Marsh of Team Flasch look on. Flasch went on to win the game 6-4 over Matt Dunstone’s rink.

Flasch will lead Team Saskatchewan onto the Brier, the national men’s curling championship slated for Lethbridge, Alberta from March 4-13. Three wild card teams will also be playing at this year’s Tim Hortons Brier.

For those who are not familiar with Colton Flasch, he has played in three consecutive Saskatchewan championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016 when he played second with Steve Laycock’s Saskatoon rink. Flasch went on, in 2019, to join Calgary’s Kevin Koe as a second, winning the 2019 Canadian men’s championship and finishing second at worlds. Koe and Flasch competed in the 2020 Brier but parted ways after that championship.

As for Matt Dunstone, as a player on Team Laycock, he won the 2018 men’s provincial championship before forming his own team and winning the 2019 Masters where he defeated Brad Gushue in the final. His team won the 2020 Tankard and took the bronze-spot medal in the 2020 Brier.

CurlSask President Jim Wilson told the World-Spectator near the end of the event that it had been a great week of play in Whitewood, adding that Whitewood and its organizing team were up to the task of hosting the prestigious event, even though they had only three weeks to prepare. He said there is nothing like small-town Saskatchewan, and Whitewood had played a huge role in helping make the event such a success.

Holding the Tankard trophy after their win in Whitewood on Feb. 13 were members of Team Flasch. From left are Coach Jamie Schneider, Lead Daniel Marsh, Second Kevin Marsh, Third Catlin Schneider, and Skip Colton Flash.

Whitewood Curling Club President Chad Kelly also shared his pride in how his community embraced the event and welcomed it with open arms.

“The event was a complete success in every way,” he said following the Tankard’s final day. “And it’s all because of the organizing committee and the countless volunteers who gave their time to make sure this event was successful. I can’t say enough about the user groups for adjusting their schedules to help make this event happen.”

Kelly went on to say that in order to host an event like the SaskTel Tankard, everyone has to be on board and everyone in the community was.

“There were a few skeptics doubtful that we could pull an event of this magnitude and prestige off in the three-week timeframe, but I believed in this town and this committee, and there was no doubt in my mind that we would be successful,” he said.

And successful it was. The 2022 Tankard has come and gone, enjoyed by hundreds of people both in-house and online who watched great-calibre curling every day. Curling enthusiasts all across this province will now have their eyes fixed on the Brier in Lethbridge, watching to see who will capture the Brier championship title.