Manitoba has a new men’s curling champion. Braden Calvert and his Heather team of Corey Chambers, Kyle Kurz, Brendan Bilawka and alternate Rob Gordon won the Bunge Championship Sunday afternoon in Selkirk. For all members of the team, it was their first Manitoba men’s title.
The Calvert foursome defeated Jordon McDonald-Assiniboine Memorial (Jacques Gauthier, Elias Huminicki, Cam Olafson, Coach Bryan Miki) in a rematch of the Saturday evening Page 1-2 game, also won by Calvert.
Team Calvert needed an extra end for the win after the skip slid a foot deep on a last stone draw on the tenth end to give up a single point and 7-7 tie. A perfect first stone hit on the extra end by Calvert forced McDonald to play a last stone draw around two stones in the rings on the centre line. He made the shot but left Calvert a short runback to win the trip to the Canadian Championship as Team Manitoba.
Team McDonald had lost the Page 1-2 game Saturday evening to Calvert but bounced back with a 6-end semi-final win over Brett Walter-Assiniboine Memorial (Julien Leduc, Graham McFarlane, Hugh McFarlane) on Sunday morning.
Braden Calvert teams have lost the last two Manitoba finals; in 2025 to Reid Carruthers and in 2024 to Brad Jacobs.
Team Calvert will represent Manitoba at the Montana’s Brier in St John’s, Newfoundland/Labrador, February 28-March 7. Matt Dunstone’s Manitoba team pre-qualified and will also represent Manitoba at the Brier.