THUNDER BAY – Dylan Johnston knows he can beat Brad Jacobs.
But he’ll have to do it a second time in two years to win Northern Ontario’s spot at the Brier.
The Thunder Bay skip on Saturday night earned the right to try, making a game-clinching draw to the button on his final stone of the night to pull out an 8-7 win over Sudbury’s Chris Glibota foursome in the semifinal at the 2017 Travelers Men’s Provincial Championship at Fort William Curling Club.
Jacobs, the 2013 Brier champion, earned a direct route into Sunday afternoon’s final, sporting a perfect 7-0 record in round-robin play.
“It was just a draw to the button,” Johnston said, wearing his trademark backwards St. Louis Cardinals cap and joking he’d been asking for KFC delivery on the microphone all night, but no one was listening.
His teammates had his ear though, and that’s all that mattered on his final stone.
“The sweepers wanted a time and I gave them the time they wanted. They just pounded it the whole way and they got it there.”
There were no nerves involved at all, he said.
“It was just another shot.”
The turning point in the match came in the eighth.
With Glibota up 5-4, Johnston used his final shot to pick away his opponent’s stone, lying in second shot position, and scored three, taking control of the match.
Or so it seemed.
The Sudbury rink, consisting of lead Matt Gordon, second Eric Gelinas and third Dustin Montellier, stormed back with two in the ninth.
But Glibota failed to make a raise on his final rock that could have netted him an all-important third point and the outright lead.
Johnston’s third, Mike Badiuk, called it a well-played game by both teams.
“We’re ecstatic that we were fortunate enough to come out on top. We’re pretty fired up right now,” Badiuk said.
From his standpoint, it was a nerve-wracking finish.
“I’m going grey because of it, but (Dylan) lives for it. That’s why he’s one of the best at what he does,” Badiuk said.
Glibota started the week 0-3, but stormed back with four straight wins to make the three-team playoffs. He continued his hot streak in the opening end with a steal of one.
The two teams traded points in each of the first four ends, Glibota finally making a move in the fifth, scoring two on a hit-and-stick to go up a pair at the break. But Johnston got them right back in the sixth, making a hit of his own to score two and tie the game 4-4.
The Johnston rink, which also includes lead Travis Showalter and second Cody Johnston, were beaten 8-2 by Jacobs, a year after handing the Sault Ste. Marie juggernaut its only loss of the 2016 round robin.
It can be done, but it won’t be easy.
Jacobs has yet to give up a steal in seven outings.
“We’ve just got to execute all our shots and be precise. We didn’t play that bad against them in our first game, just a couple of misses,” Johnston said.
The final begins at 2 p.m.
