There is no disputing the difference Ryan Fry has made for Team Brad Jacobs.
Having joined the Northern Ontario curling rink for the 2013 season, the former Manitoba and Newfoundland curler is being referred to as the last critical piece to the puzzle for this year鈥檚 Brier champions.
鈥淚 think he was that piece, I really do,鈥� said Jacobs, who shuffled the lineup following the 2012 season, his fourth trip to the Brier.
Scott Seabrook stepped away from competitive curling and in came Fry, who competed in four Briers with Brad Gushue in Newfoundland after attending his first with Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba back in 2007.
Jacobs鈥檚 third, E.J. Harnden, and his brother Ryan Harnden, who played second, each moved down one position to make room for Fry.
鈥淚t takes a lot for two guys to step down like that,鈥� Jacobs said. 鈥淚t takes a lot for two guys to step down for the sake of wanting to win. We all just want to win. Who cares what position you play?
鈥淵ou see it sometimes with a couple of teams out there who are not on anybody鈥檚 radar that, because someone wants to skip rather than play second, don鈥檛 perform as well,鈥� Jacobs said. 鈥淲e put the egos aside, and we just formed a team that we thought could potentially do great things.鈥�
Did it ever, claiming the first Brier title for Northern Ontario since Al Hackner in 1985. Now they are in Victoria for the 2013 Ford World Men鈥檚 Curling Championship, and all four couldn鈥檛 be happier.
鈥淔or the last four or five years, we had been a good team and our goal was to be a great team, an elite team,鈥� E.J. Harnden said. 鈥淚 think what Ryan has added, not only in shot-making, which has definitely helped, but he has added some experience that we didn鈥檛 have.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a perfect match in terms of personalities and goals. He told us the whole time, he wanted to win the Brier and wanted to be an elite team. It was also the goal for the three of us, and I think the pieces fell in perfectly,鈥� E.J. added, speaking about moving down a position.
鈥淢y biggest thing is, I don鈥檛 care where I play, and I think Ryan would tell you the same thing. We all feel the same way; we just want to win,鈥� E.J. said. 鈥淚 just want to be part of a pretty special team and a winning team and, so far, it鈥檚 worked out.鈥�
As Jacobs expected it to when they first tossed out the idea at the end of the 2012 season.
鈥淰irtually the same day we needed a player, he needed a team,鈥� Jacobs recalled. 鈥淗e was willing to move. He was no longer part of Gushue鈥檚 team. There was nothing for him in Newfoundland, and he was willing to move to the Soo [Sault Ste. Marie], and we were happy to have him.
鈥淩yan is a team player,鈥� Jacobs said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a great thrower. He supports me really well as a third 鈥� not that E.J. didn鈥檛. He did as well.
鈥淚 just thought that those two guys stepping down just made us that much stronger. And Fry just wants to win so badly. Curling is his life, and he wants to make it his last job. Everything he brings to the table helped our team.鈥�
As it did for Fry himself.
鈥淚 also look at it the other way around in that I couldn鈥檛 have three better guys to fill out a team,鈥� Fry said. 鈥淭his has been a special year.鈥�
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