Mike McEwen was as shocked as the crowd on hand at the Archie Browning Arena on Saturday night.
The Winnipeg skip made quick work of 2012 Brier and world champion Glenn Howard in the quarter-finals of the Victoria Curling Classic, walking off Sheet 4 with a 6-1 triumph in just four ends.
Of course, a steal of four in the third end, followed by a theft of one in the fourth, will do that to a guy.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if he had a matched set of rocks or if he hit a tricky spot in the ice,鈥� said McEwen. 鈥淓ven I was fooled by what happened with the steal of four, then the steal of one. I thought he had made the shot out of his hand and it wasn鈥檛 even close.鈥�
Facing a pile of granite in the third, Howard was attempting to draw in for one and ended up wrecking up front.
鈥淕lenn is going to make that just about all the time and he was light and wrecked on the guard,鈥� said a stunned McEwen, who has looked good here in Victoria, to no one鈥檚 surprise as the third-best team on the World Curling Tour鈥檚 money list this season. 鈥淚n retrospect, he might have had to go a little wider on a piece of ice that was a little different.鈥�
McEwen鈥檚 lone loss this week was a 7-5 extra-end defeat to Sweden鈥檚 Niklas Edin.
鈥淲e were a little shaky the first couple of games. We let one go against Edin and that was a bit of a wakeup call,鈥� said McEwen. 鈥淲e probably needed that because the extra game didn鈥檛 hurt us. We got a better feel for the ice against [Kevin] Martin.鈥�
That was a 7-3 win in six ends in the B-event qualifier on Friday.
McEwen then made quick work of Howard, who was without his regular lead Craig Savill, who remained at home and was replaced by Peter Steski.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to get one of these,鈥� said McEwen. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to get one of these where a guy like Glenn gives you a game like that, really quick.鈥�
In other quarter-final play, Martin gave up a five-ender to Edin in a 7-5 loss to Sweden鈥檚 representative at the 2013 Ford World Men鈥檚 Curling Championship that begins next weekend in Victoria.
Jeff Stoughton took care of Rob Fowler 5-3 in an all-Manitoba matchup and Brad Gushue of Newfoundland dumped Switzerland鈥檚 Sven Michel, who will also play next weekend, 6-4.
McEwen will face Gushue in the semifinals this morning at 10 with Edin facing Stoughton. The championship game, with a $25,000 top prize, will go at 2 p.m.
鈥淏rad is a hell of a player and Sven is a heck of a player as well,鈥� said McEwen.
鈥淏rad is always tough to beat.鈥�
Tickets are available at the door for today鈥檚 final action.
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