The SaskTel Tankard gets underway Wednesday in Saskatoon, with the final set for Sunday and a spot at the Brier in Regina on the line
The 2024 SaskTel Tankard begins Wednesday in Saskatoon, as 12 teams compete for the Saskatchewan provincial men’s curling championship.
In the title game last year, Kelly Knapp and his Regina rink beat Steve Laycock and his Saskatoon squad 5-4 in the final to book their spot in the Brier in London, Ont., where the team finished with a 4-4 record.
This year, a spot in the Montana’s Brier in Regina from Mar. 1 to 10 is up for grabs, as Knapp, Laycock and others battle for the green jacket at the Nutana Curling Club.
The 12 teams will be split into two pools of six teams, followed by a four-team page-playoff. The championship game is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.
Meet the Teams
Team McEwen (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Mike McEwen, third Colton Flasch, second Kevin Marsh, lead Daniel Marsh
After skipping his own team to the 2022 provincial championship, Flasch has joined McEwen this year to form a new team in Saskatchewan that comes in ranked No. 1 with plenty of experience as Flasch has been to six Briers while McEwen has eight appearances with Manitoba and Ontario.
Team Kleiter (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Rylan Kleiter, third Joshua Mattern, second Matthew Hall, lead Trevor Johnson
Winners of four straight provincial junior titles from 2017 to 2020, Kleiter and his Saskatoon rink are back at men’s provincials this year after finishing with 1-3 records in each of the last two years.
Team Knapp (Regina Highland)
Skip Kelly Knapp, third Brennen Jones, second Mike Armstrong, lead Trent Knapp, alternate Dustin Kidby
Last year’s champions are back with the same lineup this year as they look to win back-to-back green jackets.
Team Kalthoff (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Dustin Kalthoff, third Sam Wills, second Aaron Shutra, lead Matt Ring
With a new team in front of him this year, Kalthoff returns as a skip after going 2-3 at last year’s provincial tournament.
Team Laycock (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Steve Laycock, third Shaun Meachem, second Chris Haichert, lead Brayden Grindheim
Laycock, a 10-time provincial champion who won bronze at the Brier in 2015, is back again this year after narrowly losing in last year’s final to Team Knapp.
Team Jacobson (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Jason Jacobson, third Jason Ackerman, second Jacob Hersikorn, lead Quinn Hersikorn
Jacobson has made the playoffs in back-to-back provincial playdowns and he returns with the same group that lost in the semifinal to Team Laycock at last year’s tournament.
Team Hartung (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Kody Hartung, third Brady Scharback, second Jayden Shwaga, lead Brady Kendel, alternate Tyler Hartung
Hartung has made the playoffs in four straight years at provincials but has never been able to make it past the semifinals.
Team Bryden (Regina Callie)
Skip Josh Bryden, third Brecklin Gervais, second Carter Williamson, lead Adam Bukurak
A skip for the University of Regina men’s curling team, this will be Bryden’s first appearance at the men’s provincial tournament after losing in the junior provincial final in 2023.
Team Bernath (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Daymond Bernath, third Bryden Tessier, second Brad Moser, lead Cole Macknak
A provincial junior champion in 2022, Bernath returns with Tessier after going 1-3 at last year’s Tankard.
Team Springer (Regina Highland)
Skip Garret Springer, third Drew Springer, second Dustin Mikush, lead Austin Williamson
Springer will skip his own team at provincials this year after playing third on Dallan Muyres’ rink last year along with Mikush, who played lead.
Team Heidt (Kerrobert)
Skip Josh Heidt, third Drew Heidt, second Matthew Lang, lead Tyler Gamble
Returning with the same lineup for the third straight year, Heidt and company are looking to improve on a 2-3 record last year and a 1-3 record the year prior.
Team Carss (Saskatoon Nutana)
Skip Michael Carss, third Cody Sutherland, second James Hom, lead Lyndon Holm
Carss has skipped a team at provincials for the past two years but returns this year with a new-look team after going 1-3 last year and 0-3 in 2022.