What a year Reid Carruthers is having
B.J. Neufeld has joined up with Reid Carruthers as the 100th Manitoba men’s provincial championship is set to begin on Feb. 4.
Neufeld parted ways with Team Matt Dunstone just last month, and was replaced by former Team Brad Gushue member E.J. Harnden.
Gushue made his change—Harnden for Brendan Bottcher—back in October.
Carruthers will skip with Neufeld at third. Caitlin Schneider drops to second stone, Connor Njegovan remains at lead and former second Kyle Doering—who was brought in when Aaron Sluchinski blew up his Alberta champions to join Kevin Koe—stays on at alternate position.
Carruthers is undergoing one of the wildest years in curling.
The two-time PointsBet Invitational champion first saw Brad Jacobs depart his squad to replace the deposed Bottcher, and then witnessed Derek Samagalski leave his team in December.
Samagalski has since surfaced on a “Motley Crew” threesome with Jacques Gauthier, who was bumped from the Koe squad back in September. The team recently earned a berth in the Manitoba provincials.
Adding to Carruthers’ roller-coaster season is his role as coach of Team Kerri Einarson, which has been dealing with multiple lineup changes plus the Briane Harris saga.
Despite the blizzard of lineup changes and his drop to 25th place in the World Curling Team Rankings, Carruthers is the defending champion of the provincial shootout at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie.
This year’s event sees Curl Manitoba celebrating 100 years of the Manitoba men’s championship.
