'As good as it gets': Off a thrilling win, Manitoba excited to face Brad Gushue Saturday night at Brier

The crowd at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ont. erupted.

On the final shot of the match, Manitoba skip Matt Dunstone threw a pistol through a small port for the shot of the tournament, scoring three points, and earning himself a spot in the one versus two game.

“Oh man, this team has been waiting for that moment all year," Dunstone told the media after the win about the final shot while trailing Wild Card One 3-2.

"We haven't really had a moment where we had a shot to win a game like that,” he said. “Obviously a big moment."

The 27-year-old executed a perfect shot to win 5-3, sending himself to Saturday night’s match against Team Canada.

One of the interesting storylines in Saturday’s game — in which the winner goes straight to the final — is a matchup between brothers and former teammates EJ and Ryan Harden.

"The Harden brothers get to bash it out in the 1-2 game,” said Dunstone. “We've only got to play them once this year, surprisingly, so it's going to be an interesting game.”

The opponent will be Team Canada and the rink of Tim Hortons Brier veteran Brad Gushue.

The 42-year-old skip and his team blew out Ontario's Team McEwen 9-3 Friday night in the page-seeding round.

The win was key to ensure enough rest.

"The bigger the break, the better for me," Gushue said after his win.

He’s hoping to win Saturday night to avoid having to potentially play twice Sunday.

“Back-to-back games are a bit of a challenge now,” said Gushue, who is looking for a record fifth win at the Brier. “So getting the bigger rest to allow more treatment more recovery is definitely a benefit.”

Team Manitoba (Jeff Stoughton) won its last Brier in 2011 on this same ice in London.

To move directly to the final, Dunstone will have to beat one of the best in the world, who he lost to in their only head-to-head match this season.

“Brad Gushue at the Brier, it's as good as it gets,” said Dunstone.

The loser will move to the second chance semi-final Sunday, against the winner of Saturday’s Page three versus four match between Mike McEwan and Brendan Bottcher.