It seems like the clocks are rolling back, not springing forward, in St. John’s with Kevin Koe and Brad Gushue delivering vintage performances at the Montana’s Brier.

Both Koe’s Alberta team and Gushue’s Newfoundland and Labrador team went undefeated at 8-0 through pool play as business now picks up big time for the playoffs.

Koe continues to lead the way among all last-rock throwers with an 89 per cent shooting average, while Gushue is tied with Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone for second at 87 per cent.

Age is just a number for the 51-year-old Koe and 45-year-old Gushue, but don't forget the mileage.

“I don't feel like young Brad,” Gushue told reporters with a smile. "I played like young Brad, but I don't feel like young Brad."

Some quick hits heading into Friday’s championship round.

WHO PLAYS WHO

The 18-team field is now down to six, with two more checking out by the end of Friday.

The afternoon Page 1-2 qualifiers see Gushue go up against Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone and Koe facing defending Canadian champ Brad Jacobs. The winners of these games advance to Saturday’s Page 1-2 playoff game.

Ontario’s Jayden King and Manitoba’s Braden Calvert, who qualified for the playoffs in their Brier debuts, await the losers in the evening Page 3-4 qualifiers. The winners of these games advance to Saturday’s Page 3-4 playoff game while the losers are eliminated.

This is why we said business now picks up big time as a team could go undefeated through the week, lose the 1-2 qualifier, and then have to win four consecutive elimination games en route to the tankard. Hmm, wonder if that’s happened before.

POOL A WRAP-UP

The latest (and possibly final) episode of the “Battle of the Brads” between Gushue and Jacobs was circled as soon as the schedule was made and no surprise, the top two teams of the pool on paper were also unbeaten heading into their marquee matchup.

Gushue never trailed en route to a tight 4-2 victory. The game’s only multiple score came in the ninth end when Gushue converted for a deuce. Both teams averaged 90 per cent, but Gushue earned the plus over Jacobs, outshooting his fellow Brad 95 per cent to 88.

The 6,170 fans cheering Gushue on in his last event on Canadian ice are no doubt fuelling him along for what is turning into a fairytale final chapter.

Jacobs (7-1) leads the field with a 62 per cent conversion rate (scoring multiple points with the hammer) but was held to just two singles against Gushue. The reigning Olympic gold medallists have been playing better as the week has gone on in their Brier title defence, tied with Dunstone for first among all teams, shooting 89 per cent.

"Here's the reality for our team: We're either going to win this week, and we're going to go home, and we're going to be excited to be home. Or we're going to lose this week, and we're going to go home, and we're going to be excited to be home. I'm good with either one. Just going to play loose, try to make shots and have fun. We'll see how it goes."

“We're feeling fine,” he added. “We're feeling good enough to win. That's all that matters.”

The third and final playoff berth was still up for grabs, but it was actually King’s 8-7 victory over Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard on Wednesday night that was the difference. King and Menard finished with identical 5-3 records, so their head-to-head result settled things.

The breakout season continues for King, who started the year as the 16th-ranked Canadian team and is now up to sixth.

“It means everything,” King told reporters. “This is our dream come true. ... It's really nice to see our hard work coming through today.”

The St. John’s crowd saluted Menard, Martin Crete and Jean-Francois Trepanier, who all announced they plan to step back from competitive curling after the season.

POOL B WRAP-UP

Alberta closed out pool play with a 6-3 victory over Yukon’s Thomas Scoffin, as Koe now prepares for a Glencoe Club clash against Jacobs.

It should be a heavyweight tilt between the two teams as they know each other well. Team Jacobs third Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert previously played with Koe, while Team Koe second Tyler Tardi has served as Jacobs' alternate.

Koe will start with the hammer, which will be key.

“We always seem to have close games with them," Koe told reporters. "Obviously, they're playing great. They're the Olympic champs and they got through the early part of the week when I'm sure they were just beat, but they'll be ready to go.

"I mean, it's the Brier playoffs. It'll be a full house tomorrow, but it's fun. ... Looking forward to it."

Koe had already locked down the B1 playoff berth, while Dunstone had qualified but needed a 6-3 win over Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen to secure B2 and a date with Gushue.

Dunstone surged late with a deuce in the eighth end to take a one-point lead, and McEwen was unable to draw for an equalizing single in the 10th to force an extra that led to a steal of two points on the board.

"We grinded, man," Dunstone told reporters. "They had control of the game in the first half, for sure. We were just a better team late, stuck with it. ... Super excited to be getting the matchup that I have been thinking about for a very long time."

McEwen needed the victory to advance as he dropped into a three-way tie at 5-3 with Calvert and New Brunswick’s James Grattan. Head-to-head was a rock-paper-scissors scenario with all three teams at 1-1, so their fates came down to last stone draw averages.

Calvert made it through, edging out McEwen by an average of less than two centimetres. The game of inches, or centimetres, strikes again.

Lead photo: Curling Canada/Andrew Klaver