Dunstone Breaks Six-Year Grand Slam Drought with Dramatic AMJ Masters Victory
September 28, 2025 – The waiting game finally came to an end for Matt Dunstone on Sunday, as the veteran skip captured his second Grand Slam of Curling title after a six-year championship drought.
Dunstone’s Winnipeg-based foursome claimed the AMJ Masters men’s championship with a nail-biting 6-4 extra-end triumph over Scotland’s Ross Whyte, ending a lengthy pursuit that included multiple semifinal appearances and heartbreaking near-misses.
Championship Moment
The decisive moment came in the extra frame when Dunstone, sitting multiple stones in the house, needed only to execute a clean peel of Whyte’s shot rock to secure victory. The skip delivered under pressure, sparking celebrations that had been years in the making.
“Phenomenal,” an elated Dunstone reflected after the win. “We were just joking before this, it’s been a long time coming. It’s been a long six years. We’ve come really close over the last couple of years, a lot of semifinals, one final. It feels great to finally finish one off.”
Historic Achievement for Harnden Brothers
While the victory marked third Colton Lott’s first Grand Slam title, it represented milestone achievements for the Harnden brothers. Second E.J. Harnden captured his 10th Grand Slam championship, while lead Ryan Harnden earned his eighth.
Most significantly, the AMJ Masters represented the final piece of the Grand Slam puzzle for the Harndena—they have now claimed titles in all five different Grand Slam events.
“It feels really good,” E.J. Harnden explained. “Ryan and I were just chatting a little bit after and saying it’s probably been five-plus years since we’ve won a Grand Slam together. That was pretty special, to be back playing with Ryan again and winning together.”
The veteran expressed particular satisfaction in mentoring the team’s younger members: “For me, I want to continue to win, it’s special to do that with Ryan, but it’s also really special to do it with Matt and Colton. They’re still learning, still in the early stages of their careers, tremendous players and tremendous teammates.”
A Battle of Champions
The final showcased two elite teams at their finest. Whyte, competing in his third consecutive AMJ Masters final, entered the match undefeated for the week. The Scottish skip had previously finished runner-up in December 2023 before capturing his breakthrough Grand Slam title last season.
Dunstone seized early control with consecutive steals in the opening ends, including a picture-perfect freeze in the second that drew enthusiastic approval from fans dressed as Freezies. A third steal in the third end, courtesy of a missed Whyte double attempt, gave Dunstone a commanding early advantage.
However, Whyte demonstrated his championship mettle in the fourth end, executing a precise tap-back to score three and take a 3-2 lead.
Resilience Under Pressure
True to form all week, Dunstone’s squad showed remarkable resilience, responding with a crucial deuce in the sixth end to regain control at 4-3.
“I thought we dictated most of the game, controlled most of the game,” Dunstone analyzed. “The fourth end got away from us a little bit, obviously, and we got lucky it was only a three-ball, kept us in it. Just kind of went into a little bit of cruise control from there.”
Whyte refused to surrender, making a clutch runback in the eighth end to force the extra frame that ultimately decided the championship.
Championship-Caliber Competition
E.J. Harnden praised the quality of play throughout the intense final: “That was a great game. I think a few shots here and there that both teams probably would have liked back a little bit, but also tremendous shot-making from start to finish. That’s to be expected in a championship final game.”
The veteran second emphasized how crucial positioning proved in the decisive moment: “If you had told us we would have the hammer in the extra end, we would have taken that in the beginning of the game. That’s what we got, and fortunately, we were able to finish it off.”
For Dunstone and his teammates, they are savoring a long-awaited triumph that validated years of perseverance and near-misses on curling’s biggest stage.
