Teams qualified for the men's nationals in one of two ways. Two teams automatically qualified as the top two US teams on the Order of Merit list after the Curl Mesabi Cash Spiel is completed. This year, those two teams are the Pete Fenson and Tyler George rinks.[1]
The remaining eight spots for the nationals were awarded to the top finishers in the regional qualifiers and challenge rounds. Five teams qualified from the qualifiers round, where each qualified site received one or more qualifying spots. The other three spots went to the winners of the challenge round.[2]
Fenson opened up the final of the men's championship with a draw against two to barely secure shot rock, scoring a single in the first end. George came back with a draw for three after Fenson threw a draw too heavy, taking an early lead after the third. Fenson responded with a hit and stick shot to score a deuce, and George drew to the button for a single in the fifth. After the break, Fenson blanked two ends before a heavy draw in the eighth left him with only one point, tying the game. Fenson forced George to take a single in the ninth end, giving George the lead, but Fenson tied the game in the final end with a takeout. In the extra end, Fenson drew to the eight-foot circle with his last stone, and George's hammer stone crashed on a rock in the top twelve-foot, leaving Fenson a steal of one point and the win.
