Six months later, they're finding curling life together to be much to their liking. They're playing a light schedule that accommodates their studies -- they're both in education -- they've won some big games and, more than anything, they're having fun again.

"I don't feel like we have anything to prove," says [Reid Carruthers], 23. "We're not playing every event and we're travelling less so that's taken a lot of the stress off. Mostly it's been great, we're having a lot of fun."

They've played their former teammates already -- and lost both times. They're mostly okay with that, too. "It was a bit strange," Carruthers says, "seeing those guys out there and not being a part of them."