N.W.T. leapfrogs P.E.I. into playoffs
Defending champ Gushue defeats Alberta to advance
A Koe made the playoffs at the Canadian men’s curling championship and it wasn’t fourtime champion Kevin.
Younger brother Jamie Koe skipped a territories team to the Brier playoffs for just the second time in his 17 appearances — and his first since 2012 — by stealing a point in an extra end in a 9-8 win over Prince Edward Island’s Tyler Smith on Thursday.
Smith was attempting to lead P.E.I. into the playoffs for the first time in 28 years. He tried to squeeze past two of his stones above the tee line to beat Koe’s shot stone on the back edge of the button. Smith’s draw was wide and he wrecked on his own stones.
So Northwest Territories (5-3) vaulted over P.E.I. into the final playoff berth in their pool to join Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen (7-1) and defending champion Brad Gushue (6-2).
“It’s just wild,” a wet-eyed Koe said. “Our fans came down to see us right after. Everyone was crying and got me going.”
Northern teams are at competitive disadvantage to their southern counterparts because of a smaller player pool, as well as the extra time and money needed to travel and play tour events.
“Everyone else probably has won 200 games and we maybe have 20,” Koe said.
Older brother Kevin has been the more successful curler, skipping Alberta teams to four Canadian championships and two world titles. But he had a grim outing in Regina and finished with a worse record than Jamie for the first time at 2-6.
“It’s unbelievable, that,” Jamie Koe said. “Never really thought of that, but seeing the week they’re going through, they’re pretty demoralized. It’s our moment. We’re going to take it.”
Koe and his Yellowknife Curling Club rink of Glen Kennedy, Cole Parsons and Shadrach McLeod shrugged off their underdog status as the tournament’s 15th seed to reach the top six.
“I’m so happy for Jamie and the guys. I’m so happy for Yellowknife and for N.W.T. in general. It’s such a great feeling to show the world what this team can do,” said Kennedy, who is the team’s import from Alberta and the brother of Bottcher third Marc Kennedy. “That was a tremendous game today.
“It’s just nice to see what the bottom of the half of the Brier is capable of and you’re totally seeing it this week.”
The top three teams in each pool of nine qualified for Friday’s sixteam playoffs.
Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers (6-1) was the first Pool A team to lock in a berth with a 6-4 victory over Yukon in the morning. Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher (6-1) faced Carruthers in the evening draw that would determine that pool’s two remaining playoff teams and seedings. Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone and Northern Ontario’s Trevor Bonot (5-2) were both chasing playoffs after Dunstone’s 8-3 win over Bonot in the morning.
The top seed in each pool meets the opposite pool’s No. 2 on Friday afternoon. The winners head to Saturday’s Page playoff games that sends the winner to the final and the loser to the semifinal Sunday. Friday afternoon’s losers play again in the evening against the third seeds. Those winners advance to Saturday’s Page playoff that determines Sunday’s other semifinalist.
A loss to Jamie Koe earlier in the week had five-time champ Gushue facing a must-win game against Alberta’s Aaron Sluchinski. Gushue stole three in the sixth end to prevail 10-4 and eliminate Sluchinski from contention with a fourth loss.