On a day filled with emotion in the afternoon, it was an evening filled with drama.
And in the end, after nearly 11 ends of roller-coaster curling, it was Alberta’s Team Kevin Koe nailing down a berth in the gold-medal game of the 2026 Montana’s Brier, presented by AGI, after a thrilling 9-7 extra-end win over Manitoba’s Team Matt Dunstone in the Page 1-2 playoff Saturday night at the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s, N.L.
Koe, who made a marvellous long straight-back raise double-takeout with his first shot of the 11th, didn’t need to throw his last when Dunstone’s draw attempt to the button was wide and wrecked on a corner guard.
As a result, Koe’s team from the Glencoe Club in Calgary, rounded out by third Tyler Tardi, second/vice-skip Aaron Sluchinski, lead Karrick Martin, alternate Jacob Libbus and coach Mike Libbus, will play for gold Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (all times NT).
There, Koe will attempt to become just the second skip to win five Brier titles, trailing only Brad Gushue, who played his final game in the Montana’s Brier earlier Saturday and had an emotional send-off from the sellout crowd after losing the Page 3-4 playoff to Team Canada, skipped by Brad Jacobs.
“It’s going to be fun,” said Koe, who last won Montana’s Brier gold in 2019, and just like in 2019, he’ll head to the final without a loss. “I mean, these are the games I look forward to personally, and it feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve been in one (2022 in Lethbridge, Alta.). I’m excited for the opportunity.”Alberta skip Kevin Koe hollers down the sheet on Saturday night in St. John’s at the 2026 Montana’s Brier. (Photo, Curling Canada/Andrew Klaver)
Team Dunstone, meanwhile, is still alive. The Winnipeg outfit, which includes vice-skip Colton Lott, second E.J. Harnden, lead Ryan Harnden, alternate Jacob Horgan and coach Caleb Flaxey, will play Team Canada in the semifinal Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
“We battled,” said Dunstone, who barely missed a raise-double-takeout of his own in the 10th end that would have won the game. “We were just up against it all game, and just missed a shot to win by a centimetre. But, I mean, that’s the beauty of being in the one-two game. We won it last year, it didn’t work out for us. You never know what’s good for you.”
It wasn’t an ideal start for Team Koe; its last-rock advantage in the first end was squandered — as were eight minutes on the time clock — as Team Dunstone managed to steal one.
But an end later, Dunstone’s last-rock freeze-tap attempt didn’t curl enough and gift-wrapped an open tap for three for Koe.
Dunstone made up for it an end later with two magnificent draws to bite the side of the button — the first on an inturn, the second on the outturn — and tie the game.
The Albertans fired back with a deuce of their own on a short-raise takeout to score a pair, and the teams would trade singles in the fifth and seventh ends.
In the eighth, though, Dunstone’s precise hit-and-roll with his first set him up for a game-tying draw for two, and he got the desired force in the ninth to take the hammer into the 10th, trailing by one.
Dunstone appeared to tweak his right knee after throwing his first shot of the ninth, but insisted it won’t be an issue on Sunday — “I’ll be playing tomorrow,” he vowed.
So, of course, will Koe as he heads into his ninth Montana’s Brier final at an age for which he’s eligible to play in the Canadian Senior Championships.
“I mean, I’m 51 now, so I’m getting old,” he said with a laugh. “I’m old, officially. I was old before this event. But I’m excited for the chance to get Tyler and Aaron one (Martin won a Montana’s Brier title playing with Brendan Bottcher in 2021). I’m feeling good.
It’ll be my ninth final, so, I mean, I’ve been in a lot of them, so I feel like I’m throwing it good, hopefully I can carry the guys tomorrow.”
Despite Koe being one of the game’s all-time great players, the expectations were not high for the Alberta champs, who struggled at the past two Montana’s Briers. But, said Koe, there was no motivation to prove the naysayers wrong.
“I mean, it was probably well deserved,” he said. “It’s not like we did a lot for people to say we should be favourites, but we’re up there with them. I don’t need extra motivation when I get to this event. It’s the Brier. Who knows if it’ll be my last one. Could be tomorrow.
“So, what a better way to go out than hopefully on top.”
Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 20256 Montana’s Brier are available at www.curling.ca/scoreboard/.
TSN and RDS2 will provide complete coverage of the 2026 Montana’s Brier. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule.
