A member of the Koe family made it to the playoffs at the Canadian men’s championship, but it wasn't Kevin who is a four-time champion. curling The younger brother Jamie led a team from the territories to the playoffs, marking his second time in 17 appearances and the first since 2012, after earning a crucial point in an extra end to win 9-8 over Tyler Smith from Prince Edward Island on Thursday.
Northern teams face challenges in curling due to a smaller player pool and the additional time and money required for travel and competition compared to their southern counterparts. Brier Northwest Territories (5-3) secured the final playoff spot in their pool, advancing alongside Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen (7-1) and defending champion Brad Gushue (6-2), leaving behind Prince Edward Island.
View image in full screen
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Smith's attempt to lead Prince Edward Island to the playoffs for the first time in 28 years was thwarted when his draw in the 10th end resulted in a steal for Jamie Koe's team.
Meanwhile, Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers (7-1), Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher (6-2), and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone (6-2) emerged from Pool A.
Jamie Koe expressed his amazement and emotions at the unexpected success of his team.
“Our fans came down to see us right after. Everyone was crying and got me going. Dad’s crying.”
Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers (7-1), Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher (6-2), and Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone (6-2) advanced from Pool A.
Despite the initial success of P.E.I.’s Smith and Northern Ontario’s Trevor Bonot, the Brier’s playoffs include five of the top six seeds and the 15th-seeded Jamie Koe.
The Koe name is closely associated with N.W.T. curling, as Jamie’s twin sister Kerry has led the territory at the national women’s curling championship 17 times.
Koe highlighted the difference in experience between northern and southern teams, emphasizing the significant gap in games won.
The Koe family has a strong connection to N.W.T. curling, with Jamie’s twin sister Kerry leading the territory's team at the national women’s curling championship 17 times.
Older brother Kevin has had a more successful curling career, achieving four Canadian championships and two world titles, as well as consistently making the Brier playoffs in his 11 previous appearances.
However, this time, Kevin struggled in Regina and finished with a worse record than Jamie at 2-6.
Jaime expressed disbelief at the contrast in performance between himself and his older brother, acknowledging the tough week Kevin's team had.
“It’s our moment. We’re going to take it.”
McEwen will compete against Bottcher, while Gushue will face Carruthers on Friday afternoon, with the winners advancing to Saturday’s Page playoff game.
The losers of Friday afternoon’s games will have another chance in the evening against Koe and Dunstone, with the winners progressing to Saturday’s Page playoff.
The winner on Sunday will represent Canada at the men’s world championship and return to the 2025 Montana’s Brier as the defending champion.
Bottcher expressed confidence in his team’s chances and the opportunity to claim the championship during the final weekend.
Carruthers, whose team is led by Brad Jacobs, won against top-seeded Bottcher 6-3 in the evening draw to become the top seed in their pool.
“I believe that was the most well-played game by our team at the Brier so far, and that makes me thrilled and happy,” Jacobs said.
Jamie Koe went 7-4 in Saskatoon in 2012 to make it to the final four. He was defeated by Kevin in the Page three-four playoff game.
His current Yellowknife Curling Club team of Glen Kennedy, Cole Parsons and Shadrach McLeod overcame their underdog status and a two-loss Wednesday to reach the tournament’s final six.
“It’s just incredible, isn’t it? You looked at the pools when we got here and you think ‘can you actually make the playoffs here?'” Koe said.
“Now that we actually did it, it’s kind of a surreal moment.”
Kennedy is the brother of Bottcher’s third Marc Kennedy. Glen is the Koe’s import player from Alberta, who couldn’t participate in territorial playdowns due to a hip injury.
“I’m so happy for Jamie and the guys, I’m so happy for Yellowknife, for N.W.T. in general,” Kennedy said. “It’s such a great feeling to show the world what this team can do.
“It’s just nice to see what that kind of bottom of the half of the Brier is capable of and you’re totally seeing it this week.”
