Team Koe Advances to Brier Final, Gushue’s Farewell Ends in Semifinal Loss

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Kevin Koe’s Team Alberta has secured a berth in the final of the 2026 Montana’s Brier, defeating Matt Dunstone’s Manitoba rink 9-7 in an extra-conclude thriller on Saturday night at the Mary Brown’s Centre.^{1, 4} This marks Koe’s ninth career Brier final appearance and a chance to claim his fifth Brier title.⁴

Koe’s Team Prevails in Dramatic Matchup

The game against Manitoba was a closely contested battle, ultimately decided by a precise double takeout by Koe in the 11th end.^{2, 4} Koe, supported by third Tyler Tardi, second/vice-skip Aaron Sluchinski, lead Karrick Martin, and alternate Jacob Libbus, capitalized on a missed shot by Dunstone to secure the win.²

“It was looking ugly,” Koe said of his team’s outlook in the extra end, adding Martin did an admirable job sweeping, holding the line. “If I don’t produce some noise there, make contact, I’m probably not standing here,” the skip added, with a berth to the final.²

Dunstone’s Manitoba Faces Canada in Semifinal

Dunstone’s team advanced to the semifinal after defeating Brad Jacobs’s Team Canada earlier on Saturday.^{2, 4} This sets up a rematch between Alberta and Manitoba in the final, scheduled for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. NT.²

Emotional Farewell for Brad Gushue

The day also marked an emotional end to Brad Gushue’s final Brier appearance, as his team was eliminated by Jacobs in the Page 3-4 playoff.^{2, 4} The loss brought an end to Gushue’s pursuit of a record-extending seventh Brier title before his retirement.⁴

Koe Reflects on Team’s Success

Koe acknowledged that his team was considered an underdog entering the tournament.² “I don’t think people gave us much of a chance coming here, for sure,” Koe stated. “We would have been middle of the pack ranked, I think. But we had confidence in ourselves, and I had confidence in myself and in the guys.”²

Should Team Alberta win the final, it would repeat Koe’s undefeated run to victory in the 2019 Brier.² Koe expressed uncertainty about future Brier appearances, stating, “It’s the Brier, who knows when it will be my last one. It could be tomorrow, so it wouldn’t be a better way to go out than hopefully on top.”²

Dunstone Sustains Knee Injury

Matt Dunstone played through a minor knee injury sustained during the ninth end of the semifinal game against Team Canada. Despite the discomfort, Dunstone maintained a curling percentage of 86%.⁴

1. Tyler Tardi – Wikipedia
2. Alberta’s Team Koe one win away from gold at 2026 Montana’s Brier | Curling Canada
3. Koe turns back time, reaches Brier final with 9-7 win in an extra end over Dunstone
4. Alberta’s Kevin Koe qualifies for ninth career Brier final – Sportsnet.ca