HALIFAX — After a decade spent in the shadows, shrouded by the legacy of the two Canadian curling legends who happen to live in his province, Alberta skip Kevin Koe is about to make his long-awaited debut in the national spotlight.
Koe advanced to the final of the Tim Hortons Brier, enduring a pair of playoff games Saturday to extend his first trip to the Canadian men’s curling championship. Koe, after what often seemed like a lifetime spent on the margins of the sport, has a chance to ensure Alberta’s third title in as many years.
“It’s a tough province,” Koe said. “And once you win it, you have a good chance at the Brier, just because of who you’ve got to beat to get here. That’s the attitude we’ve taken, and it’s another great opportunity to beat one of the best teams in the world (Sunday).”
Koe pounded an upstart team from Northern Ontario 10-3 Saturday night in Halifax, just hours after he squeaked past Newfoundland and Labrador 6-5 in the 3-4 Page playoff game. The 35-year-old will face Ontario and undefeated skip Glenn Howard for the title on Sunday night.
A win would provide an immeasurable boost in his fight to emerge from the shadows cast by Kevin Martin and Randy Ferbey, legends with whom he not only shares a province, but also a city. The Edmonton-based veterans have ruled Alberta for the better part of two decades, with one or the other advancing to win the Brier eight times since 1991.
It was a two-man show, and Koe was stuck on the sidelines until this year. Koe posted an 8-3 record in the round robin at the Brier, but finished third in the standings after a loss to Ontario in the final draw on Thursday night.
“I think the Koe gang is a lot more experienced than people let on,” Howard said, hours before settling in to watch Saturday night’s game. “Playing in a lot of those Grand Slams and the (Olympic) trials, that’s just a huge experience.”
That experience was on display twice on Saturday, and was especially highlighted in the rout of Northern Ontario. Koe jumped out to an early lead against skip Brad Jacobs, stealing two in the first end, before taking two more in the second.
Koe opened a 7-2 lead with a score of three in the fifth end, effectively removing the kind of drama that had been allowed to develop earlier in the day against Newfoundland and Labrador. Koe held a 4-1 lead after three ends in that game, but allowed veteran skip Brad Gushue to climb back into contention with a steal in the seventh. That uprising continued right until Koe released his final shot of the 10th end, a clean draw to the button that broke the 5-5 tie to win the game.
He said he had not seen much of Northern Ontario, except to note that “they just look like they’re a young team playing with a lot of confidence.”
Most of that had vanished by the end of Saturday.
“We’re still going to hold our heads high,” Jacobs said. “This was the most thrilling experience for our team to date. I don’t know, it just makes you want to get back here and win this thing so badly.”
Alberta has won the Brier 24 times since 1927, second only to Manitoba (26) for the all-time lead. Martin had posted flawless 13-0 records to claim each of the previous two championships, extending his already considerable shadow.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Koe said. “Obviously, (Howard is) the big favourite. There’s no surprise there, but we’re playing well now.”