Opening weekend treats Koe brothers differently
Kevin Koe and Team Canada off to hot start at Tim Hortons Brier; Jamie Koe and Team NWT still looking to hit the win column
Martin Gavin
Special to Northern News Services
Thursday, March 9, 2017
ST. JOHN'S, N.L.
The tale of the Koe brothers at the Tim Hortons Brier in St. John's, N.L., took drastically different paths this opening weekend at the 2017 Canadian men's curling championship.
Jamie Koe looks over the shoulder of Manitoba skip Mike McEwen during their game at the Tim Hortons Brier in St. John's, N.L., on Sunday. - Michael Burns/Curling Canada photo
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Kevin Koe started the 11-game round-robin like a house of fire, snapping off three wins in his first three games, all against former Brier champions.
"We aren't used to winning early, we usually start slow," he said.
Kevin didn't have to worry about the Alberta Boston Pizza Cup provincial playdowns this year as their victory in the 2016 Brier led to their berth as Team Canada as defending champions.
"We were fully expecting to be rusty versus the other teams, but so far, so good," he added.
Kevin's first three opponents would normally overwhelm all but the best of teams in Canada as among them were a world champion and Olympic gold medalist. After three games, Koe sat atop the leaderboard at 3-0, a perfect start
"What can I say? It's a good start," he said.
Younger brother Jamie Koe had the opposite experience from big brother in his opening weekend.
Jamie entered Monday's round-robin play looking for his first win in the event. He was faced with some difficult situations with rock placement issues coupled by hot skips form New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
"It's a long week," said Jamie. "Nothing is out of the question. We just need to get on a roll."
A roll is what Koe and the NWT foursome were on when they achieved their best ever finish in 2012, when they won seven games before being ousted by Alberta, skipped by none other than his older brother.
This year's version of the Koe Brier faceoff will take on a slightly different appearance than previous years with Kevin wearing the maple leaf on his back as Team Canada.
"Playing Jamie is always exciting," said Kevin about the upcoming Koe vs. Koe match this evening. "Those guys are great players and are at the Brier every year. We can't drop our guard."
Jamie was also looking forward to the match
"I always look forward to playing him," he said. "It's all business and a game we need to win."
Team NWT will have a uphill battle ahead of them to make the playoffs this year. In their remaining games, they will face either a Brier or Olympic champions in every game but one.
"The field is extremely hard" said Chris Schille, who throws third stones for the NWT. "If you have a bad game, you won't win!"
The Brier wraps up on March 12 with the championship final. The winner will represent Canada at the World Men's Curling Championship in Edmonton and Kevin Koe wants to be that team.
"Playing in a worlds in Canada would be great, especially up the road in Edmonton," he said.
