Kevin Koe of Edmonton, Alberta is undefeated so far at the 2026 Montana’s Brier in St. John’s, Newfoundland. On Sunday, Koe won twice to improve his record to three wins and zero losses. First, he defeated Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen 6-4, and then New Brunswick’s James Grattan by a score of 9-4. What is most impressive about Koe’a accomplishment is the fact he is 51 years of age, and still curling at an extremely high level.
It was Koe’s win over McEwen that is extremely noteworthy. That is because he made a remarkable shot for the blank in the ninth end, and then picked up three points with the hammer in the 10th end. The win was considered an upset as Koe is ranked eighth in the Canadian Team Ranking System, and MCEwen is ranked fifth.
Speaking about remarkable shots, Northern Ontario’s Sandy MacEwan delivered a magical shot himself. In the 10th end with his final shot, MacEwan had an incredible runback triple to score two points and force an extra end. In the 11th end, Jamie Koe (Kevin’s younger brother) won the game by a score of 7-6 to give the Northwest Territories their first win of the Brier.
There are four teams undefeated at the Brier after three days of competition. Koe is joined by Team Canada’s Brad Jacobs, Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue and Manitoba’s Matt Dustone. Koe, Jacobs and Gushue are 3-0 and Dunstone is 2-0.
