The 2025 Montana’s Brier began on Friday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia. It was a very successful night for the Manitoba teams, as Matt Dunstone defeated Alberta champion Kevin Koe 6-2, and Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers beat British Columbia’s Cameron De Jong 6-5.
The win by Dunstone was significant because Koe is a two-time world champion, as he was victorious in 2010 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and in 2016 in Basel, Switzerland. Koe is trying to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 Brier in Regina, Saskatchewan where he had a record of two wins and six losses. On Friday, Koe made two major mistakes which led to a Dunstone win. In the third end, Koe was attempting a double takeout, but he only got one of Dunstone’s stones out of the rings, and Koe gave up a steal of one point. Then in the sixth end, a draw attempt by Koe came up light and he gave up two more points.
Carruthers meanwhile picked up his game winning point in the 10th end. In an all Newfoundland matchup, Brad Gushue, the Brier champion over the last three years, defeated Ty Dilello 9-2, and Northern Ontario’s John Epping needed 11 ends to beat New Brunswick’s James Grattan 7-6.
