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Koe revamps roster bringing in Neufeld & Flasch

Kevin Koe has filled in the missing pieces in his lineup for the new Olympic cycle.

The two-time world champion and Canadian Olympic skip added third B.J. Neufeld and second Colton Flasch with lead Ben Hebert returning to the Calgary-based team next season.

Team Koe made the announcement on social media Tuesday.

Changes were expected for Team Koe as third Marc Kennedy said earlier this month he was going to take a break from competitive curling while second Brent Laing joined John Epping in his home province of Ontario.

The veteran “super team” of Koe, Kennedy, Laing and Hebert came together at the start of this current cycle and had a banner sophomore season together in 2015-16 earning the GSOC Tour Challenge Tier 1, Canada Cup, Brier and world championships. They won the Roar of the Rings in December to earn the right to represent Canada at the PyeongChang Games, where they finished fourth.

Neufeld has played 11 years in Winnipeg with Mike McEwen and won his seventh Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title this past Sunday at the Princess Auto Elite 10 in their hometown. He has competed at the Brier three times — twice for Manitoba and once as the wild-card — with a bronze medal in 2017.

Flasch, from Saskatoon, also has a Brier bronze with Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock in 2015. He skipped his own squad this past season and finished runner-up to Laycock in provincial playdowns.

While Neufeld will remain in Winnipeg, Flasch is moving to Calgary in order for the team to meet residency requirements in provincial playdowns.

Koe has also claimed a total of four Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles plus three Brier championships. Hebert, who has 11 Grand Slams to his name, captured the Olympic gold medal with skip Kevin Martin on home ice at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.