News Tour Challenge

PARADISE, N.L. — Team Kevin Koe may have spoiled a massive party from happening on George Street in nearby St. John’s, but it was a still special night for the Calgary club at the inaugural Tour Challenge.

Koe made a clutch draw with his last rock in the extra end to score the winning single and edge home-province hero Brad Gushue of St. John’s 4-3 in the Tier 1 men’s final Sunday in front of a capacity crowd at the Paradise Double Ice Complex. 

It’s Koe’s fourth career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title, but his first with the powerhouse rink he formed last season with third Marc Kennedy, second Brent Laing and lead Ben Hebert. Coincidentally, Koe and Kennedy won their first together in St. John’s at the 2004 Players’ Championship when they played for skip John Morris.

“Kevin and I talked about that today, we’ve only won two Slams together and they’ve both been in St. John’s,” Kennedy said with a smile. “This felt good. Kevin played amazing today, but we’ve had a good week as a team.” 

Team Koe, with a combined 40 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles, fell short of their goals in Year 1 and made some tweaks, most notably with Kennedy now holding the broom in the house during Koe’s skip stones.

“Last year was a little bit disappointing but we got to know each other pretty well. We tried to make a few improvements going into the season and we put it together pretty good this week,” Kennedy said. “Lots to build on and it helps having a skipper that doesn’t miss many shots. You just kind of stay out of his way and hope he makes his last one. It’s a good week for the team.”  

Laing leads the team with 14 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles, the most all-time among non-skips, but still believed this one has a special feeling to it.

“I’ve been super fortunate to have played with some of the best players who have ever played obviously,” he said. “Playing with Glenn (Howard) we had a lot of success and now getting on with Kevin, hopefully, we can continue what we started here, but it’s been a crazy career. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel fortunate because obviously I’ve been a part of those but today it was all Kevin winning that one for us and we were just trying not to fall on his rocks and sweep them right because he was on fire.”

After losing on opening night Tuesday to Toronto’s John Epping, Koe rolled off six consecutive wins to claim $24,500 CAD.

Things didn’t start off as planned for Team Koe during the final. A steal for Gushue in the second opened the scoring as Koe misfired a runback attempt. Koe attempted an angle raise bump for two points with his last rock in the third but it was just light and he had to settle for a single to tie it.

It all turned around after the fourth-end break as Koe stole a point and a 2-1 lead in the fifth thanks to a tricky freeze. The teams alternated singles through six and seven. Koe made a clutch double raise double in the eighth to force Gushue to draw and only get one to send it into the extra tied 3-3. 

The Tour Challenge victory also clinched Team Koe a spot into the second of two new events on the 2015-16 Pinty’s GSOC schedule, the Champions Cup, running April 26 to May 1, 2016, in Sherwood Park, Alta. 

“The season is getting longer, which is great for curling but making it harder for us guys that have somewhat of a job and that runs into my job with Weed Man for sure because it gets into lawn care season,” Laing explained. “Marc said right after that we’d just qualified for the Champions Cup event and we’re excited but then we made a joke that, ‘Oh great, we get to curl in May,’ so it seems weird but it’s awesome. We’re excited to be playing in Alberta, it’s in Sherwood Park so it’s close to home for Marc and you just want to get into every one of these you can play in.” 

Kennedy added: “In all seriousness, it’s an event we wanted to play in and to wrap a spot this early in the year it takes a little bit of pressure off and we’re really looking forward to it. That’s really close to home for me in Sherwood Park so it’ll be a good time.”

Laing and Kennedy praised the fans who had packed the arena all week long.

“They’re the best events going and this one here in Paradise was the best one I can remember in years,” Laing said. “The fans were great, the ice was snowy but very good considering the situation and it was an amazing Slam. Obviously, I’m biased because we won but it was a great atmosphere all week.”

“Obviously a pro-Gushue crowd but those are the best fans we’ve seen at a Slam in 10 years, that was fantastic,” Kennedy added. “When it comes to curling it doesn’t really bother you that the fans are cheering for the other team, you’re just happy that there’s a ton of butts in the seats. That was an amazing atmosphere here and lots of nerves and pressure and it was wonderful. They put on a great show here in Paradise.” 

Jim Cotter of Vernon, B.C., punched his ticket to the Masters with an undefeated 7-0 run through the Tier 2 men’s division. Cotter defeated Mark Kean of Stoney Creek, Ont., 5-3 in the final to earn a promotion for the second Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event running Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 in Truro, N.S. 

Earlier Sunday, Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni scored a 6-5 upset win over Ottawa’s Rachel Homan by stealing two in the eighth end for the Tier 1 women’s title and Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson capped an undefeated run through the Tier 2 division beating Regina’s Team Chantelle Eberle 8-2.