Small margin enough for Koe

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This article was published 12/03/2016 (3725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — It was the measure heard around the curling world.

A 10th-end measure to determine a biter proved to the game-winner in the Brier semifinal at TD Place Saturday night, sending Alberta to tonight’s Brier final with a 6-5 victory in the most dramatic way possible — and sending Northern Ontario to the sidelines in the most shocking way possible.

Alberta skip Kevin Koe was asked after the game if he had any doubt that a rock nibbling the 12-foot when the 10th end came to a conclusion was going to be a biter and count towards a game-winning deuce for Alberta.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” said Koe. “But you never want to count on a measure for your extra point.”

An overhead shot from TSN cameras appeared to show daylight between the rock in question and the rings, but a measure showed it was biting the rings by the tiniest of margins.

The Alberta deuce was the only one recorded in an unusual semifinal in which the teams exchanged singles for nine consecutive ends before the high-drama of the 10th.

It was all a bitter pill to swallow for Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs. After going 11-0 in the Brier round robin, Northern Ontario went bang-bang in the playoffs — losing the 1 vs. 2 Page playoff game Friday to Newfoundland and then Saturday’s semifinal to Alberta in a stunning turn of fortune for a squad that looked unbeatable for much of the past week.

“It wasn’t meant to be this time for us. We’ll learn from it and move on,” was the best explanation Jacobs could offer Saturday night.

Northern Ontario third — and native Winnipegger — Ryan Fry was even more succinct.

“It sucks right now,” he said.

Northern Ontario was not without its chances against Alberta, squandering deuces in both the seventh and ninth ends when Jacobs, in both cases, tapped his own counters out.

Northern Ontario will now face Manitoba’s Mike McEwen in this afternoon’s bronze-medal game (1:30 p.m., TSN).

Teams have complained since the bronze-medal game was introduced a few years ago that it is pointless in a playoff format in which the loser of the semifinal is already the third-place team.

But Curling Canada has shown no willingness to get rid of the bronze game anytime soon and it has made it worth substantial stakes — an extra $10,000 and bonus CTRS points to the winner of the bronze game — to ensure players don’t turn it into a mockery.

Manitoba lost to Northern Ontario during the round robin and, like Northern Ontario, it will limp into today’s game off a disappointing playoff loss Saturday to Alberta in the 3 vs. 4 game.

‘It wasn’t meant to be this time for us. We’ll learn from it and move on’– Northern Ontario skip Brad Jacobs 

Koe has won this event twice since 2010, and did so both times by first winning the Brier semifinal.

He said Saturday night he likes the momentum a semifinal victory gives his team, while Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue has been off the ice since winning the 1-2 game over Northern Ontario on Friday.

“This was my fourth semi, so I’m kind of used to it. I’ve never had the bye to the final,” said Koe. “I feel like if you get in there and play well, that extra game will definitely help you.”

Gushue won the round-robin meeting against Alberta, 4-3, in Draw 9.

The stakes are especially large for Newfoundland today.

Gushue is attempting to secure Newfoundland its first Brier title since 1976 — and also to add a Team Canada to the Newfoundland entry the province will already send to the Brier in St. John’s next year. 

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek