Lott was riding on Brier final

Colton Lott had a hero’s welcome all to himself Monday night at the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

Matt Dunstone’s third was serenaded by a bagpiper while making his way down the escalator to be greeted by his wife Kadriana, family, friends and even a pair of fans from his hometown in Winnipeg Beach.

Lott, the lone member of Team Manitoba that lives in the province, is back home after winning the Brier on Sunday in St. John’s, N.L., with a 6-3 victory over Alberta’s Kevin Koe.

“It’s been pretty surreal. I don’t even think it’s fully set in yet,” Lott told the Free Press.

“The main goal has always been to get out of Manitoba, and then to be at the Brier, and then to step up that goal to winning the Brier. And having two previous finals in ’23 and last year where we came up short, there’s no words to describe how great this feels.”

It wasn’t your typical Team Manitoba arrival after a major win. Dunstone was born and raised in Winnipeg before moving to Kamloops, B.C. in 2018. The Harnden brothers — lead Ryan and second E.J. — are products of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

For Lott, travelling back solo doesn’t make things any less special.

“It’s a little different, definitely for sure, but it’s OK,” the 30-year-old said with a laugh.

“I’m happy we’re representing Manitoba, and now representing Canada.”

Lott’s a big reason for that. He was named a first-team all-star in St. John’s, and was remarkable on Sunday with clutch shot after clutch shot against Brad Jacobs in the semifinal, and then again in the evening’s championship game.

For a group that hasn’t had a whole lot of luck in big games — they also lost the Canadian Curling Trials final to Jacobs in Halifax in November — they looked calm, confident and determined to change the narrative.

Most impressive of all, their road to doing so couldn’t have been tougher. Not only did they beat the Olympic champs in the semi and an undefeated Koe in the final, but they also had to outlast fan favourite Brad Gushue, who was playing in his own backyard in the final Brier of his illustrious career, in their first playoff game.

“Now that you’re saying that, I’m like ‘Whoa.’ I mean, it’s crazy,” said Lott. “But we’re at the point in our curling careers, Matt and myself personally, where we’re the vets now. We know we can beat these guys and we have all the tools to do so. As a team, we stuck to the game plan. All the games were close and we just had to push at the right time.”

Lott and Dunstone go way back. The duo won Canadian junior titles together in 2013 and 2016 — where they went on to win bronze at junior worlds on both occasions — before linking up again at the start of this quadrennial on the men’s circuit.

“Matty means the world to me. There’s no other kind-hearted, hardworking, thoughtful teammate that you’ll ever find like Matt Dunstone,” he said. “He truly is a brother to me and I’m looking forward to many years ahead of playing with him.”

Now, they’ll get a chance to battle together on the world stage again. Dunstone and Co. will wear the maple leaf at the World Men’s Curling Championship (March 27-April 4) in Ogden, Utah.

Despite several heartbreaking losses in recent years, Lott always believed it was a matter of when — not if — they’d finally break through.

“We’ve been so close. And this year, we’ve proven to ourselves time and time over that we have all the tools to do this. It’s our turn.”

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