Issue 9 – Sunday, March 11, 2012 • An Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. Kevin KO’s Manitoba Alberta crew will take on Glenn Howard’s Ontario bunch in the Brier’s gold medal game Sunday after an 8-6 win over Manitoba in the semi-finals. Sponsors of the Day MARCH 2-10 • REXALL PLACE See Sponsor Profiles on page 9 Page 2 2012 Tim Hortons Brier – Tankard Times SEMI-FINAL SATURDAY Manitoba third Allan Lyburn calls line in Saturday’s semi-final against Alberta. A four-ender by Kevin Koe in the eighth end was the story. Halifax final revisited By Larry Wood Halifax Metro Centre. end of the Page Three- with that pick for sure but lose. You go out and In the seventh, Fowler Tankard Times Editor Koe, second Carter Four playoff. it looked like we were play your heart out and played a crisp draw Rycroft and lead Nolan The loss, the second in going to get two in any play your best game and looking at three enemy lberta’s Kevin Thiessen, the same as many playoff nights for case for control,” allowed you’re in a position to counters to regain the Koe twice scored lineup that won the 2010 the Manitobans, dropped Kevin Koe. “Obviously win the game and it just lead but, facing three in Afour points in criti- world title, joined new Fowler into this morning’s that was the huge end in evaporates.” the eighth, he was unsuc- cal eighth ends Saturday third Pat Simmons in bronze-medal scuffle (9 the game.” Directing Allan Lyburn, cessful trying to bury at the Tim Hortons Brier knockingover Manitoba’s a.m.) against the Territo- Added Fowler: Richard Daneault and his last stone and Koe to qualify for tonight’s Rob Fowler of Bran- ries. Howard won his final “I thought we had our Derek Samagalski, Fowl- executed the takeout to championship final don 8-6 in the evening berth at Fowler’s expense best game tonight and we er executed a precise score the four-ender. against Ontario’s Glenn semi-final played before on Friday night. had that rough break in split raise in the fourth Undaunted, Fowler an- Howard. 10,049 fans at the Credit The semi-final may the eighth end. That rock end for a 3-1 lead but swered with a ninth-end The game (6 p.m. CT) Union Centre. have hinged on a ‘picked’ was just about to get to Koe bounced back to tie deuce but left an open hit will be a rematch of the Earlier, Koe defeated Manitoba rock in the the spot where we’d get the tilt after six, stealing a for an Alberta insurance championship final won his brother, Jamie Koe eighth which led to the the roll in behind cover point when Fowler left an point in the 10th. 6-5 in an extra end by of the Territories, with Alberta four-spot. and it picked (on debris). Alberta stone hanging on Koe two years ago at the another four in the eighth “Rob had a bad break “It’s a tough way to an attempted double-kill. Continued on 3 Sunday, March 11, 2012 Page 3 “It’s been a battle this week, we’ve had to grind “I just hope I can slide and I can stand tomor- out a lot of wins, and overcome some struggles row,” he said. “It has been a long week.” some days so it feels good to win two tough Simmons, then the Saskatchewan skip, was games today,” said Koe. the victim of a memorable pick in the 2008 Brier “We’ll hope to get better now. We’ll need our at Winnipeg. His last shot picked in the Page best game, probably, tomorrow.” One-Two playoff against Kevin Martin of Alberta Koe and his mates remember only too well the and deprived Saskatchewan of a berth in the fi nal excitement-packed Brier fi nish two years ago that match. catapulted them to Italy and the world champion- “That pick really changed that end,” Simmons ship. said of the Fowler rock. “I’d never wish that on “It’s a great memory for us, probably not so for anybody. That is not what you want to see. If it’s him (Howard),” said Koe. going to happen it’s nice to be on the right side of “It’ll be another great challenge, just like 2010. it every once in a while. But you don’t hope for that You know our record against Glenn hasn’t been for anyone, especially for those guys.” great but if we can get off to a good start that’ll be Fowler said he was aiming for gold in his fi rst key for us. Brier as a skip. “They’ve been playing great this week. We won’t “I’ve won a silver and a bronze here (with Jeff have to be perfect, they’ll have some misses, too. Stoughton) so our goal this week was gold to per- Our game in the round robin, we let him off the sonally complement that,” he allowed. hook and he didn’t have to make shots to beat us, “But we want to go home with something so we’ll we did it to ourselves. We just have to make him be working real hard to get that bronze. make the tough shots. Nobody’s perfect out there. “I thought that tonight, when it meant the most, “We know we can win it. We know we can beat our team played the best we could. Some times in Glenn in that game. We know we can be down and the game of curling the breaks don’t go your way. battle hard and come back. We proved that today. “We were in full control. If they get two in the “This was a great team effort. We were down eighth we’re one down playing nine with the ham- that deuce, then one without, and stayed positive mer. That’s one of the top fi ve teams in the world and, like this afternoon in the second half of the and we were in a position to beat them so what game, we played awesome.” more can you say?” The Albertans continued to achieve despite vice- This season, Howard and Koe have collided skip Simmons’s struggles with a throat infection seven times, including their Brier round-robin clash and respiratory problems. (6-3 Howard) earlier in this piece, with Howard “He (Simmons) battled hard for the way he’s winning six of seven. feeling and I can’t say enough about him,” said Koe’s only win transpired at Brooks in the No- Koe. vember Cactus Pheasant Classic playoffs. Simmons described his health problems as day- Head-to-head over their careers, Howard is 17 to-day. wins to Koe’s four, including that 2010 Brier fi nal. Manitoba skip Rob Fowler threw 66% in the semi- nal. Be the First-to-Know and enter for Your chance to win a John Deere Gator™ XUV 825i 4x4 Three Easy Steps 1. Visit www.JohnDeereFinancial.ca/GatorEntry. 2. Complete your First-to-Know profile.2. Complete 3. See special John Deere offers and be entered to win a new Gator! *One grand prize with retail value of $10,800 will be awarded (based on exchange rate on September 1, 2011). No purchase necessary. The selected entrant will be required to answer a time-limited mathematical skill testing question. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Contest closing date is June 30, 2012. Full contest rules are available at www.JohnDeereFinancial.ca/GatorEntry. CR1010244 Litho in U.S.A. (12-01) 12046_Gator_Sweeps_10-25x5-0417_Ad_CA-.indd 1 1/20/12 10:15 AM Page 4 2012 Tim Hortons Brier – Tankard Times Alberta Koe just a bit too strong • Three-Four playoff • Alberta salues the crowd after the win . LARRY WOOD Albertans embarked on a stealing spree in Tankard Times Editor the late going. “We knew we’d have a chance to win if ased on previous confrontations, it we played our game and we really played was closer than most expected. well for the first five, I thought,” said Jamie B For a time. Koe. Jamie Koe planned a different scenario “They came out a bit harder in the sixth for Saturday’s Page Three-Four playoff at and we seemed to sit back a bit. I missed the Tim Hortons Brier. big shots in the seventh and eighth that He’d been beaten 8-3 and 11-3 by his cost us the game in the end.” brother in the past but he showed up this But he made some vital shots in the first time with fire in his eyes. And he executed five to keep his team in control, particularly a series of massive shots to keep his in the fifth end when Alberta attempted to Yellowknife group in the thick of it against lock the Territories stone on the button for brother Kevin Koe’s Albertans. the tying point. But a difference in team talent finally The younger Koe nonchalantly changed began to show up again, this time along the turn and tossed a cold draw to an about the seventh end. And it was evident actual bite of the button for a go-ahead the only way Jamie Koe was going to deuce. be headed anywhere but this morning’s “We weathered a storm there,” said bronze-medal match at the Credit Union Kevin Koe, whose team of Pat Simmons, Centre was by executing at least 20 and Carter Rycroft and Nolan Thiessen from maybe 22 shots to utter perfection.