The NWT was back on the podium at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship for the first time since the 2015 event but they were an eyelash away from playing for gold once again.
Jamie Koe and his rink of Kerry Galusha, David Aho and Megan Koehler out of the Yellowknife Curling Club captured the bronze medal on Saturday afternoon in Saguenay, Que., thanks to a 7-5 win over Manitoba.
Michael Burns/Curling Canada photo
Koe started the contest with the hammer and scored a single, which was answered by a deuce from Manitoba in the next end. Koe took a deuce of his own in the third before a single from Manitoba tied the game at the mid-game break, 3-3. Both teams traded deuces in the fifth ans sixth end but a deuce from Koe gave him the lead, one he would not relinquish as he ran Manitoba out of rocks in the final end.
The bronze medal finished off a good week for the foursome, one which saw them drop their opening two games of the spiel versus Ontario and Nova Scotia in pool play before they reeled off four straight wins to top their pool and advance to the championship round. From there, they would beat Manitoba for the first time and B.C. before dropping their next two contests to New Brunswick and Quebec.
Even with the two losses, Koe and company finished third in the championship pool to advance to the semifinal, where they met up with New Brunswick for a second time. New Brunswick scored three with the hammer to open the game but Koe fought back with three of his own in the second. New Brunswick scored two in the third, which was followed by a single from Koe in the fourth and a steal of one in the fifth to knot the game at 5-5 after the fifth.
New Brunswick would score a single in the sixth and it would then be their turn to steal in the seventh to put Koe behind the 8-ball, 7-5. With the hammer coming home in the eighth, Koe could only muster one point and fell, 7-6.
Quebec would go on to win the title on home ice as they ran the table, going unbeaten and beating New Brunswick in the final, 6-5.