The Montana's Brier in Regina
 

It's in full swing, a few surprise upset's already, 3 draws today starting at 08:00 this morning, with our snow storm in full bloom it's a good day to watch some curling.

Watching a few games here.
Alberta has 3 teams in, Bottcher, K Koe, and new guy to the brier Sluchinski.
Sluchinski beat Koe in the Alberta playdowns and again in the first game of the brier.

The field is big with 2 pools and 18 teams now. Some very good teams and some very average ones in the field. I am rooting for anyone but Gushue. Regina should be a great host.

While I enjoy curling a lot…in my younger years living in Inuvik I curled against Fred Koe and won in extra end to go out of Inuvik for brier play downs…I’ve curled against a lot of people sporting the brier crest, and no, I never got one. But I’d just like to point out that I find it way off base for multiple provinces having teams in the brier. The first game I watched, it was alberta against alberta…the second game I watched it was Manitoba against Manitoba…I’m finding this to be a real turn off…also not a fan of the 5 rock rule.
But in saying that, I’ll continue to watch and cheer for Kevin Koe, he was so young up North. Fred looked after the curling ice in Inuvik at the time and he always brought his kids to help flood or just hang out…
You go Kevin…
Zip:)

Couple of great games this morning. Dunstone got lucky in the second at it was the difference. The MB and ON game went to 11 and was a great game. Lots of good curling and some highlight reel shot making.

BW

The Montana's Brier
 

Somehow. The Montana's Brier doesn't sound very Canadian:thinking-006:

From what Ive watched K.Koe wont make the playoffs.Botcher is firing on all cylinders though and will be around come the weekend.

This👆👆👆
I see Botcher as a top 2 finisher at worst this year. what a mess curling is becoming…so many teams changing people from team to team…guys from other provinces…playing for other provinces…I quit watching the last coupla years due to health being not so good, but I watched a coupla games already…I don’t like the black rings, that’s horrible to look at, their new outfits look like they should be playing hockey or football…it seems these teams implode on themselves and move in different directions…I’m beginning to hate the Brier…..it just sucks now!
Zip:)

That confused the heck out of me and I didn’t tune in to watch for most of the day.

Checked in when bored flicking channels to see the Montana’s referred to the restaurant.

Kinda dumb. Needed Canada in the title…and just sponsored by….

I thought Brier was the sponsor?

The "other" Koe takes down Gushue and the "real" Koe gets clobbered by Quebec. Gotta love this game! Now all that's needed is a loss by Bottcher.

Yup upsets are the order of the day at the brier, big names are falling, Gushue and his team played terrible this morning and full credit to Jamie Koe he curled well and kept the pressure on them and came out with the win.

Yup…your defiantly on to something here, it kinda fun to see the other Koe win a game or 3….they have earned some recognition so far…
Zip:)

And just like that Botcher looses, and the cheese get's binding :thinking-006:

Too many draws well short by people you wouldn't expect today...

Snow day today, so I stayed home with the kids.
Was pleased to not have to hear vic router's voice yet.

Kevin Koe loose again, he's done for at 1 - 4

Jamie Koe wins again and is 4 - 1

Flip flop….I’m happy for Jamie, sad it’s Kevin…
Good job Jamie.
Zip:)

Watching Kevin Koe last night and I heard him on multiple times sounding like he was not in the game, kept asking his guys what to do..he played and sounded like a lost skip…not the normal Koe we all love to watch….he has changed somehow!
He sounded like he didn’t know what to do on more than one or two occasions.
I wonder what the underlying issues are in his team camp…Koe is playing and acting like he would rather put needles in his eye than be at the Brier this year.
Am I the only one that sees a man deflated and not thinking clearly?
Any other thoughts about this…
Zip:)

Problem with the new style brier is that they keep on changing the curling rules and screwing around with the rocks. All this because Canada is so desperate to win a world title again. This manipulating the rocks by sanding the running surface is bull crap to me. Let the players play on the surface in a true round robin championship, and let the winner be determined from there.

Absolutely agree.
K Koe has always been a bit of an indecisive skip, but with the team he has now, he gets zero help. IMO, Koe thrives on confidence, but that is completely gone now in his team and thus himself.

I also agree. Curling Canada has become a bit of a circus. Also, in their desparate attempts to bring money into the game, their courting of the sponsers has become over the top.

I mean like calling it the "Montana's Brier", can't they see the problem in that with non-curling type of people that they are trying to attract.

The other one that gets me is them calling PointsBet their official sports gaming partner of Curling Canada. Better be careful with betting being deeply integrated into your curling organization there Curling Canada. It wouldn't be the first time betting money has been an influence in sport.

The excessive logos on the ice and the bright animated signs are no doubt a distraction. Lots of players have tripped over a stone and then said "yikes it was hiding on the logo". I'll bet the sentiment to the players is if you want money in the sport you better put up with the advertizing then.

Montana's is the sponsor. It was Tim Horton's until this year. The Brier was also sponsored by Labatte's in past years.

Brier is the name of the competition--Just like Tournament of Hearts for the women. TOH is sponsored by Scott Paper, hence the "Scotties"

Nailed it…Kevin often asked his teammates for input even when they were doing great a few years back…so ya a bit of an indecisive skip with this team…well the results are telling us all we need to know. I have to wonder who he will find to play with him next year…he is defiantly not happy with this years team…plus Kevin is getting long in the tooth, and not sure of his own abilities this go round….I still wish him well as he was always fun to watch when he seldom missed even the very tough shots…
Go get em Kevin
Zip:)

It was named "Brier" for Brier tobacco.
Somehow it remains the only tobacco sponsorship

So it is named a US state's tobacco. :bad_boys_20:
Montana's Brier

Lol, all good, I am enjoying the odd game. :)

Hopefully, Kevin Koe finds his game and finishes strongly. If not I can see him changing the make up of the rink. Nothing wrong with his lead Karrick Martin but I can see him getting rid of the Gauthier kid. Not consistent enough and not a strong sweeper for the elite level of curling. As for the third Tyler Tardi, lots of potential and upside for the young man. However, the chemistry between him and Koe is lacking. If that cannot be improved he may have to make a change there too. Just goes to show what a great job Jennifer Jones did with her team of young curlers. She was able to bring the best out of them, and take them to the Scotties final.

At 1-5 Kevin Koe is done.

Botcher with a big win

I cannot help but being impressed with the Bonot team out of Northern Ontario.
5 - 1 now and he is a cool cucumber.

He sure seems to be curling with a purpose, silent friendly giant style!
If I was a betting man, if Botcher doesn’t win this brier..I’d be betting on Bonot team…
Zip:)

Nice win for Botcher.

Dunstone giving up one in 9 to retain hammer and try and score the deuce in 10 was a poor move. I believe he would have had a better chance of stealing one then scoring the duce to tie and go to an extra. Might have been a better strategy if he did that in the 3rd or 4th ends, where you have more time to get back points.

I was hoping Dunstone would make it to the final game, but he likely won't make the playoffs with the way he's going.

BW