The NWT ended their Montana’s Brier playoff run at the hands of Saskatchewan on Friday night.
But they didn’t leave without the crowd letting them know how they felt.
Jamie Koe and his rink of Shad Mcleod, Cole Parsons, Glen Kennedy and Steve Robertson were certainly up for the battle against the hometown favourites, taking on some difficult low-percentage shots early in an effort to try establish a lead and show their playoff opponents that the Yellowknife Curing Centre squad were no pushovers.
“Things may have been different if we made a couple early difficult shots and posted some early points on the board early,” said Koe.
Ultimately, Koe and company never managed to put any points on the board, conceding in the eighth end to give Saskatchewan a 7-0 win.
Saskatchewan started the game with last rock and scored a single in the first end to go out in front. From there, Saskatchewan skip Mike McEwen ended up stealing singles in every end except the seventh, which was blanked.
Upon completion of the game, the NWT had to walk the length of the ice to the exit. That’s when the applause started and grew and grew until finally there was a thunderous standing ovation from the near-capacity crowd at the Brandt Centre. It was a scene made even more special when the players participating in the other playoff game stopped and contributed to the tribute applauding as well.
“That was genuinely unexpected,” said Koe, who was holding back the emotion. “I really didn’t expect a standing-O. It was something I will always remember and something I hope encourages curlers from the North that we can complete at this level.”
In the end, the NWT entered this year’s Brier ranked 15th and walked out with a fifth-place finish.
—By Martin Gavin