Koe skips Canada to curling world title in Switzerland

A draw for two huge points in the ninth end by skip Kevin Koe helped Canada to a 5-3 win to claim the World Men’s Curling Championship on Sunday in Basel, Switzerland.

The gold medal win is the first for a Curling Canada side at worlds since 2012, which incidentally also happened in Basel with the Glenn Howard rink that included Brent Laing as the team’s second.

 

Laing was back in Basel in that role with Koe, joining third Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert.

In a tense affair against Denmark – the third time the two teams met in this tournament – Canada trailed 2-1 after the third end, when Danish skip Rasmus Stjerne had a nose-hit to give his country two points.

RELATED: Koe guides Canada to gold medal final

(Front L-R) Kevin Koe, Marc Kennedy, Brent Laing, Ben Hebert. (Back L-R) Coach John Dunn and alternate Scott Pfeifer with the world championship trophy on April 10, 2016.

(Front L-R) Kevin Koe, Marc Kennedy, Brent Laing, Ben Hebert. (Back L-R) Coach John Dunn and alternate Scott Pfeifer with the world championship trophy on April 10, 2016.

Two ends later it was Canada’s turn to score a deuce, when Koe drew his last rock into the house to put the Canadians up 3-2.

In the sixth end, Stjerne drew into the open for a single, making it 3-3.

Canada managed to keep Denmark at bay the next two ends, setting up a pivotal ninth end when the game opened up for Canada after Stjerne took a daring chance, but failed to run off a Canadian rock on his last stone, leaving it wide open for Koe to score two for 5-3.

 

The championship ended in Canada’s favour when Koe took out a Danish stone from the house. That left Stjerne out of stones and sealed Canada’s world title.

 

Kennedy and Hebert were in Kevin Martin’s rink that won Olympic gold at Vancouver 2010. They previously won worlds in 2008.

Koe had previously skipped Canada to a world title in 2010.