NWT curlers finished the 2016 Brier on a winning note Friday, beating Quebec 8-6 in their final draw of the men’s national curling championship in Ottawa.
With the win, skip Jamie Koe, third Chris Schille, second Brad Chorostkowski and lead Robert Borden improved to 3-8 for the tournament.
That’s a noticeable improvement from last year, when the NWT went winless in 11 games.
The lead up to this year’s Brier was promising for the territory’s curlers after they beat Nova Scotia, Nunavut and the Yukon in a tournament pre-qualifier.
But that momentum didn’t carry through to the main draw as the NWT dropped its first five draws before beating host Ontario 8-5.
The territory’s two other wins came against British Columbia and Quebec towards the back end of the tournament.
At the end of round robin play, Northern Ontario leads the field with a perfect record of 11-0. Koe’s older brother – Kevin Koe – and Alberta are also playoff-bound after finishing third.
By finishing ninth – ahead of New Brunswick, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island – the NWT avoids relegation for next year’s championship.
This year’s Brier wraps up on Sunday.
Final score: NWT 8 QC 6 #Brier2016 pic.twitter.com/cXq0gJwsSX
— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) March 11, 2016
Not gonna lie. That feels good. #theboys #nwt #polarpower #patchadams
— Jamie Koe (@JKnwt) March 11, 2016
