Brad Jacobs’ team began the defense of their Montana’s Brier title with an 8-3 win over Tyler Smith’s Prince Edward Island rink Friday night in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, just days after securing Olympic gold in Italy.
The Canadian champions traded two-point ends with P.E.I. To open the match, before Smith blanked the third. Jacobs then capitalized on a steal of one in the fourth, followed by single-point steals in the fifth and sixth ends. A decisive three-point steal in the seventh extended Canada’s lead to 8-2, effectively sealing the victory. Smith added a single point in the eighth.
The Canadian team was forced to play with only three players for the opening game, as lead Ben Hebert was sidelined due to illness. Smith’s team was also playing with a three-person lineup.
Jacobs, third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, and Hebert, when healthy, are looking to build on their recent success at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The team overcame a controversy involving allegations of a double-touch violation during the tournament, ultimately defeating Great Britain 9-6 in the gold medal match on February 21st.
The win sets the stage for a Saturday evening matchup against Kelly Knapp’s Saskatchewan-based team. Also in action Saturday will be Matt Dunstone’s Manitoba rink, featuring brothers E.J. And Ryan Harnden, who lost to Jacobs in last year’s Brier final. Dunstone will face James Grattan of New Brunswick in the afternoon draw.
The 18-team Brier tournament is divided into two pools, with the top three teams from each pool advancing to the playoffs. The winner of the Brier will represent Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship, to be held in Ogden, Utah, in late March.
The playoff format begins with the first-place team from Pool A facing the second-place team from Pool B, and vice versa. Winners of those matches advance to the 1 vs. 2 Page playoff game. The losing teams will then compete against the third-place teams from their respective pools for the remaining spots in the Page playoff.
The winners of the Page playoff games will then compete in a final, with the losing team from the 1 vs. 2 game facing the winner of the 3 vs. 4 game in a semifinal to determine the championship contender.
