Team Alberta-Jacobs captures long-awaited Montana’s Brier title

Brad Jacobs has waited more than a decade to put back on a Maple Leaf uniform, but Sunday night’s on-ice celebration at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C., provided ample evidence that the wait was worth it.

Backed up by his first-year teammates vice-skip Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, lead Ben Hebert, alternate Mike Caione and coach Paul Webster, Jacobs hoisted the Brier Tankard for the second time in his career, leading Team Alberta-Jacobs (Calgary) to victory in the gold-medal game of the 2025 Montana’s Brier, presented by AGI.

With a last-rock takeout to score three in the 10th end, Team Alberta-Jacobs defeated Manitoba’s Team Matt Dunstone (Winnipeg) 5-3 in a nailbiting final before a sellout crowd, and became the first team in Brier history to win four straight elimination games to capture the Canadian Men’s Curling Championship

“Unbelievable, unbelievable,” marvelled Jacobs, who won the Montana’s Brier in 2013 (with two members of Dunstone’s team, his cousins E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden) and also won Olympic gold for Canada in 2014. “It’s relieving.  It’s been too long since I’ve won this championship. I’ve only got two now, but I said earlier in the week that it would take a lot of pressure off the rest of my career. I hope that’s the case.”

For both Gallant and Hebert, it was their fifth Brier win, while for Kennedy, it was a fourth title.

Nothing came easily for the team representing The Glencoe Club; after losing the Page 1-2 qualifier Friday afternoon, it rattled off four wins in succession, including two dandies on Sunday — 7-5 over three-time defending champs Team Canada, skipped by Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and then against the top team in the Canadian Team Ranking System, Team Dunstone.

“That was a long road,” said Jacobs, who received the Hec Gervais Award as the playoffs’ Most Valuable Player. “That was a tough grind. So I’m just so proud of the guys for playing the way that they did, hanging in there, and grinding all week.”

It was an entertaining first four ends, despite producing nothing but zeroes on the scoreboard. Both teams tried their best to generate offence, and there was no shortage of stones in play, but both back ends were able to clean house when needed to produce the blanks. No better example was provided than in the first end when Lott made a wonderful triple takeout to snuff out an Alberta-Jacobs threat.

And a few shots later, with Team Manitoba-Dunstone in decent shape for a first-end deuce, Jacobs responded with a wonderful double-takeout aided by superb sweeping from Hebert.

In the fifth, though, Jacobs, finally, couldn’t make a tough cross-house double-takeout and that gave an open house to Dunstone to draw to for the deuce.

In the sixth, Jacobs was forced to a single, and was in danger of giving up a big number an end later. Dunstone, sitting one, attempted a tough, and maybe not even possible, double takeout that could have put two or three on the scoreboard. Instead, he jammed one of the Alberta-Jacobs stones into his own counter, resulting in a game-tying steal of one for the Albertans.

In the ninth, another crushing miss from Dunstone did the most to propel Alberta-Jacobs to victory. Attempting a soft hit-and-roll to sit two with hammer, Dunstone overcurled and missed the target stone, resulting in him being forced to take one for a 3-2 lead and give the all-important hammer in the 10th to Team Jacobs.

“Completely heartbroken for my team,” said Dunstone. “I wasn’t good enough for them down the stretch and yeah, I’m just heartbroken for them, but this is a really good group.

“Sometimes winning’s out of your control and what we’re going to focus on is trying to grow as a team.”

With the victory, Team Jacobs — make that Team Canada — will wear our colours at the 2025 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship March 29-April 6 in Moose Jaw, Sask., which is of particular meaning to Hebert, who was born and raised in Regina, just 45 minutes from Moose Jaw.

“It’s emotional,” said Hebert, tears welling in his eyes. “I mean, I’m not getting any younger. So you never know how many of these you got left.

“I’m gonna stop crying, but I’m stoked. I’m so stoked. And to do with these guys, it means a lot.”

Other perks for the victory: a $108,000 top prize and a return trip as Team Canada to the 2026 Montana’s Brier, presented by AGI, in St. John’s.

Team Manitoba-Dunstone earned $60,000 as runners-up, while Team Gushue pocketed $40,000.

Attendance Sunday night was 5,483, bringing the total for the week to 89,108.

Tickets for the 2026 Montana’s Brier are already selling very quickly. CLICK HERE for ticket information.

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/2025brier/nouvelles/?lang=fr