26 June 2026
The new sheriff in town: Matt Dunstone’s breakthrough year
Matt Dunstone rode into the St. John’s Montana’s Brier in Newfoundland and Labrador a gunslinger with something to prove. He left as talk of the town.
He defeated the Magic Mike McEwen in a duel that ended his opponent’s play-off hopes, before stopping the legendary hometown hero Brad Gushue in his last hurrah and conquering the one-time rodeo-riding cowboy, the feared, Brad Jacobs who was fresh of Olympic gold.
Matt Dunstone had just one more foe in his way at the 2026 Montana’s Brier: the King in the North, the “Kudog” himself, Kevin Koe.
Much like any underdog hero, he came away wounded in their first meeting – a 7-6 loss in the round-robin. Then, the unbeatable Koe secured another win by a 9-7 margin in the extra end of their page play-off game.
They met one last time. Instead of pistols at dawn it was brooms at dusk. The two-time runner-up and the Canadian Olympic Trials silver medallist face-to-face with the two-time world champion once more. But now, the shots were sharp and Team Koe were finally stopped.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is a new sheriff in town
Flanked by his right-hand man Colton Lott and the Brush Brothers E.J. and Ryan Harnden; Matt Dunstone rode off into the St.John’s sunset, ready for the next challenge to come his way.
“Looking at the Brier in 23, the Brier in 25 and the Olympic Trials, I don’t think we win this year’s Brier without those experiences,” said Dunstone, reflecting on a season that had already saw heartache for the rink when they lost to Team Jacobs for a chance to represent Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
“I think there was some sadness, some shock that the four-year cycle had kinda come and gone as quickly as it did. The realisation that we weren’t going to the Olympics and I think for the group too, just feeling so well-prepared going into that Trials as well.
“Our team was in a really good spot and we just weren’t the better team.”
The Brier ups and downs
It was a cycle of high stakes out with the Olympics. Shortly after the trials, E.J. confirmed the 2025-2026 season would be his last, adding another crease in a season they were determined not to waste.
Advancing from their pool in St. John’s with a record of 7-1 tells only half the story. Dunstone remembers having to “scratch and claw” through several games, attributing the competitiveness of their opponents as the perfect warm-up for the playoffs. Still, breaking Team Koe – who last won the Brier in 2019 – was proving difficult.
“He was vintage Kevin Koe there, which was fun to watch; frustrating to be a part of it on the ice with him when he was doing it because he was making everything,” said Dunstone.
“Fortunately enough for us, we were able to get a few breaks in that final, and then take advantage of those opportunities.”
“It was just an unforgettable moment to be able to share that with this group. Awesome way for this group to go out, obviously, with E.J. retiring.
“I think to finish out on top of Canadian curling like that and then to grab a world silver in mine and Colton’s first worlds too, we were very proud of being able to bounce back from the Olympic Trials and go on that run.”
While beating Koe at the third time of asking won them the gold, they see the semi-final victory over Team Jacobs as the turning point.
“We had full control of that game too, kinda dictated pace of play for ten straight ends,” he added.
‘Ready to go on and win’
“Leaving that ice, none of us really mentioned it obviously, but I think the feeling within the group is that win that morning of the Brier final really validated for us that we were ready to go on and win.”
For years, Team Dunstone had been frozen out of the World Men’s Curling Championship, but it was finally time for the back end to debut when they flew the flag in Ogden, Utah, alongside fellow debutants in the form of Ross Whyte’s Scotland. It was also an opportunity to give E.J. a send-off at the top of the sport.
Unbeknownst to the world at the time, another athlete was seeking to go out on a high – Sweden’s Niklas Edin. Despite struggling at the Olympics, he was hoping to return to the form that had made him one of the greatest of all time.
Pressure of the world stage
Canada defeated Korea and Italy in their opening games, but were pegged back to 2-2 after losses to Scotland and John Shuster’s United States. The skip focused on the ebbs and flows of a World Championship saying “you’re basically playing two or three events in the umbrella of one event” and acknowledged the pressure that is added when representing your nation.
“I’m just proud of how we handled all of that, rallied off ten straight wins to make the final,” he added.
“That week had its moments and a week that long is going to; but over the course of it, I thought we played really well, really consistent.”
World play-off tensions
Finishing third in the round-robin with a record of 10-2 came down to the draw shot challenge between themselves, Scotland and table-toppers Sweden. Coming from behind in the 10th end, they defeated Italy in the qualification game, scoring three with the hammer in a contest the skip admits was an off day for him.
A rematch against Scotland in the semi-finals went their way on this occasion, securing a steal at the death to win 9-7 and setting up a salivating final with Sweden’s Team Edin.
In the end, it wasn’t even close.
“We just got eliminated,” said Dunstone with an honest chuckle, “That was one of the best performances I’ve seen a team ever have.
“To go out as world champions for E.J’s sake and our team’s sake would have been an amazing way to end, but we’re equally just as proud going out as world silver medallists.”
One legend out, one legend in
As he rode out of the world of curling, E.J. received the highest praise, with the skip calling him “the best sweeper in the world” and stressing “this team had nothing but success [with him] and that doesn’t happen accidentally”.
Replacing him as part of the gang for next season is another legend of the game. Serendipity is commonplace in curling, and with Brad Gushue hanging up his broom this season, his long-term teammate, Olympic and world champion Mark Nichols was wondering what his next move would be.
“We did a good job of staying in that lane and wanting to finish off this version of the team the right way,” added Dunstone, “We had a world championship in a couple of weeks, but it was also time to figure out what it was going to look like after that. That’s when we reached out to Mark – and what better guy to come in and replace E.J.
“You look at that resume and you combine mine, Colton’s and Ryan’s, and it still doesn’t touch his.
“We’re never going to replace E.J’s sweeping, because he’s the best out there. For us, it was just about finding the best player available and that happened to be Mark.”
‘Colton [Lott] is my brother incurably’
In-person preparations are now just underway after Lott returned from the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship with his wife Kadriana, where they won bronze. The skip considers his vice-skip integral to their quality as a rink, a consistent that more people should be aware of.
“Colton is my brother incurably,” said Dunstone, “Any success I’ve ever had, it’s been with him.
“I was joking with Mark that we’re a Value Village version of him and Brad when we were chatting on that. At least for now, hopefully.
“Colton’s the best player in the world and people are starting to get to see that and I will defend that till the day that I die. He loves curling more than anybody I know.
“You’ve got to drag him off the ice because he’s throwing so many rocks.
“He’s a quiet killer and our team really feeds off of that and there’s not many thirds that can go up and change games and he is definitely one of those and it’s such a weapon to be able to have that.”
He added praise for the remaining Brush Brother, Ryan “Petey” Harnden pointing out he’s always “in the mid-90s” in his shot percentages adding that he is a “top tier lead” and the “prankster on the team”.
Just don’t expect to turn a corner at future World Curling events without a Canadian lead jumping out on you.
As for the skip, he sees himself as a contradiction, depending on his social circles, saying he is “two very different people” on and off the ice: “Super goofy” and someone that “needs to laugh more and have fun”.
Nothing shows this dichotomy better than the sheriff badge that dons Dunstone’s curling bag. As a young pretender he reportedly got into a debate over rules during a game leading to another curler joking “I guess there’s a new sheriff in town”.
Now we’re saying it without a hint of irony.
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