Gimli’s Colton Lott is a Canadian men’s curling champion.
Lott, playing third for skip Matt Dunstone, helped Manitoba claim the 2026 Montana’s Brier title with a 6-3 victory over Alberta’s Kevin Koe in Sunday’s final in St. John’s, N.L.
The Winnipeg-based rink, Dunstone, Lott, second E. J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden — capped a dominant week with the championship after finishing pool play with a 7-1 record, their only loss coming against Koe.
For Dunstone, the victory marked a breakthrough after several near misses at the Canadian championship. The 30-year-old skip had reached the final twice before, finishing runner-up in 2025 and 2023, and placing third in both 2021 and 2020.
“The heartbreak that this group has had over the last three years, the amount that I’ve learned from that, I played free and loose all week.”
Team Dunstone earned its spot in the final after defeating reigning Olympic champion Brad Jacobs 7-3 in the semifinal earlier Sunday. The result put Dunstone’s team back on track after a 9-7 loss to Team Koe in Saturday night’s Page 1–2 game, setting up a final rematch.
The final remained tight through the early ends, with three blanks in the first six and Koe holding a narrow 2-1 lead heading into the seventh.
That’s when the game turned.
After Koe missed a runback attempt, Dunstone saw an opportunity and called for an aggressive approach.
“It’s time to dance,” Dunstone said after the miss.
His first shot was a tap-and-roll to sit three, and Koe’s attempted freeze came up light. Dunstone followed with a delicate tap that nudged Koe’s stone far enough to score three — the first time Alberta had given up more than two points in an end all week — for a 4-2 Manitoba lead.
Koe responded with a single point in the eighth after a hit-and-roll to the button, narrowing the score to 4-3.
In the 10th end, Dunstone sealed the victory with a double takeout to run Team Koe out of stones. As the stone slid down the ice, the skip dropped to his knees in celebration.
The championship also carries added significance for the team, as E.J. Harnden plans to retire at the end of the season.
“We would have loved to have been the Olympic team, but this was next on our list,” Dunstone said. “Given that this group isn’t going to be together next year with E.J. retiring, this group owed it to ourselves to put our best foot forward and get a Brier championship.”
With the victory, team Dunstone will represent Canada at the LGT World Men’s Curling Championship March 27 to April 4 in Ogden, Utah. The team will also return to next year’s Brier in Saskatoon as defending champions.
