Nunavut skip Jake Higgs releases his shot during the 10th end of their win over Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ont., Saturday, March 4, 2023.Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press
Kevin Koe, Reid Carruthers and Matt Dunstone were the headliners entering the Saturday afternoon draw at the Tim Hortons Brier.
Nunavut skip Jake Higgs ended up stealing the show.
Higgs guided his team to a 7-4 victory over Newfoundland and Labrador’s Nathan Young for the territory’s first-ever win at the Canadian men’s curling championship.
“I have been a competitive curler for a long time,” Higgs said. “I got to go to the Olympics as a coach but this (win) in front of this crowd today, it was the best moment of my curling life.”
Nunavut entered play with an all-time record of 0-38 at the Brier since making its debut in 2018.
Higgs stole a single in the ninth end when Young was heavy with a draw. The 47-year-old team import made a hit and roll in the 10th that was mostly buried and Young’s tricky double-takeout attempt didn’t work out.
The announced crowd of 4,858 included many friends and family members from the five-player Nunavut side.
Higgs lives in Strathroy, Ont., about a half-hour drive from London. Second Brady St. Louis, an Iqaluit native, is from nearby St. Marys, Ont.
Third Sheldon Wettig, lead Christian Smitheram and fifth Terry Lichty are also on the team.
Playing on Sheet A by the side boards, the spectators gave the players a standing ovation after the historic win. Higgs raised his broom in the air as the crowd roared its approval.
“You have to experience it to understand what it felt like,” he said. “It was incredible.”
Higgs was 0-7 in his previous Brier appearance in 2020. St. Louis played on the 2021 side that went 0-7 with skip Peter Mackey.
Higgs has made four career appearances at the Canadian mixed curling championship. He also coached the American mixed doubles team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
After shaking hands, the Nunavut squad took pictures by the scoreboard featuring the historic result before celebrating with supporters in the stands.
“You just try to keep breathing,” Higgs said of the final few ends. “I was nervous out there. You just try and say, ‘You know what, just make all the shots you can and let the chips fall where they may.’
“Today we made more shots. It was awesome.”
In other games, Dunstone led his Manitoba team to a 9-3 victory over Saskatchewan’s Kelly Knapp.
Koe’s Alberta side held off Nova Scotia’s Matthew Manuel 5-4 and Northern Ontario’s Tanner Horgan posted a 6-4 win over Carruthers and his Wild Card 2 rink.
Another draw was scheduled for Saturday night. Round-robin play continues through Thursday and the final is scheduled for March 12.