New Alberta curling team slides into deep men's national championship field

A curling team bearing a name other than Bottcher, Koe, Martin or Ferbey will represent Alberta at the Canadian men's championship for the first time in 26 years.

Aaron Sluchinski upset Kevin Koe in Alberta's men's final. Sluchinski's Airdrie Curling Club team is among 18 battling for a national title in the Montana's Brier starting Friday in Regina.

"It was huge for me and the guys," Sluchinski said. "Ever since I started curling, I just wanted to play in a Brier.

"It's the biggest stage in curling, and that was my 11th try at provincials, so it was nice to finally beat one of the big guys."

Four-time Brier champion Koe still gained entry to Regina as the highest-ranked, non-qualified men's team in Canada.

Koe ranked third nationally, and No. 7 Sluchinski knew they were both Brier-bound in their final's fifth-end break, when informed of Manitoba's men's result.

Sluchinski was nevertheless proud to get his team's name on a silver cup that has long carried the names of Koe, Brendan Bottcher, Kevin Martin and Randy Ferbey, and to also beat Koe twice in Alberta's playoffs en route to the title.

"We beat those guys in other events and stuff, but they always bring it at the provincials," Sluchinski said.

"It's always so much more difficult when you play them to represent the province. So it felt like, yeah, we knocked off a giant there."

The Brier field includes 14 provincial and territorial champions. Seven teams are ranked in Canada's Top 10. Alberta has three entries and Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador each have two.

Brad Gushue of St. John's, N.L., returns as defending champion seeking a third straight title, as well as a career sixth for himself, third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker, which would tie Ferbey for