Jared Kolomaya, Cody Tanaka, Mitchell Kopytko and Coburn Fadden. (Image Credit: TSN)

By Marty Hastings

MANITOBA TOPS B.C.

‘Friends back on now’: Opponents Kolomaya, Dunstone reflect on Kamloops clash under national Brier spotlight

Mar 2, 2026 | 1:39 PM

KAMLOOPS — Tournament Capital curling was the winner at the Brier on Sunday [March 1] in St. John’s, Nfld. 

Four River City rock throwers took to the pebbled ice on national television, with skip Matt Dunstone and his heavily favoured Manitoba rink vanquishing Team B.C. and its three Kamloops Curling Club (KCC) members 9-4 in the TSN feature game. 

“During the game, it was all business,” Dunstone said. “We wanted to beat them down pretty good, just like anybody in the field. That’s how I treat everybody. But I saw Jared [Kolomaya] and Coburn [Fadden] just as I was going for breakfast this morning, so had a little chitchat with them. From this point moving forward, I hope they have the best week.” 

Third Kolomaya, second Mitchell Kopytko and lead Fadden belong to Team B.C., which is ranked 47th in the country and skipped by Cody Tanaka of Richmond. 

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Kolomaya is the only rink member who had Brier experience prior to this year’s men’s national curling championship and nerves were evident in its first two draws, both losses. 

“Everyone says they’re not nervous, but just the waiting and the anticipation of playing … we all kind of struggled in that first game a little bit,” said Kolomaya, noting the tournament began on Friday and his team did not play its first game until Sunday. “Even our game against Matt, we had a better game, but not necessarily our best game.” 

The turning point on Sunday came in the fifth end, when Tanaka’s uber-light draw allowed Dunstone – the second-ranked team in the country – to steal two and take a 6-2 lead. 

“We make that draw and it’s a one-point game and now instead it’s a four-point game and it’s so hard to come back against those guys,” Kolomaya said. “They’re such great hitters and they don’t miss the easy shots. You’ve got to make the easy ones. It’s unfortunate because he [Tanaka] had such a great draw in the third, like one of the best draws I’ve seen in a long time.” 

Dunstone was master of ceremonies at Kolomaya’s wedding, sponsored Fadden’s junior team and knows well KCC assistant ice technician Kopytko. 

“You let them do their thing, you do your own thing and then at the end of the week we’ll probably sit down and have a few beers and chat about it,” Kolomaya said.

Prior to the tournament, Kopytko raved about Dunstone, noting he is always willing to field questions and offer advice at the club. 

“Friends back on now,” said Dunstone, whose significant other, Erin Pincott, is best friends with Samantha Fisher, Kolomaya’s wife. “I wish them nothing but the best going forward. It’s awesome to see their fan group, people that I see at the rink all the time, on the complete other side of the country.”

The KCC held a watch party on Sunday and friends back home are paying attention.  

“I’ve got a few buddies at home that said they caught me on TSN dropping the F-bomb a few times,” Kolomaya said. “I just said, ‘Every once in a while you’ve got to send one out for the boys.’ It’s fun playing on TV. You try and reel it in a little bit, but every once in a while an F-bomb slips out.” 

B.C. dropped to 0-3 on Monday after falling 8-4 to Braden Calvert and his Manitoba rink, which improved to 2-1. 

Dunstone needed only eight ends to dispatch Jamie Koe 8-3 on Monday, improving to 3-0 while the Northwest Territories rink dropped to 1-3. 

On Tuesday, B.C. is slated to play Northern Ontario (1-3) and Saskatchewan (3-1), while Dunstone is scheduled to play Manitoba (Calvert) and Alberta (3-0). 

Attendance is about 6,000 fans per draw, with the atmosphere at Brad Gushue’s swan-song Brier on the Rock simmering amid round-robin play. 

Dunstone, a four-team Brier medallist looking for his first gold, hopes to be there when it reaches a boiling point in the final. 

“It’s no secret that we want this,” Dunstone said. “Obviously, over this Olympic cycle, we’ve lost two finals and came fourth in the other. With this team, there are a lot of rallying points. Me and Colton [third Colton Lott] are hungrier than ever to get our first. It’s been 13 years for Ryan [lead Ryan Harnden] to get his second and we’ve got E.J.’s [second E.J. Harnden] last one.”

“We’ve got a lot of storylines as to why this team wants to go out and do our very best to try and win this one.”