Canada & Koe begin world championship on winning note

Feature photo: Kevin Koe at the Brier on March 13, 2016 (via Greg Kolz).

The Canadian rink at the World Men’s Curling Championship is off to a winning start after skip Kevin Koe led his team to a 7-3 victory over Finland.

Playing with an experienced group that includes Marc Kennedy, Brent Laing and Ben Hebert, Koe was stalked closely by his counterpart Aku Kauste, until the sixth end when the Canadians were able to steal one to go up 4-2.

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Kevin Koe (centre) guides a shot at The Brier on March 13, 2016 (Photo: Greg Kolz).

Kevin Koe (centre) guides a shot at the Brier on March 13, 2016 (Photo: Greg Kolz).

The Finns got within one in the eighth end before the game was put to bed in the ninth with three from Canada. More details are available at Curling Canada, which also tweets through the games.

Koe is a world champion from 2010, while Kennedy and Hebert won Olympic gold at home when curling with Kevin Martin at Vancouver 2010. The current Koe rink won the Brier last month for a chance to represent Canada at the worlds in Basel, Switzerland.

The world championship is broadcast daily on TSN, with the page playoff beginning on April 8, and medal games taking place two days later.