The Brock Badgers curling program was well represented at Canada's premier curling championship.
Owen Henry, a current Brock curler, and Victor Pietrangelo, a Brock alumnus, competed with Team King, the Ontario rink, at the 2026 Montana's Brier from Friday, Feb. 27 to Sunday, March 8 at the Mary Brown's Centre in St. John's, N.L.
"What a great week it was at the Brier," Henry said. "Realizing our dream of playing in this tournament at such a young age and in front of the amazing crowd in St John's was a truly incredible experience. I could never have imagined the amount of support and enthusiasm from our supporters near and far, which led us to such a great week."
The Ontario contingent was led by Jayden King from the Tilsonburg Curling Club, who made history as the first Black skip in Brier history.
In pool play, the team went 5-3, picking up wins over Nova Scotia (11-4), Prince Edward Island (8-3), Nunavut (8-3), Quebec (8-7) and Saskatchewan (9-4).
Two of their losses came against legends of the sport, falling 8-2 to Team Jacobs, who won gold for Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, and 8-4 to two-time Olympian Brad Gushue's Team Newfoundland and Labrador squad.
"We had never experienced crowds even close to the size of that arena and because it was in St. John's and Brad's last Brier, they were full almost every draw and as loud as a curling arena can get," Pietrangelo said. "It was incredible to see years of work finally pay off and to be able to realize our dream. It was a special first Brier and will be an experience I'll remember forever."
Team King's rink made an impressive debut in their first national championship appearance, securing the third and final playoff spot in Pool A before falling to Gushue's team 12-6 in the Page 3-4 qualifier game.
The road to the Brier was a remarkable one for both Henry and Pietrangelo, who joined King's rink before advancing through the Ontario Tankard. After a 7-5 loss to Team Mooibroek in the Page 1-2 game, Team King rebounded to defeat them 9-6 in the final to qualify for the national competition.
"Before last year, my focus was mainly on mixed doubles rather than men's, but when there was an opening on Team King, I really wanted to be a part of the squad as I was already good friends with them and saw a lot of potential in the team," Pietrangelo said. "Since then, it's been a bit of a Cinderella season, jumping up into the Top 20 in the world and No. 6 in Canada."
Their experience on the national stage is something Brock men's head coach Jordan Thin believes should excite the program moving forward.
"Being some small measure of a part of their curling careers is a fantastic thing," he said. "Their work ethic directly influenced and uplifted the rest of the Brock team, something as a coach I really appreciated and something that contributed to the success we've had as a group. Seeing them make the playoffs, knowing how much that means to their development as individual curlers and as a team, makes me a proud coach and fan of theirs."
Henry echoed the sentiment and is excited for what the future holds for both him and Pietrangelo.
"This experience both on and off the ice will guide us to the next level of our curling careers and I cannot wait for what's next to come," he said.
