SASKATOON – Glenn Howard didn’t let the Brier Tankard slip
through his fingers this time.
Often a finalist at the Canadian men’s curling championship,
Howard was building a reputation for losing championship games. He
put that behind him as he led Ontario to a 7-6 win over Alberta’s
Kevin Koe in the final of the Tim Hortons Brier on Sunday.
Howard, third Wayne Middaugh, second Brent Laing and Craig Savill
will represent Canada at the world men’s championship March 31 to
April 8 in Basel, Switzerland.
It was the sixth Brier final in seven years for Howard and his
front end of Laing and Savill, but just their second victory. They
won the Canadian title in 2007.
Howard howled for joy when he met with reporters after his
victory.
“Little bit of a monkey off our back, I think.” Howard said.
“The guys made everything and thank god. They brought it tonight.”
Howard, 49, also won two Briers playing third for brother Russ in
1987 and 1993. They reached the Canadian final five times.
“I just can’t believe I’ve won the Brier four times,” said the
beer store owner from Tiny, Ont. “I’m pretty proud to be on some of
the greatest teams that ever walked the earth as far as I’m
concerned.
“I surround myself with some of the best curlers and it feels
great to win another one.”
Middaugh, who skipped Ontario to Canadian and world titles in
1998, joined the Coldwater Curling Club team at third prior to this
season after Richard Hart retired. Middaugh earned the Hec Gervais
award that goes to the most valuable player in the playoffs.
Howard, Alberta’s Kevin Martin and Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton are
Canada’s heavyweights in men’s curling. The odds are one of those
three will represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
But four losses in five Brier finals from 2006 to 2011, plus
falling to Martin in the final of the 2009 Olympic trials, raised
questions about Howard’s ability to finish the job.
He dispelled the doubts in Saskatoon. Ontario played five
extra-end games in the round robin and Savill was ill with a stomach
ailment, yet they topped the preliminary round at 10-1. Howard then
dominated Manitoba’s Rob Fowler 9-3 in the playoff game between the
top two seeds.
Ontario completely controlled the first seven ends of the final,
making no errors and pouncing on Alberta mistakes to lead 4-2 after
five ends and 6-2 after six.
Alberta had Howard under pressure in the eighth, but the Ontario
skip drew for a piece of the button and the point to stay up 7-3.
Koe scored his first deuce of the game in the ninth, but Howard
was still up two coming home with the hammer.
Alberta set up to score two and force the extra end. Howard hit
and rolled out, but could afford to give up a steal of one and still
win.
When Koe had hammer, he drew against three or more Ontario stones
for single points in the second, fifth and seven ends.
Ontario also communicated sweeping calls more precisely than
Alberta. Koe sounded tense demanding feedback from his teammates.
“It was a struggle,” Koe said. “They played great and we were
off a little early. You just can’t make mistakes like that against
those guys.
“We just couldn’t get the rocks in the right place (during) the
first half of the game while we were still in it. All our points
were draws against a bundle. They played awesome.”
Middaugh’s shooting accuracy was graded 98 per cent and Howard’s
was 95. Alberta third Pat Simmons was rated at 78 per cent and Koe
at 81 at the halfway mark.
Simmons was ill for the entire tournament with a throat infection
that worsened as Alberta entered the playoffs.
Howard’s record in finals at the world championships is more
impressive. In three trips – two with brother Russ – he’s won all
three.
“I don’t know if you know, but we’re 34-1 in our last 35
games,” Howard said. “Bit of a run, so I hope we can bring that
into Basel.”
Howard’s team is now eligible for $144,000 of Sport Canada
funding over a two-year period as well as $40,000 from Own the
Podium for training and competition expenses. They also earn $10,000
for wearing the Tim Hortons crest at the world championships.
There’s also an automatic berth in the 2012 Canada Cup, at which
an Olympic trials berth will be awarded to the winner.
The Brier champion is also named to the North American team in
the 2013 Continental Cup of Curling, a competition against European
and Asian teams.
Ontario and Alberta get $40,000 in prize money as finalists.
Manitoba receives $30,000 for the bronze medal and Jamie Koe of
Yukon and Northwest Territories earns $20,000 for fourth.
Howard’s win also puts him neck and neck with Manitoba’s Mike
McEwen in the race for an Olympic trials berth. The top team in the
Canadian Team Ranking System at the end of this season gets one of
the eight available.
Martin is the only team so far to qualify for the Olympic trials
by winning the 2011 Canada Cup.
CTRS rankings are determined by points earned at provincial,
national and world championships as well as World Curling Tour
bonspiels and Grand Slams.
Howard was 36.29 points back of McEwen at the top of the CTRS
list heading into the Brier. He picked up 45 points for the Brier
victory and can add another 45 for a world championship win.
“The long-term goal is to secure a spot in the Olympic trials,”
Howard said. “If we were to win the worlds, it would probably put
us in the lead.”
Another 40 points goes to the winner of the Players Championship
in Summerside, P.E.I., from April 17 to 22nd.
Howard played in his 14th Brier, which ties the record set by his
brother Russ. Glenn also set a new record for career games played at
the Brier with 182.
Ontario and Alberta were the clear pre-tournament favourites
heading into this year’s Brier and they lived up to their billing.
The story of this Brier was Kevin’s brother Jamie and his team from
Yellowknife.
They were the first Territories team to make the playoffs.
Playoff games were added to what had been a round-robin format in
1980.
Koe fell 8-7 in an extra end to Fowler in the bronze-medal game,
but fourth was still a significant result for the curling team from
Canada’s north.
The time, distance and expense of travelling of World Curling
Tour events in the south mean Koe’s team plays the country’s elite
teams only at the national championship.
“(We) probably proved we can compete at this level and we can
play well and be in contention,” Jamie Koe said. “But to compete
year and year out, you’ve got to play these guys and learn how to
beat them.”
Fowler served notice his Brandon Curling Club team will be one to
watch in the future. Fowler, 37, beat Stoughton for the right to
skip his province at the Brier for the first time. Fowler felt his
team was capable of winning, but said he was proud of bronze.
“We handled ourselves in very classy manner all week and today
would be no different,” Fowler said. “That game meant something to
us.”
Total attendance for the 2012 Tim Hortons Brier was 177,226 at
Credit Union Centre, ranking it eighth all-time. The 2013 Brier will
be held in Edmonton.
The women’s world curling championship opens Saturday in
Lethbridge, Alta. Heather Nedohin and her Edmonton team will wear
the Maple Leaf there.
Notes – Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher won the world junior men’s
crown Sunday in Sweden . . . The province of Ontario has now won 10
Canadian championships. Manitoba leads with 27, followed by Alberta
with 25 . . . Howard, Middaugh, Alberta second Carter Rycroft and
Manitoba lead Derek Samagalski were named to the first all-star team
. . . Alberta’s Koe, Manitoba third Allan Lyburn, Laing and Alberta
lead Nolan Thiessen were chosen second-team all-stars.
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