CALGARY, March 11, 2009 (CCA) — Alberta’s Kevin Martin heads into the final day of the round-robin here Thursday at the 2009 Tim Hortons Brier exactly as he did at this point last year — undefeated and looking every bit like the team to beat.
Martin went undefeated in winning last year’s Brier in Winnipeg and he’s in the same position again today, sporting a perfect 9-0 record after a convincing 7-2 victory over Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton Wednesday night.
The Alberta win took just seven ends, which is actually a long game by recent Alberta standards. Their previous three wins took just six ends apiece for a total of just 25 ends in their last four games.
Alberta second Mark Kennedy is looking forward to Thursday night’s game against Ontario’s Glenn Howard in what is shaping up as a schedule maker’s coup — a battle for first place on the very last draw of the event.
“We’re in for a tough one (tonight) for sure, which will get us ready for the one-two game,” said Kennedy. “We’re playing well right now, and Kev loves the ice, which is important for all of us. Whether it’s 7-2 or it goes down to last rock, just get the W.”
In other games Wednesday night, Saskatchewan’s Joel Jordison beat Nova Scotia’s Mark Dacey 7-4; Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard beat NWT/Yukon’s Jamie Koe 8-4; and New Brunswick’s Russ Howard beat PEI’s Rod MacDonald 7-4.
PEI, with a 2-7 record, is out of playoff contention, and wraps up play on Thursday with games against Northern Ontario at 11:30 am Atlantic, and Quebec at 4 pm Atlantic.