(Photo: CCA/Michael Burns Photography)

CALGARY (CCA) — Alberta’s Kevin Martin defeated Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton 10-4 in the final of the Tim Hortons Brier here at the Saddledome Sunday night to capture Alberta its 24th Brier championship.

Martin scored three-enders in the second and fourth ends and shot a Brier record 97 percent in a game that saw the Alberta foursome of Martin, third John Morris, second Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert control the game from the very outset.

Martin, who was named the Hec Gervais playoff MVP, gave full credit for the victory to his team. “Man, the guys curled well,” Martin said. “I don’t know if John missed a shot. All those rolls, he made them perfectly and set up the ends. Man, it was an amazing thing. I didn’t have to make as much as John; it was a real fun game, I just loved it.

“We put the pressure on; the rocks were all placed right, And both Ben and Mark threw high numbers. It was great.”

With Alberta lying two in the second end and holding hammer, Stoughton needed a perfect freeze with his last rock to cut Martin down. But the stone grazed off a guard out front and rolled open, allowing Martin an open hit for three.

Two ends later, it was Manitoba lying one when Martin played a perfect runback to score his second three-ender in three ends and effectively put the game away.

With the win over Stoughton, Alberta’s Martin finished the week a perfect 13-0 — the second year in a row he went undefeated in winning the Brier.

“Hats off to Kevin’s team,” said Stoughton. “They played a great game and they’ll do us proud at the worlds.

“We just didn’t get the rocks in there. We missed a couple of draws early. And they made some great ones.”

Martin will now represent Canada at the Ford world men’s curling championship, Apr. 4-12, in Moncton, New Brunswick.