(CCA) For Alberta’s Kevin Martin, his 29th consecutive Brier win, 8-2 over B.C.’s Jim Cotter in the afternoon draw also put him at the century mark for the event. It’s a milestone he didn’t realize until it was brought up in the post-game media scrum.
Kevin Martin (Photo: Michael Burns Photography)
“You guys keep reminding me about that stuff,” said Martin who shrugged off the mark, remembering that his first win at a Brier was against “whoever we played in the first game in Hamilton (1991), I really don’t remember.”
For the Alberta crew of Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert, the most important stat this day is their record is now 3-0 with the evening draw off.
“It was a big game for us, we played a lot better out there,” said Martin who added he didn’t feel he curled very well in the morning’s 8-6 win over James Grattan of New Brunswick.
Martin will face P.E.I. in Monday afternoon’s draw.
Another skip who has enjoyed his share of Brier success, Ontario’s Glenn Howard, rebounded with a hard-fought 7-4 win over Shawn Adams of Nova Scotia, who remains winless at 0-3.
The win sets up a huge match-up with Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock (2-0) in the evening draw. The Green Machine won a see-saw, extra-end battle with previously unbeaten Quebec.
In that contest, Francois Gagne battled back from a late 7-4 deficit, scoring a deuce in nine and stealing one in 10 to force an extra end. That forced Pat Simmons, who throws last rock for the Regina crew, to make a shot with his last brick for an 8-7 win, an open draw to the eight-foot.
Another extra-end affair boasted one of the best chess matches seen at the John Labatt Centre so far this week, as Newfoundland/Labrador’s Brad Gushue outlasted Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs 7-5.
Jacobs had hammer, down one coming home and it looked like Gushue had handed him an opportunity to score a deuce and win the game when his last rock slid too far providing backing for the Soo curler.
“That was a back and forth game and we probably should have lost it in the tenth there, I thought Brad had a relatively easy shot there, Gushue sits at 2-0, looking for his third win tonight against B.C.
Northern Ontario drops to 1-2.
Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton will look to go 4-0 Sunday evening when he plays P.E.I.’s Eddie MacKenzie (0-3), while the Territories take on New Brunswick.