??Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton (Michael Burns photography)
(CCA) Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton, a nine-time Brier skip, is off the launching pad at the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier with three straight wins — his best Brier start since 2006 at Regina.
“We’re making the easy ones, that’s for sure,” said Stoughton around Sunday noon, moments after completing an 8-3 conquest of Nova Scotia’s unit skipped by Shawn Adams of Halifax.
“If you can get off to a great start then you know your confidence level is going to be high as you’re going into those games,” Stoughton assessed.
Edmonton’s Kevin Martin, skipping Alberta’s defender, ran his Brier winning streak to 28 on the morning shift, drawing cold to the button with his last rock to defeat James Grattan of New Brunswick 8-6.
Grattan got out of the gate with a deuce and a steal of one but Martin turned the tables and assumed control with a stolen deuce in the eighth end when rubs and a picked rock appeared to sink the New Brunswick hopes.
In the final end, Grattan had his foe facing three counters but Martin had the path to the button and strong sweeping.
In other Draw-Three outings, Quebec’s unsung Francois Gagne of Montreal kept pace with his second straight win, a 10-3 whipping of Prince Edward Island’s winless Eddie MacKenzie, while Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs stole two points in the 10th end when Territories skip Jamie Koe wrecked on a bold last-rock tying bid to draw the button. It ended 11-8 in favour of the Sault Ste. Marie team that finished third at last year’s Brier renewal in Halifax. PEI has draw four off, but plays Stoughton in the evening.