THE CANADIAN PRESS
LONDON, Ont. — Skip Jeff Stoughton has been cool, calm and confident all week at the Tim Hortons Brier.
With rock-steady curling from his Manitoba rink, he had every reason to be. Stoughton was in control throughout the round robin and simply got stronger at playoff time.
His stellar play was the difference in an 8-6 victory over Ontario’s Glenn Howard in the championship game Sunday night.
"There is nothing better than this feeling right now," Stoughton said. "We said we were going to win this thing right from the get-go. This is what we were here for and we did it.
"I couldn’t be prouder of my team. Just awesome."
Stoughton was in control after hitting a clutch double takeout for two points in the eighth end. Howard scored two in the ninth to make it a two-point game but Stoughton hit another double takeout in the 10th to blank the end and win it.
It was Stoughton’s third career men’s national curling title and his first since 1999. Stoughton shot 93 per cent in the final while Howard came in at 87 per cent.
"It’s been a long week and we’re so glad to finish this off the right way," Stoughton said. "We’re just ecstatic."
Stoughton will represent Canada at the world men’s curling championship April 2-10 at Evraz Place in Regina.
"We’re going to put the Maple Leaf on our back and we’re going to rock out in Regina," he said. "It’s just going to be awesome."
Howard, who last won a national title in 2007, fell to 3-7 in career Brier finals.
"It’s bloody horrible," Howard said of the runner-up finish. "I’m starting to get used to it. That’s the problem."
Stoughton opened the scoring with a tap for two in the second end. Howard answered with a single in the third and stole one in the fourth to pull even. Stoughton went ahead with two in the fifth end and stole two more in the sixth before Howard replied with two points in the seventh end.
Howard felt his light draw in the sixth end was the difference.
"All of a sudden the ice got real straight," Howard said. "I threw a really good shot there and it curled a foot and a half less than it was supposed to."
Howard, who was fourth in the round robin at 8-3, had a challenging route to the final. He had to beat Kevin Martin of Alberta — the 2010 Olympic champ — 5-4 in the 3-4 playoff game Saturday afternoon. Howard then edged 2006 Olympic champion Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador 7-6 in the semifinal just a few hours later.
Stoughton, meanwhile, enjoyed the day off after beating Gushue in the 1-2 playoff game Friday night in a battle of 9-2 rinks.
"I’ve got to give Jeff Stoughton and the boys credit," Howard said. "I don’t know whether anybody’s going to beat them. They’re unbelievable."
Stoughton, third Jon Mead, second Reid Carruthers and lead Steve Gould shot an impressive 96 per cent as a team. Howard, third Richard Hart, second Brent Laing and lead Craig Savill finished at 91 per cent. Mead was named playoff MVP.
The Ontario and Manitoba teams both earned $40,000 for reaching the final. Stoughton will also receive $144,000 from Sport Canada over a two-year period and $40,000 from Own The Podium for training and competition expenses.
Earlier, Gushue defeated Martin 10-5 in eight ends to capture the bronze medal. It was Gushue’s last game with third Mark Nichols, who announced before the Brier that he will take a break from competitive curling at the end of the season.
"It meant a little bit more just because Mark and I, that was our last game playing together for at least a couple years anyway," Gushue said. "So it was nice to go out on a winning note."
Gushue cemented the victory with four points in the eighth end. His team earned $30,000 while Martin’s team received $20,000. The fifth through 12th-place teams picked up $7,000 apiece.
Manitoba leads all provinces with 27 Brier titles, two more than Alberta. With the victory, Stoughton’s team also earns berths in the 2011 Canada Cup from Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Cranbrook, B.C., and the 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup from Jan. 12-15 in Langley, B.C.
Notes: A crowd of 8,261 watched the final to push the total attendance to 113,626. The Brier attendance record of 281,985 was set in Edmonton in 2005. … The 2012 Brier will be held in Saskatoon. … The Ontario team dominated the Brier all-star selections. Howard was the first-team skip and his three teammates were named to the second team. Stoughton was the second-team skip. Mead was named to the first team along with Alberta second Marc Kennedy and Alberta lead Ben Hebert. Kennedy flew home late Saturday to be with his wife, who is due to give birth in the coming days. … Over 7,000 curlers attempt to qualify each year for the Brier through club, zone, district and eventually provincial and territorial championships. Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories/Yukon have yet to win a Brier.