Harnden stuns Alberta's Kevin Martin for first win

NEWS RELEASES

CANADIAN CURLING ASSOCIATION

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Northern Ontario Stuns Alberta

HAMILTON -- Northern Ontario’s Al Harnden authored the biggest upset so far of this Tim Hortons Brier here Sunday afternoon against Alberta’s Kevin Martin.

And Ontario’s Glenn Howard authored the best escape act so far against Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton.

On what was a genuinely wild Draw 4 here at Copps Coliseum, Harnden -- a 53-year-old vice principal from Sault Ste. Marie -- stunned Alberta 8-4 in nine ends.

Making his return to the Brier after an absence of 17 years, Harnden said he understands why few people were expecting much of his team. “This is a good team and I know we were picked well down there,” Harnden said, “but we’re going to try and prove people wrong.”

The win over Alberta improved Northern Ontario to 1-1, while Alberta fell to 2-1. Martin tipped his hat to his opponent. “He shot awfully well. I don’t know if he missed much -- or if he missed at all.”

One sheet over, Ontario and Manitoba staged a rollercoaster Brier classic that saw Howard storm out to a 5-1 lead only to see Stoughton roar back and take a 7-6 lead into the tenth end. Howard made a double takeout with the last rock of the end to tie the game and send it to an extra.

And then, with Ontario lying two biting the four-foot, Manitoba skip Jeff Stoughton needed to draw the four-foot with the last rock of the extra end to grab an unlikely victory. But the rock was light out of his hand and Manitoba sweepers Steve Gould and Rob Fowler were only able to drag the rock to the eight-foot, handing Howard a steal of two and a 9-7 win.

In other games on Draw 4, Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue beat PEI’s Peter Gallant 8-2 and Saskatchewan’s Pat Simmons outlasted Nova Scotia’s Mark Kehoe 7-5.

The Brier resumes Sunday evening when BC’s Dean Joanisse takes on Yukon/NWT’s Jamie Koe, Saskatchewan’s Simmons plays New Brunswick’s Paul Dobson, Nova Scotia’s Kehoe plays Newfoundland’s Gushue and Manitoba’s Stoughton plays Northern Ontario’s Harnden.

Ontario, Alberta, PEI and Quebec draw the byes.

The draw is being carried live on TSN beginning at 7 p.m. ET. *************************

Northerners on a Roll HAMILTON -- This is no ordinary northern team.

With a hard-fought 10-4 win over Quebec’s Pierre Charette in a game that was closer than the score indicates, Yukon/NWT’s Jamie Koe served notice here Sunday morning at the Tim Hortons Brier that his team will have to be reckoned with.

The win was Koe’s second straight and puts his Yellowknife team -- third Kevin Whitehead, second Mark Whitehead and lead Brad Chorostkowski -- atop the standings at 2-0, right alongside heavyweights Kevin Martin of Alberta and Glenn Howard of Ontario.

Koe was leading Charette 6-4 when he cracked a four-pack in the eighth end to put the game out of reach and prompt Quebec to concede. The loss dropped Quebec to 1-2.

In the only other game on Draw 3, BC’s Dean Joanisse got his first win with a 6-4 victory over PEI’s Peter Gallant. The result puts BC and PEI in a tie for fifth at 1-1.

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