Issue 4 – Tuesday, March 6, 2012 • An Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. One of those days E.J. Harnden and Brad Jacobs of Northern Ontario dropped two games Monday, including an extra-end heartbreaker to Ontario’s Glenn Howard. Sponsors of the Day MARCH 30 - APRIL 7, 2013 • Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre See Sponsor Profiles on page 9 Page 2 2012 Tim Hortons Brier – Tankard Times Day Three at The Brier A Koe collision course? By Larry Wood 4-and-1 Koe brother who easiest shots I’ve ever Tankard Times Editor engineered a first-end trio played,” said Howard. against Gushue and never “A 10-foot raise, not too he Koe brothers looked back. heavy. gave it their best “We’re playing pretty “Four extra-ends in a Tshot to upstage good right now. We’re row, whew! “ he gasped. Glenn Howard’s record- managing the game well. I “We’ve had to grind out tying Brier appearance at really like where this team every win. These guys are the Credit Union Centre on is at right now.” bringing their A games and Monday night. The Territories skip ad- playing well against us. Alberta’s Kevin Koe mitted to no surprise at his But, yeah, it is getting me directed his fifth straight standing. revved up. I’m enjoying it. victory without a defeat “There were a lot of As long as we win those. while brother Jamie Koe teams here we thought we It’s been a lot of curling. skipped his Territories team matched up well against,” They’re putting the pres- to a fourth win in five starts, he said. “Everybody except sure on us.” matching Ontario’s record maybe two teams thought Informed he’d be break- atop the Tim Hortons Brier they matched up pretty ing his brother’s games- standings. well.” played record today, he Howard, the 49-year- The brothers will col- said: “That’s cool. It just old Ontario skip, played lide Wednesday morning means I’m old.” a record-tying 174th following two-game days British Columbia Jim Brier game as his team of today. Cotter posted his third Wayne Middaugh, Brent “The difference is, straight win on the late Laing and Craig Savill de- they’re world champions shift, another last-rock feated Northern Ontario’s and the best we’ve ever decision, to erase a two- Brad Jacobs 6-5 in an done is win six games at defeat start. overtime chiller, the fourth the Brier,” said Jamie Koe. A 10th-end deuce and in a row for the Howard Brother Kevin (5-0), a measure for the winner team. who said his Alberta team gave Cotter a 5-4 win over The appearance drew hasn’t been operating un- Quebec’s Robert Desjar- Howard even with his older der a lot of heat, seemed dins of Chicoutimi, brother Russ Howard. impressed. Kevin Koe extended But the younger Howard “We’re playing well and his record to 4-0 in short will establish a new game it looks like my brother’s order with an 8-2 afternoon record of 175 for Brier play team might be even better,” thumping of Mike Gaudet’s today at 1:30 p.m. when he said. “They don’t get the P.E.I. crew in eight ends. Ontario squares off against competition we do so for The Saskatchewan unit Scott Manners (2-3) of them to come down here sat at 2-2 after a morning Saskatchewan. and played as well they 9-5 loss to the Territories. It was an unlucky day for are is something — and I Meanwhile, Gushue got the Soo crew that lost twice mean they’re knocking off off the carpet in the after- and crumbled to 2-and-3. favourites out there. noon with a much-needed The Alberta team of “We haven’t really had 10-5 win over Nova Scotia. Kevin Koe, Pat Simmons, anyone put too much British Columbia stunned Carter Rycroft and Nolan pressure on us yet. But our Manitoba 9-5 and New Thiessen doubled up on schedule gets tougher, we Brunswick hammered Saskatchewan’s Scott get a couple of big games Northern Ontario 8-3 in Manners 6-3. coming up against teams other games. For Jamie Koe’s outfit — we know more about.” After a slow start, the third Tom Naugler, second Howard survived another Rocksters put up a four Brad Chorostkowski and spine-scraper after Jacobs spot in the fourth end and rookie lead Robert Borden executed a miraculous then stole two deuces in a — it matched his best- perfect-weight tap-and-roll row to grab the game by ever start at a Brier. The with his last rock in the the throat. Polar Bears stunned Brad 10th for a deuce to force In one of the strangest Gushue of Newfoundland/ the extra end. games of the week, Cotter Labrador 10-6, sending the The Ontario skip needed outlasted Manitoba’s Rob Rocksters to their fourth a perfectly weighted 10- Fowler, scoring three in loss in five games. foot raise tap with his last the ninth to put away an “We had a good day, a of the game to secure his otherwise close game. little up and down, but we fourth decision in five out- can’t complain, we scored ings. a lot of points,” said the “That wasn’t one of the Continued on Page 3 Alberta’s Kevin Koe won twice Monday and sits alone atop the table at 5-0. Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Page 3 Continued from 2 Odishaw. different result,” he said. Elsewhere on the sunrise shift, “I know it’s not the ice and it’s not The way the Left Coasters came Howard was dragged to an extra the rocks so it’s me, so I had to be out of the hack, it didn’t look good. end by Quebec’s Desjardins before a hair softer. Fowler scored an opening deuce executing a precise soft tap in the “It was a bit of a stinker because and Cotter had what seemed like a four-foot with Ontario’s last rock I thought we really controlled the routine shot for three in the second and his foe lying two for the 9-8 fi rst fi ve.” but pulled the string and gave up a victory. Howard overhauled a defi cit steal of one. Saskatchewan led the Polars 4-2 early to take control against Que- Then the tables turned quickly, at the half but Manners missed a bec with three in the sixth. But Des- with B.C. scoring six consecutive key shot in the eighth to catapult jardins battled right back with two points, taking one then stealing the Koe and Co., to a four-ender. singles to tie it after eight. next fi ve. “We struggled the fi rst fi ve ends Howard deuced in the ninth but While Fowler battled back with pretty bad,” said Koe. “We told our- missed in the 10th allowing Que- one, then a steal of one, a missed selves we were still in it and I don’t bec to tie it with another pair. double-raise in the ninth left Cotter think we missed another shot after In the extra, the skips traded a draw for three and handshakes. that. When he had the miss on the clutch out-turn shots slipping past “It was defi nitely a strange eighth it was the turning point. a centre guard for taps in the four- game,” said Cotter. “We have to fi gure out that slow foot. Desjardins was tight with his “I was terrible in the fi rst two start and come back strong in the last and didn’t get a covering roll, ends. The guys were all throwing next one.” leaving a corner of the four-foot good and making their shots so Jamie Koe claims to be older vulnerable to Howard’s last bump- I knew we just had to stick to the and smarter these days. shot. program and I had to pick it up a “The year we went 4-and-0 to “I didn’t get what I wanted with little.” start (2007) we got caught up with the last one, otherwise we had a Northern Ontario got off to a ter- all the fans and the media and stuff fi ghting chance,” said Desjardins. rible start against New Brunswick’s and it’s pretty easy to get side- Howard admitted to “a struggle”. Terry Odishaw, trailing 7-1 at the tracked from curling when you go “It’s a little different out there,” he break. over to the Patch and whatnot,” he said. “It’s not vintage Hans (ice- At times, there seemed to be said. “We still like to have our fun maker Wuthrich), how’s that? some tension in the ranks of the but we’re a little tamer and a little “It’s just the type of ice that you Northern Ontarians, something not wiser, I think.” have to get it there. It’s sometimes- lost on Odishaw. Manners (2-2) was perplexed it-does and sometimes-it-doesn’t. “They struggled in the beginning about the turnaround. And we’re not quite as effective Ontarioʼs Glenn Howard will break a Brier appearance and played fantastic towards the “That eighth end we’d just thrown and the other teams are making record today when heʼll play in his 175th game, breaking the end, but they were missing shots that in-turn off the line so, I thought, more shots.” record held by brother Russ.