The good, the bad, the ugly and the OK
Sunday, March 9, 2008 | 06:05 AM ET
With Day Two of the Brier in the books, let's look back at the good, the bad, the ugly and the OK.
The Good: Alberta, Ontario and the ice
Alberta controlled both of their games today, defeating Quebec in the morning and New Brunswick in the afternoon. Ho hum, they're 3-0.
Ontario struggled at times in their only game against Quebec, a rematch of the 2006 Brier final, but in the end skip Glenn Howard prevailed in an extra end to move to 3-0.
The ice looks great. Even Kevin Martin says he likes it! There's lots of curl, meaning you can bury a rock around guards just about anywhere on the ice. And just in case you haven’t noticed, the ice surface is wider than normal. The CCA has moved to the wider International ice surface, adding 17 inches to the width of the playing surface. As a result, keep an eye out for some great tick shots in the later ends. There should be quite a few made as the ticked rock now has more room to travel before it can hit the boards.
Curling term explanation: the tick shot: Teams normally try the tick shot in the last end when they have last rock and are one or two points up in the game. Some teams even try this shot when they are tied with the hammer. The lead is the only player who gets to attempt this shot. What they are trying to do is move the opposition's guard away from the centre line without that ticked rock touching the side boards or being moved past the end line (ie. the oppositions rock must stay in play). If the ticked rock does touch the side boards or go past the end line, the opposition will then replace that rock to its original position on the ice. When executed properly, there should be no guards in front of the four-foot rings, which in the end should leave the skip with a fairly routine shot to win the game.
The Bad: Nova Scotia’s six-end loss to Quebec
Nova Scotia gave up steals of five and three in the first two ends, then had to wait until the sixth end to shake them up, going down 13-2. Also looking bad were B.C. and P.E.I., who are 0-for-3. Time to get a W.
The Ugly: Manitoba’s win over Nova Scotia
The buffalo boys are 3-0, but their afternoon game looked like a game of giveaway. They had multiple chances to put the game away but were on the wrong side of the rock too many times. They know they will have to pick up their game soon, as their schedule is going to get a lot tougher!
Another ugly one was Saskatchewan and B.C.’s night game. Another game of missed opportunities on both sides. Saskatchewan won the game, and sometimes winning this ugly can mean good things for the week.
The OK: Gushue’s rink from the Rock got their first win tonight, over Northern Ontario
Still a struggle out there for the Newfoundland boys, but you better keep an eye on this team. They can catch fire!
Players to watch
Keep an eye and ear on the Quebec third, Martin Crete, and skip Jean-Michel Menard. By far they have the best vocals and antics out on the ice. Another quirk with the skip is the way he holds the broom when he slides. He starts with the sliding broom on the ice, then half way to the hog line the end of his broom rises up to almost a vertical position. Keep an eye out for it.
Games to watch on Monday
Draw 6 (9:30 a.m. local) Saskatchewan vs Alberta
Draw 7 (2 p.m.) Ontario vs Manitoba
Draw 8 (7p.m.) Newfoundlan vs Quebec
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Stoughton's Spin »
About the Author
Former world and Brier champion Jeff Stoughton joins CBCSports.ca with his take on the 2008 Canadian men’s curling championship.
The Winnipeg native - widely regarded as one of this country's top skips - captured Brier titles in 1996 and 1999, winning the world championship in 1996 and finishing second in 1999.
Stoughton has won a record six provincial titles over his career. He currently curls out of the Charleswood Curling Club with teammates Ryan Fry, Rob Fowler, Steve Gould.
Fans can keep track of Team Stoughton on their website: http://www.teamjeffstoughton.com
Recent Posts
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