History’s with Stoughton

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This article was published 13/02/2011 (5534 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BEAUSEJOUR — Jeff Stoughton became the winningest skip Manitoba men’s curling championship history Saturday night, registering his 118th career victory with an 8-3 win over Brandon’s Terry McNamee.

The win also vaulted him straight into today’s provincial men’s final, where Stoughton will attempt to win his ninth career Manitoba men’s title, third in a row and fifth in the last six years.

In a career full of history-making moments, this one would be truly special. Stoughton and lead Steve Gould would become just the second and third men in Manitoba history to win three straight provincial curling championships, joining only Doug Armstrong — who did it as lead for Dale Duguid in 1998 and for Stoughton in 1999 and 2000.

It is, in another words, a game dripping with all kinds of history. But it is, Stoughton reminded reporters Saturday night, just another game. Sort of.

“It’s pretty exciting. You like to dominate as much as you can and put all the heat on the other teams to beat you. And that’s what we’re trying to do here.

“We’d love to finish it off with another championship. And three in a row would be gravy.”

With Stoughton confirmed for the final, the question now is whether he will face McNamee or top-seed Mike McEwen, who meet in this morning’s semifinal.

McEwen had a roller-coaster day Saturday. He lost an A-side qualifying game 9-4 to McNamee in the morning but bounced back with a 7-2 win over La Salle’s Randy Neufeld on the afternoon draw in a B-side qualifier and then defeated Vic Peters Saturday night to advance to this morning’s semi.

“We’re just finding a way to win. It’s not pretty and sometimes it’s ugly,” said McEwen. “The points aren’t coming easy for us but we’re somehow finding a way to stay alive.

“I felt like if we just got to Sunday, we’d maybe look like a different team… I feel pretty good going up against Terry and I just want the one shot at Jeff. So if I beat Terry then I’m going to get that shot.”

McNamee, meanwhile, is attempting to author one of the more unlikely upsets ever recorded at this event. The eighth seed and a man better known for his four Manitoba mixed titles than anything he’s ever done in men’s curling, McNamee was named the all-star skip of this event Saturday night and finds himself two wins away from the biggest moment in his curling career.

“It’s a team effort and my guys have played well,” said McNamee.

“The mixed is more of a laid-back thing, where this is more competitive… But like I say, my team is good and I expect to win (this morning).

The challenge facing whoever wins this morning’s semifinal will be an extraordinary one. Stoughton will be making his 10th appearance in a provincial final this afternoon, a forum he has proven almost unbeatable over the years.

In nine previous appearances in the men’s final, Stoughton won eight of them. And the only one he lost — the 2004 final to Brent Scales — is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in the history of Manitoba curling.

Stoughton was asked why he’s been so dominant in finals and he suggested his considerable legacy might be working to his advantage.

“People think they have to be perfect against us. And that’s what we hope they’re thinking — that they know that if they set up a double, we’re going to make it. Or if they leave a little tap-back, we’re going to make it.

“So maybe we’re in the minds of other teams that they’re going to have to play a perfect game to beat us. And that’s what we want everyone to think,” Stoughton said with a laugh, “that they’re going to have to be perfect — because we certainly aren’t.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

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