Stoughton Manitoba’s all-time great with 8

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This article was published 16/02/2010 (6010 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jeff Stoughton lost in the final of the Tim Hortons Brier last year, but the Winnipeg skip will get another chance to win the Canadian men’s curling championship.

Stoughton scored one with last rock in an extra end to defeat Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 9-8 Sunday to capture his record eighth Manitoba provincial final and clinch a berth in the Brier in Halifax March 6-14.

"Fantastic. I don’t think there’s really any way to describe this," said Stoughton. "We love to win this event and we love to go to the Brier. That’s why we keep coming back here and working hard to win."

Stoughton has now won four of the last five provincial titles and back-to-back championships.

Stoughton stole a single in the first end and two more in the second to grab the early lead, but the McEwen rink battled back and eventually levelled the score with a deuce in the 10th.

In the extra end Stoughton was left with a draw to the four-foot for the win.

McEwen downed Stoughton on Saturday night, earning a 7-5 win that allowed him straight passage to the final. But Stoughton fought his way into the final to deny McEwen in the 29-year-old’s first trip to the title game.

Stoughton, 46, and his Charleswood team of third Kevin Park, second Rob Fowler and lead Steve Gould were forced to crawl out of bed early Sunday and battle Kerry Burtnyk in the semifinal while McEwen and company rested at the hotel in Steinbach.

Stoughton handled his old foe 6-4 and rolled into the final with momentum, letting McEwen know early that any advantage he might previously have held was gone.

McEwen was undefeated at 6-0 going into the final.