'As hungry as ever'

 

By Doug Graham
The Kingston Whig Standard
February 8, 2010

Glenn Howard is heading to his 12th Brier after a record-setting performance at the Ontario men's curling championship.

The Coldwater rink completed a perfect seven days of curling with a 5-3 last-shot win over Ottawa's Bryan Cochrane yesterday before a sellout crowd of 1,400 at the Strathcona Paper Centre.

Howard, third Richard Hart and front-end men Brent Laing and Craig Savill became the first rink in the 87-year history of the provincial championship to win five straight titles.

Howard, who also went to seven Briers as the third for his brother Russ Howard, has now played in 22 Ontario men's championships, coming away the winner a dozen times -- the last five as a skip.

Howard, 47, said it was not only a great week for his rink but also a cure for the team's blues after losing out to Kevin Martin for the right to play for Canada at the Vancouver Olympics.

"That loss to Kevin was devastating. We're not over it yet," said Howard who is from Midland and now plays out of the Coldwater Curling Club.

"That's the best part of our team. We get right back up on the horse. We knew if we went out there and play to our ability we'd have a good shot at winning.

"Lo and behold we went 12-0 and that's just what the doctor ordered really. It sure helps ease the pain."

Howard won the trip to the Tim Hortons Brier in Halifax next month with a big-time, out-turn draw to the four foot in the 10th end. Cochrane's rink had battled back from a 4-1 deficit with a steal of one in the ninth, making it 4-3 playing the final end. The Ottawa Rideau rink had the tying and winning rocks counting at the left side of of the house -- one top of the top 12-foot circle and the other at the back 12-foot.

Although the rocks were wide open and a double take-o ut was playable, Howard elected to draw, risking a defeat if he wasn't precise.

Hart said the fact Howard had been so good with his draw weight all game -- he twice had hit the button for a point earlier when he needed to -- was why the draw shot was played.

"Glenn was confident with his draw weight and we were confident in him," Hart said.

Howard's previous success with draws left him feeling good about the shot.

"I really felt (draw weight) was in my back pocket," said Howard, using an expression curlers have when draw weight is there for them.

"When I get it, I really love that feeling. The double was tough. I said 'let's win it right here.'

"I knew the guys would put it on the button for me."

It was a gritty performance by Cochrane, whose only trip to the Brier was in 2003. He was 9-1 in the round-robin this year, with the only loss coming against Howard. After losing 6-4 to Howard in the Page Playoff 1-2 game Saturday, Cochrane earned another shot at him by defeating Brampton's Peter Corner 12-5 in a semifinal yesterday morning.

"They're a great team, let's face it," said Cochrane, who did manage to entice Howard into a junk end in the third with the Coldwater rink up 1-0 and without last shot.

But Cochrane gambled with some long tap backs on guard rocks he had several feet off the rings. Third Rich Moffatt failed twice to get it right and Cochrane was off on his first shot at it. Howard then made a perfect draw to the four foot to lock it on top of another counter. Cochrane was left with a steep angle raise which managed to get one rock out, but Howard got an important steal of one.

"We were chasing them the whole game after that steal," Cochrane said.

Howard's rink now heads to the Brier March 6-14. Despite it being his 12th Brier, Howard said he is just as excited now as he was in his first Brier back in 1986 with Russ Howard at skip.

"I'm just as pumped and just as hungry to play and win as ever. I like to win with my buddies," Howard said.

"When you are on the national stage you want to play well. Now we're back again and get another chance."

The Howard rink, which came third last year at the Brier in Calgary, won the Canadian championship in 2007 in Hamilton. Howard went on to win the world title that year, his third world championship but first as a skip.

Tankard notes:Howard saluted the organizers for a "fantastic event" and said since he has been skipping at the provincials, the crowds were the best he has seen. ... Percy Hall of Kitchener was the first curler to win four consecutive Ontario men's titles. Hall did it from 1938 to 1941 and then came back to win three more times from 1944-46. Russ Howard won four straight titles from 1991 to 1994 and lost a bid for a fifth in 1995 at Kingston when he was the runner-up to Ed Werenich. ... Dr. Alex Scott, the last Kingston curler to win the the provincial title in 1975, was in attendance for yesterday's final. ... Carly Howard, Glenn's daughter, finished 4-3 at the Ontario bantam girls championship at the Gananoque Curling Club this week. She was fourth, which was one spot out of moving on to the Ontario Winter Games next month. Kendall Haymes of Kitchener won the bantam girls and Jack Lindsay of Toronto St. George's took the bantam boys.
 

  

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