Quebec game collapses to hand Manitoba bronze at Brier in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – A series of missed shots by Quebec gift-wrapped the bronze-medal game for Manitoba Sunday at the Canadian men’s curling championship.

Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton won 9-5 in nine ends after scoring two in the first and stealing two in the second on a missed Quebec runback at the Tim Hortons Brier.

He stole another in the third on a gentle Quebec hit that overcurled and two more in the fourth on Jean-Michel Menard’s tap-back attempt that barely brushed Manitoba’s stones.

It put Manitoba up 7-0 going into five.

Menard drew for one finally in five and raised his arm in a good-natured salute to the applause of the half-filled arena.

He let alternate Pierre Charette skip eight and he stole two to keep the game going when Stoughton missed a hit for one. Manitoba also put alternate Garth Smith in at lead.