Music: {allcanada} BERNARD, MARTIN ADVANCE TO FINALS AT CANADA CUP OF CURLING

Sunday, December 5, 2010

{allcanada} BERNARD, MARTIN ADVANCE TO FINALS AT CANADA CUP OF CURLING

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. -- Olympians Cheryl Bernard and Kevin Martin are off to the finals at the Canada Cup of Curling.

Calgary's Bernard booked her spot in the women's title game with a 6-4 Page One playoff win in 10 ends Saturday over defending champion Shannon Kleibrink. The loss was the first of the tournament for Kleibrink, also of Calgary, who finished the round robin with a perfect 5-0 record.

Bernard's rink tied the score 3-3 with two in the third before adding singles in the fifth, sixth and 10th ends. After registering three in the second for a 3-1 advantage, Kleibrink could only muster one in the eighth.

Bernard will face Saskatoon's Stefanie Lawton in the final. Lawton advanced in the women's semifinal with an 8-4 win in nine ends over Kleibrink, denying her a chance for a third title at the event.

Martin of Edmonton will defend his men's title after rallying for a 7-4 win over Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ont., in the Page playoff match. Martin, who also finished the round robin at 5-0, scored singles in the eighth, ninth and 10th ends to secure the victory.

The two skips will clash again in the men's final after Howard downed Brier champion Kevin Koe of Edmonton 9-7 in the late semifinal.

Howard took control of the match with four points in the fourth end and led 9-5 after eight ends. Koe scored two in the 10th to make it close, but Howard's lead was too big.

Koe advanced to the semifinal earlier Saturday when he scored three in the sixth and two more in the eighth en route to a 10-7 victory over Winnipeg's Mike McEwen.