Music: {allcanada} MCEWEN RINK CAPTURES CANADIAN OPEN CURLING TITLE

Sunday, January 30, 2011

{allcanada} MCEWEN RINK CAPTURES CANADIAN OPEN CURLING TITLE

OSHAWA, Ont. -- Winnipeg's Mike McEwen upset Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ont., 5-4 in an extra end to capture the BDO Canadian Open, handing Howard's rink its first loss of the curling event.

McEwen cemented the championship with a point on the final stone of the extra end after Howard stole one in the eighth.

The McEwen rink took home the championship trophy as well as the $25,000 winner's cheque.

"That was awesome," said McEwen, who finished the tournament with a perfect 8-0 record. "That was a great game.

"Of course I had a chance to win it in the eighth (end) and I missed the easy shot, so I guess I had to make the hero shot in the extra."

McEwen's team looked in control for much of the contest, leading 3-0 after the second and 4-1 after sixth.

But Howard, a three-time world champion, made a game of it with a deuce in the seventh.

"We hung in there and I give my guys credit," said Howard. "We did everything we had to do to come back.

"If you had told me after the fourth end that he had to make that shot to win, I'd be pretty pleased. I made a pretty good one to put him in that situation and he made a great shot."

McEwen reached the final with a semifinal over Jeff Stoughton, also of Winnipeg, on Saturday.

McEwen's rink earned its second victory in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling circuit, the first coming back in November.