February 17…Edmonton’s Kevin Martin, a two-time Brier winner and 2002 Olympic silver medallist, left no doubt as to who the best team in Alberta is, after winning his third consecutive provincial title at the Boston Pizza Cup in Spruce Grove.

Martin defeated long-time rival Randy Ferbey, also of Edmonton, 7-4 in the championship final Sunday afternoon.   Martin’s Saville Sports Centre team of third John Morris, second Marc Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert thus completed the 12-team event unbeaten.

Not only that, but Martin defeated the Ferbey foursome three times along the way, winning the A event, 6-4, then the A vs B game, 7-6, prior to today’s final, in which Martin and Ferbey were tied at 3 after a blanked fifth end, before Martin took a deuce in the sixth and never looked back.

The 41-year-old Martin will be making his ninth Brier appearance, all as skip.   He won the Canadian men’s curling championship in his Brier debut in 1991 in Hamilton and also took the 1997 Brier in Calgary.  However, the last two Briers have ended in disappointment, as he finished fourth in both 2006 in Regina and 2007 in Hamilton.

For Morris, a two-time (1998-99) world junior champion, it will his third Brier appearance, after skipping Ontario to a runner-up finish behind Alberta’s Randy Ferbey in 2002, then playing third for Martin last year.   

Kennedy will make his second Brier appearance as second for Martin while Hebert makes his fourth appearance, after playing lead for Saskatchewan’s Pat Simmons in 2005 and 2006, then lead for Martin last year.

Alberta has won 22 Briers, the last by Randy Ferbey in 2005, second only to Manitoba’s 26 victories.

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