February 22...In a battle between two former world champions from Winnipeg, Jeff Stoughton edged Kerry Burtnyk, 7-6 to win the Manitoba Safeway Championship Sunday in Selkirk.

Stoughton, representing the Charleswood Curling Club, had taken the Page 1-2 game over Reid Carruthers, 5-3 as the championship round began, to advance to the final, while Burtnyk, of Assiniboine Memorial, had to first defeat Mike McEwen, 5-3 in the Page 3-4 game, before ousting Carruthers, 11-4 in Sunday morning's semi-final.

Stoughton is joined by Albertan Kevin Park at third, second Rob Fowler and lead Steve Gould.

It will be Stoughton's seventh Brier appearance.  He won the 1996 Labatt Brier in Kamloops and the 1996 Ford Worlds in Hamilton, then captured the 1999 Brier in Edmonton, before finishing second to Scotland's Hammy McMillan at the worlds that year in Saint John. 

His first appearance came in 1991 in Hamilton, followed by his two Brier wins in 1996 and 1999, then 2000 in Saskatoon, 2006 in Regina and 2007 in Hamilton, where he finished third after losing the semi-final to the eventual winner, Ontario's Glenn Howard.

Stoughton is also a two-time (1988, 1991) Canadian Mixed champion and was runner-up to Brad Gushue at the 2005 Canadian Curling Trials.

Park will be making his fourth Brier appearance, but first since 1995.  He played third for Alberta skip Kevin Martin in 1991, winning his Brier debut, then returned in 1992 and 1995 with Martin, as well.
 
Fowler makes his second Brier appearance, following his debut in 2007, while lead Steve Gould will be making his fourth Brier appearance as lead for Stoughton, although he was also the alternate for Stoughton's team in 1999.

Manitoba has won a leading 26 Briers since 1927, the last by Stoughton in 1999.

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