Ferbey gets payback in Brier final

Farewell to Nova Scotia at the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier—Randy Ferbey of Alberta has regained the Canadian men’s curling championship.
The powerhouse Edmonton rink beat Shawn Adams 5-4 in yesterday’s final on Dave Nedohin’s 10th-end draw—avenging a loss to Nova Scotia’s Mark Dacey in last year’s title match.
“It is satisfaction after last year,” said Nedohin, named the tournament’s most valuable player and winner of the shot of the week award. “It’s not that we lost last year, but it’s how we lost.
“When we were walking down the ice there after we won, I’d been dreaming about that walk for quite a while to redo it again,” he added. “This is, by far, the most exciting win we’ve ever had in our careers.”
It was the fourth Brier title in five years for Ferbey, Nedohin, the third who throws skip rocks, Marcel Rocque, and Scott Pfifer.
“It’s unbelievable, this team amazes me to be honest with you,” said Ferbey. “All the accomplishments we’ve done and how difficult it is to get back here.
“To get back here to the Brier in our hometown, I can’t say enough about the three guys I play with.”
Adams tied the match 4-4 in the eighth end with a draw to the four-foot, then Ferbey passed on taking a chance to score two in the ninth by blanking the end to retain the hammer for the 10th.
It was a decision open to second-guessing but with Nova Scotia lying one the edge of the four in the final end, Nedohin made a perfect draw to the button on his last rock to give Ferbey a record sixth men’s championship.
“It worked, didn’t it?” said Ferbey. “I knew they were ready to play and they didn’t disappoint me at all.
“I think our experience again helped a little bit, but they play high percentages,” he added. “Coming into the 10th end, I said to Dave I’ll get him the four-foot and again he came through.”
Neither team was able to dominate in the first half of the game.
Alberta was held to a single point in the first end. In the second, Nedohin was only able to remove two of three Nova Scotia stones in the rings. Adams then drew for a deuce.
Alberta pulled even in the third when Nedohin drew for a single point. Nova Scotia picked up a single in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead.
Adams then executed a perfect hit-and-roll, depriving Alberta of a chance to score two in the fifth. Nedohin had to draw for a single point and the teams were tied 3-3 after five ends.
Nova Scotia’s first serious miscue occurred in the sixth end. Adams was trying to score one with a hit-and-roll but the shot was wide. It allowed Alberta a steal of one for a 4-3 lead.
“I think our team curled really well, it was just the one steal in six that was sort of the turning point in the game,” said Adams. “We were fighting for that control point the whole game and then David made a nice one with his last rock to win.
“What else can you do?”
The Nova Scotia skip was able to blank the seventh after he made a nifty raised double take-out to retain the hammer going into the eighth.
Alberta was deserving of the win, said Adams, but he had pictured a different outcome.
“It’d be a little bit nice to have the shoe on the other foot with me drawing to win, but he made a beautiful one and the guys curled well all week,” said Adams.
It was another milestone for Ferbey. The 45-year-old skip won Brier championships playing third for Alberta’s Pat Ryan in 1988 and 1989, as well.
“This one’s very, very special but most importantly we won four as a team,” Ferbey said. “The six is kind of cool, but the most important thing is we won four with this squad.”
Ferbey’s team is the first to have won four Briers after being the only squad to win three in a row. Ferbey tied Regina’s Ernie Richardson as the only four-time Brier-winning skips.
“One Brier’s a dream,” Nedohin said. “I don’t know about four, that’s just unreal.
“To be considered in the same company with the greats like the Richardsons is just phenomenal.”
It’s the 22nd Brier win for Alberta, leaving it second overall behind Manitoba, which has won the event 26 times.
Ferbey now will represent Canada at the Ford World men’s curling championship, which will be held April 2-10 in Victoria, B.C.