Howard defeats Koe to win second straight Masters title
SASKATOON — Glenn Howard defeated Kevin Koe 7-3 in seven ends to capture his second consecutive Masters Grand Slam of Curling title.
After Koe opened the scoring with a single in the first, Howard took control scoring a deuce in the second and stealing a pair in the third for a 4-1 lead.
The teams alternated points in four and five, Koe settled for another single in six and Howard iced the game with another deuce in seven.
The Coldwater, Ont., rink of Howard, third Richard Hart, second Brent Laing and lead Craig Savill finished with an overall 7-1 to take home $24,500.
Koe, from Edmonton, and his team consisting of fourth Blake MacDonald, second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen wore retro red sweaters for the duration of the event.
Edmonton’s Kevin Martin’s bid to sweep the Grand Slam of Curling series this season came to an end during the quarterfinals with a 4-3 loss to Howard. Martin captured the season-opening Canadian Open title in December and claimed the National later that month for a record fifth consecutive Grand Slam win.
