KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Jeff Stoughton has dodged more than a few bullets at the Canadian mens curling championship but he was hit hard Monday night, falling 10-4 to Albertas Kevin Koe. Koes win set up a three-way tie for first at the Tim Hortons Brier, as John Morris of B.C. then beat Eddie MacKenzie of Prince Edward Island 10-4. Morris, Koe and Stoughton are all tied at 4-1 at the top of the standings. Koe grabbed a three in the third end and stole a crippling four in eight when Stoughton was forced into a low-percentage angle raise and his stone sailed past a crowded four-foot. Stoughton shook hands at that point. "We thought we had to give it a shot to score," he said. "It was one of those games, we were just a little bit light or a little heavy on some shots. . . we missed four in a row on the end where they stole three." Koes four in eight came despite a hog-line violation on third Pat Simmons final stone. "I think he said he thought he was coming out a bit light and went to add a little and you know just over the hog line," said Koe. A missed raise by Manitobas third that could have spilled Alberta stones out of the crowded four foot also put Manitoba further behind the eight ball. "They kind of missed the sweep on John Meads last shot and never moved stuff around and were chasing." Stoughton noted the kind of shots he has been forced to make by his team have brought down his percentages but he feels good about his game. "Its a reflection of lead, second and third before you," he said. "The less shots that are made in front of you, the tougher shots you are making. . ." "I felt a lot better today about the ice and the weight and throwing, so for me the confidence level went way up after this game." Newfoundland and Labradors Brad Gushue improved to 2-3 with a 9-7 win over James Grattan of New Brunswick, who won his first game in the earlier draw. Northern Ontario improved to 2-3 by beating still winless Jamie Murphy of Nova Scotia 9-6. Morris was happy about the way his team played. "Jimmy was feeling it, the ice was fantastic . . . That was probably our most solid game of the week so far," said Morris. Jim Cotter throws fourth stones for B.C. and he didnt miss much. P.E.I. shook after the final four in the ninth end. Earlier in the day, Koe won a game he never looks forward to playing. "This one, you dont get a lot of enjoyment out of," the Alberta skip said, after beating younger brother Jamie Koe from the Northwest Territories-Yukon 8-3 in eight ends. "Its never fun beating them because Im always cheering for them every year theyre here," he said. "That being said, we needed a win." "Theyre obviously better," Jamie said of the encounters with his brother. "Were going to have to play our best and hope for some breaks but its a fair battle." Monday also saw Grattan score his first against Greg Balsdon of Ontario 9-6 in the afternoon. Balsdon now sits at 2-2. Grattan gave Stoughton a fight Sunday as well and said it felt good to get a monkey off his back with the win. "When we went to bed last night we felt pretty good about it," he said of the Manitoba game. "The team in the last two games has really shown up." He says getting used to the ice has been an issue. They lost their first game 13-5 and the second 10-1. "We come from an area of the world where the ice is fairly straight all the time . . Coming out here and all of a sudden youre taking the 12-foot to get to the lid and its a different ball game." Its also important to win games at the Brier if you want a reserved spot in the future. A new system is coming into place that will force the bottom finishers to compete for the right to return. Its being brought in to keep the field the same size with the addition of a Team Canada and new rinks from Nunavut and Yukon, instead of just one Territories team. MacKenzie was 3-2 after splitting the day with an afternoon win over Quebecs Jean-Michel Menard. MacKenzie has already matched his combined record at his first two Brier appearances for Prince Edward Island, in 2011 and 2013. "Its definitely better than 0-5 or 0-6 like we were the last couple of times," he said earlier in the day. "Id say being here the last three out of four years helps for sure, playing on arena ice a little more." Saskatchewans Steve Laycock sits just ahead of MacKenzie at 3-1, after beating Nova Scotia 5-3 in the afternoon. He didnt play Monday night. "We kind of figured 3-1 or 4-0 was where wed want to be after this stretch because we do have some of the favourites coming up," he said. Murphy, meanwhile, isnt too thrilled at the Canadian Curling Association for the changes coming in 2015 that could see Nova Scotia have to compete for the right to play in the Brier. "Were firm believers that messing with traditions such as the Brier doesnt seem like a smart decision," he said of the new system, popularly known as relegation, although it seems anything but popular. "Were obviously biased when we say that because were probably going to be in the relegation pool." Replica Soccer Jerseys . "Its embarrassing what were doing here," leading scorer Phil Kessel said Wednesday. The most recent failed season came with even more pain than the six that preceded it. There was no hint of an impending implosion when the Leafs came roaring out of the all-star break with back-to-back games against Pittsburgh -- a 5-4 shootout loss followed by a 1-0 win the next night. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China . - Playing a road game against a division rival raises the intensity for linebacker Clay Matthews. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . In the late match, Shinji Okazaki scored two goals to pace Mainz to a 3-2 victory at Werder Bremen. Goals from Milan Badelj, Maximilian Beister and Hakan Calhanoglu ended Hamburgs two-match losing run and kept Hannover winless in seven games. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . Rinne had surgery on his left hip May 9 and recovered in time to start the season. He then had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 24 because of a bacterial infection in his hip. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . They probably ruined Tim Duncans hopes of a career change, though. Duncan wants to be a point guard, coach Gregg Popovich revealed Saturday, a wish that wont be granted. PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby will keep at least one linemate around for the long haul. The Pittsburgh Penguins and forward Chris Kunitz agreed to a three-year contract extension on Thursday that could keep him playing alongside Crosby until the 2016-17 season. General manager Ray Shero says the new deal, which begins in 2014-15, will carry an annual salary cap hit of $3.85 million. The 33-year-old Kunitz has flourished since the Penguins acquired him from Anaheim in February 2009. Splitting time between Crosby and Malkins lines this season, Kunitz led the Penguins with 22 goals and finished second on the team with 52 points. He added five goals and five assists during the playoffs, including one of the two goals Pittsburgh scored during aa four-game sweep by Boston in the Eastern Conference finals.dddddddddddd The extension continues Sheros decision to maintain the core group that led the Penguins to the second-best record in the NHL this spring. The Penguins awarded coach Dan Bylsma with a two-year extension shortly after the season ended then promptly inked Malkin to an eight-year extension. Pittsburgh is also negotiating with defenceman Kris Letang, who is entering the final year of his contract, and forwards Pascal Dupuis and Matt Cooke, both of whom will become free agents next week. Crosby, Kunitz and Dupuis formed hockeys most productive line in 2013, combining for 144 points even with Crosby missing the final third of the season with a broken jaw. ' ' '