was hit hard Monday night, falling 10-4 to Albertas

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." Yeezy Black Friday Store . They are back to a game above .500 on the year and back to .500 on the road. It was their 10th extra time game of the year, and only the second one that did not got to a shootout. Discount Yeezy Black Friday . Despite Arsenals financial firepower, the 31-year-old midfielder was the only arrival in the January transfer window. Signed until the end of the season as injury cover, Kallstrom might not be fit until mid-March after arriving Friday at Arsenal having injured his back earlier in the week while training with Spartak Moscow. http://www.blackfridayyeezy.com/ . Today, well look at five frontcourt players today, here from the Bay Area. 1. AMIR JOHNSON (Raptors): I cant figure out what the issue or problem is, but based upon what Im seeing, hes not right. Wholesale Yeezy Black Friday . Go to turbozone.ca to see more of his epic work and you can follow him on twitter (@Turbo_Zone). Gaurav Shastri - A tribute to the amazing fan base who stand outside during games at "Jurassic Park" and an unbelievable shot of Paul Pierce fearing a Raptor. Yeezy Black Friday Deals . Nat Borchers headed in the sole goal in the 54th minute, getting on the end of a Kyle Beckerman free kick. The defeat cost Sporting top spot in the Eastern Conference. Even a draw would have moved the Kansas City club above Columbus.SCHLADMING, Austria - Alexander Khoroshilov won a night slalom by a huge margin on Tuesday, the first Russian World Cup victory in more than three decades.Khoroshilov built on his commanding first-run lead to finish in a total time of 1 minute, 46.39 seconds, 1.44 ahead of second-place Stefano Gross of Italy, who had his maiden win two weeks ago in Addelboden, Switzerland.It was a surprise for me, said the 30-year-old Khoroshilov, who earned his first World Cup podium last month. Russias last victory came from Alexander Zhirov in a giant slalom in 1981.Felix Neureuther of Germany came 1.51 behind in third and extended his lead in the discipline standings while setting a personal best by reaching his seventh podium of the season.Torontos Phil Brown did not qualify for the second run.Neureuther has 540 points, 66 clear of Marcel Hirscher. The Austrian three-time overall champion, who was fourth after the opening run, dropped to 14th after a wild second run.I had two good runs, and I had a really good feeling and then you can ski fast, said Khoroshilov, adding he didnt feel pressure going into the second run. Maybe last year I would have been nervous but not anymore.The Russian became the third slalom skier to earn his maiden win this season after Gross and Mattias Hargin, who won in Kitzbuehel two days ago.Khoroshilov drew praise from his rivals, with Hirscher calling the Russians performance just sensational.Neureuther said it was fantastic how he raced after leading a slalom for the first time. That was superior, and Gross added that Khoroshilov had a super race.Khoroshilov was one of Russias main medal hopes in Alpine skiing for the Sochi Games last year. He didnt fully live up to expectations as he finished 14th, sstill his best Olympic result.ddddddddddddA year on, he is having a breakthrough season as one of the most consistent slalom skiers, finishing every race in the top 10.After coming third in Are, Sweden, he followed up with fifth places in Zagreb, Croatia, and Wengen, Switzerland.Tuesdays slalom was the final World Cup race before the world championships start in Beaver Creek next week.Heavy snowfall made racing difficult as the icy surface got covered by fresh powder. Visibility was limited and many racers wiped their goggles immediately after finishing.A day after skipping training and the public bib draw as he felt exhausted, Hirscher didnt look his usual self with an uncharacteristic final run.That was just bad skiing, said the Austrian, who extended his lead in the overall standings. Hirscher has 1,014 points, 180 ahead of Norways Kjetil Jansrud, who doesnt compete in slalom.Hirscher was just one of many of the pre-race favourites who struggled with the conditions.Last years winner Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway came more than two seconds behind in seventh, while Alexis Pinturault of France was 2.85 back in 17th.Will Brandenburg and David Chodounsky were the only Americans who qualified for the final run, and they finished 18th and 19th, respectively.Teammate Ted Ligety skipped the race. He travelled back to the U.S. to prepare for the world championships following a disappointing weekend in Kitzbuehel, where he failed to finish the super-G and was disqualified in the slalom.Ligety is the defending champion in three events at the worlds — super-G, combined and giant slalom.The World Cup season includes two more slaloms after the worlds — in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, and Meribel, France, in March. ' ' '