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." Darrell Henderson Womens Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings have signed first-round pick Nik Stauskas to his rookie contract. Nolan Cromwell Rams Jersey . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Greg-Gaines-Jersey/. Canada Day is here and with it comes Free Agent Frenzy as the NHLs 30 teams storm out of the gate for signing season. Nolan Cromwell Youth Jersey . Granato was an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last five seasons, and he was also part of Team USAs staff at the 2014 Olympics. Clay Matthews Jersey . Ribery, who won UEFAs best player in Europe award for the 2012-13 season, helped Bayern Munich win the Champions League and Bundesliga and German Cup titles. Messi, winner of the last four Ballon dOr awards in voting by coaches, team captains and media, was injured late in the season and could not prevent Barcelona from being beaten by Bayern in the Champions League semifinals.The Toronto Blue Jays will send left-hander J.A. Happ to the mound Wednesday afternoon looking to beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of a quick two-game series. Happ is 2-1 over his past three starts, charged with eight earned runs over that time. However, seven of those came in an 11-1 loss at Cincinnati on June 21. Happ then rebounded on Thursday to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-0 behind 7 2/3 scoreless innings of four-hit ball. The 31-year-old struck out eight, moving to 7-4 with a 4.29 ERA on the year. "The goal was to be aggressive, to force contact early, use all four quadrants and just be aggressive," noted Happ, who is 3-3 with a 5.93 ERA in his career versus the Brewers. The Brewers meanwhile, hope that starter Wily Peralta can get locked in on Wednesday afternoon. Though Peralta has won five consecutive starts, he has posted a 4.22 earned run average over that span, one in which Milwaukee has scored at least seven runs four times. The right-handers past two wins both came against Colorado, including Thursdays 7-4 decision at home. Peralta gave up all four runs on eight hits and two walks over six frames, striking out seven. While he improved to 9-5 with a 3.20 earned run average on the year, manager Ron Roenicke still thinks the hurler can improve on the mound. "I thought the last three outings, (Wily) has pitched well, but hes not locked in," said Roenicke. "Now hes sttruggling to get through the lineups.dddddddddddd." The 25-year-old Peralta has never faced the Blue Jays, who send left-hander J.A. Happ to the mound today. The Blue Jays halted a three-game skid by taking Tuesdays opener 4-1. Drew Hutchison yielded just one run over seven innings while striking out a season- high 10 batters in his first victory since June 13. Jose Bautista, starting for the first time since June 22 due to a strained left hamstring, and Colby Rasmus each homered for the Blue Jays. Starting as the designated hitter, Bautista hit his 16th homer of the year. Ryan Braun drove in the lone run for the Brewers, who have lost two in a row after winning four straight. Marco Estrada started for Milwaukee and suffered the loss, allowing two runs on six hits over six-plus innings of work. He struck out two and walked one, losing for the first time since June 15. "Things just started going south for me," Estrada said. "I just wasnt really locating. I really didnt know what I was doing, how I was missing and the way I was missing. I was just out there throwing the ball around." Milwaukee could be without outfielder Khris Davis today as he injured his left shoulder on Tuesday diving into second base. The Brewers, who are making their first trip to Toronto since 2005, are 7-3 against the Blue Jays since moving to the National League in 1998. ' ' '