Edmonton Brier tops all for attendance

 EDMONTON (CP) -- The Edmonton Brier established a new mark for attendance Monday when organizers announced total weekly ticket sales had hit 223,863.
 The previous best was set in Calgary in 1997, when 223,322 people ticked through the turnstiles at Calgary's Saddledome.
 Edmonton's organizing committee had set of goal of 225,000 tickets sold for the event, and with 14 draws remaining, it appears that number will be surpassed.
 ------
 GOOD ODDS: Just call them the Odd Squad.
 Robert Campbell's Prince Edward Island rink has made a habit of qualifying in odd-number years for the Labatt Brier.
 Campbell and his rink of third Peter Gallant, second Mark O'Rourke and lead Mark Butler have made it to the 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999 Canadian men's curling championship.
 "If we go every second year that'd be great, whether it's odd or even," said Campbell, who has struggled this year. "To come to a place like this and to an event like the Brier, I'll accept it.
 "Maybe I'll just have to start taking every second year off."
 Their best year came in Halifax in 1995, when the rink finished with a 7-5 record.
 "I thought this question came up a lot three or four years but it's really amazing," Campbell said. "And I have no idea.
 "On the island, I'd really like to defend, but no skip has done it since 1984-85. It would mean a lot to do it."
 ------
 BIG STAKES: There's a lot more on the line at the Labatt Brier than bragging rights among Canada's men curlers.
 The 1999 winner will go on to Saint John, N.B., in April to represent Canada at the world curling championship, which could be worth up to $90,000 in federal funding to the team for training and development.
 A high finish means more money, as curlers become so-called carded athletes now that the sport has Olympic status.
 In addition, the Brier winner will earn a berth in the 2001 Olympic curling trials to try to earn the right to represent Canada at the Salt Lake Games in 2002 and a trip to the TSN-McCain's skins game in Whitehorse later this year.
 ------
 PEEVED PEECH: Orest Peech is finding his first Brier to be the pits -- at least on the ice.
 The all-rookie Brier rink from Whitehorse, representing the Yukon and Northwest Territories at the Canadian men's curling championship, ended Day 3 still looking for its first win.
 Peech's 0-5 record leaves him as the only skip without a win, but the flight service specialist with Nav Canada hasn't lost faith yet.
 "We're going to win one," Peech said after losing 10-6 to Newfoundland. "We're going to win one, there's no doubt in my mind we're going to win one."
 The rink was planning to have some fun Monday night, looking to forget the first three days and getting back to business today against Ontario.
 "We can't get going in these early ends. We're having a tough time," Peech said. "But we have a nice break now and we'll go and have a good time and try again (Tuesday)."