Canada’s men’s curling team achieved its eighth consecutive victory at the world championship, yet it fell short of securing an automatic semifinal spot. Led by Matt Dunstone, the Winnipeg team completed the round-robin phase with a thrilling 7-5 win against Norway after a commanding 9-2 victory over Germany earlier on Thursday. The matches took place at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden, Utah.
Dunstone Leads Team to Strong Finish
With this latest success, Canada improved its record to 10-2. Despite this strong performance, they ended up ranked third in the preliminary round due to tiebreakers, sharing the same record with Sweden and Scotland. “That’s exactly what we said after we dropped two on Saturday and Sunday. Let’s go 10-and-2,” Dunstone remarked. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out to get the bye to the semi, but we’ve won eight in a row.”
Upcoming Semifinal Challenges
- Qualified Teams: Sweden and Scotland secured spots in the semifinals.
- Qualification Game: Canada will compete against sixth-seeded Italy, who holds an 8-4 record.
- Other Match: Switzerland faces the United States for a semifinal berth.
Canada previously defeated Italy 9-2 during their second round-robin match on the tournament’s first day. Dunstone expressed confidence in facing Italy, emphasizing the experience of key players on the team. “We’re just going to have to try and grab a multiple early and manage the scoreboard from there,” he stated.
Other Match Results
In other matches during the evening session, Scotland dominated Czechia with an 8-2 win, earning them a bye to the semi-finals. Sweden concluded their preliminary round with a decisive 11-2 victory over Czechia. Switzerland also triumphed over the USA, finishing 9-5, while China narrowly defeated Poland 6-5.
This championship marks Dunstone’s first representation of Canada at the senior level after winning the Brier in St. John’s earlier this year. The Canadian team has not secured a world championship title since Brad Gushue’s victory in 2017. The bronze and gold medal matches are scheduled for Saturday, promising intense competition ahead.
