GUSHUE IN ELIMINATION ROUND
Canada skip finishes round robin with two losses, but feels confident about rink’s play
From a distance, you might guess that Brad Gushue and crew are turning into a distant replay of Rachel Homan and Kevin Koe at the Olympic Winter Games.
The back-to-back Brier champions and defending world champions lost consecutive games on Friday to the United States and Sweden to drop to third place and into a sudden-death playoff game in the new six-team playoff format.
Sweden’s Niklas Edin and Scotland’s Bruce Mouat both clinched byes to semifinal spots Friday morning and the Canadians, with a 6-5 last-rock loss to Sweden, will have to play this morning as the third-place team in the new playoff format against the sixth-place team.
Lose that game and they’d be going home without a medal at the 60th world men’s curling championships just like Homan and Koe did for the first time in Canadian history at the Olympics.
They might be kidding themselves, but Team Canada figures they finally managed to get their game together in the final nine ends of the much-awaited match against Edin’s two-time world championship team, the silver medal winners at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
The problem was the first end. Failing to secure hammer in the draw-to-the-button proceedings, Canada gave up three in the first end and no matter how well they chased the game, they couldn’t quite catch it.
“It was a horrible start by me,” said third Mark Nichols.
“I was awful. I have to be better in the next few games.”
Nichols missed a takeout attempt in the first end to set up the three for Edin.
The Swedes were cruising along until the seventh end, when Gushue made a delicate draw to lie two and Edin flashed with his last rock to give Canada a steal of two and a 4-4 tie.
It went to the 10th tied 5-5 and Edin drew to the eight-foot to win.
“I thought we played a great last five ends. I think our execution in the second half of the game was really good.
“We put a lot of pressure on them. We just have to do that for the full game,” said Nichols, who ended up shooting 87 per cent for the game and is tied with Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson for top third at the tournament with the same percentage.
“In the last couple of games I actually thought we picked up our play,” said lead Geoff Walker, who tops the tables at his position with 92 per cent heading into the playoffs.
“When you give up three in the first end against Nik, it’s pretty tough to come back. But after that, I thought we played pretty well.”
Nichols said he’s happier with his team than at any point of a tournament he began with an 8-1 start, but coughed and sputtered and wiggled and wobbled through most of the way after winning hammers and usually spotting themselves a 2-0 lead. Gushue says he feels his team coming together.
“I think we just need a couple more shots and we’ll be the team that we used to be,” he said, referring to winning the Brier in Regina and last year’s worlds in Edmonton without losing a game.
Edin said Sweden’s game was Canada’s in reverse.
“We played really well in the beginning and the three in the first end obviously helped.
“Then we kind of controlled the game until we really didn’t pick up that the ice sped up after the sixth end. It was just a little bit faster there. We were behind the t-line a couple of times, that hurt us. Just figuring out the ice was key out there. If you know the spot and you know the speed it’s pretty easy to find the weight and line.”
Gushue described a different game.
“Outside of the three we gave up in that first end, I thought we were as good or better. We put some pressure on them in a number of ends. Niklas himself played really well.
“I liked everything about it other than the start. The two missed shots by Mark on the first end and me not making my double takeout in the first cost us three.
“If I’m going to look at the positives and look on the bright side, if we get through the quarter-final and get to the semifinal, obviously you’re going to bring some momentum. In any bonspiel, anybody would tell you they’d love to come through ‘C’ event if you could guarantee you’d get through it. But unless you guys could guarantee we’d get through it, I’d rather be in the semifinal.”
Gushue said on with the show, this is it.
“I know we’re the best team at the Worlds.”