Jacobs turns to family after tough start
After losing his second straight game at the Sochi Olympics, Canadian skip Brad Jacobs felt like it was the right time to relax with family members who had made the trip to Russia and “maybe have a beer or two, to be honest with you.”
After opening with a win over Germany, Canada lost to Switzerland and, on Tuesday, to Sweden.
It dropped the team to 1-2, and left the rink from Northern Ontario sitting seventh in the standings after losing to Sweden. Only the top four stay in medal contention.
“It’s just the start of the event,” Canadian vice Ryan Fry said.
“It’s obviously not the spot we want to be in, but you’ve just got to keep playing and fighting … we’re playing decent and the teams are playing very good against us.”
In the loss to the Swiss, Jacobs came up short on a draw that allowed the opposition to steal three in the fifth end. Switzerland only counted five all game, holding on for a 5-4 win. On Tuesday, Jacobs — along with Fry, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden — rallied from two down to tie the game heading into the 10th, but could not get a steal, falling 7-6 inside the Ice Cube Curling Centre.
“Normally, they’re a few of our best friends out there on the tour, so we like to see them win as well,” Swedish skip Niklas Edin said. “Good guys through and through, but in this event, we’re looking at the win ourselves. So beating them is a big step for us.” He also sug- gested the Canadians “were not having their best day at the office.”
“We had a good talk (Monday) night after we lost to Switzerland,” Jacobs said. “I really liked what I was seeing today from the guys, even though we lost that game. We played really well.”
There are 10 teams in the Olympic draw, and every team plays each other once in the round robin. Only the top four teams move onto the semifinals, but precedent has been set to suggest the Canadians do not have to worry just yet.
“Every team in this event is very good,” Fry said. “The schedule means nothing. It’s honestly how good we play. And you know? We’re just a little off from where we want to be.”
Canada is a two-time defending champion in men’s Olympic curling, with Kevin Martin winning the gold medal in Vancouver after Brad Gushue won four years earlier, in Italy. Given those expectations, and given their slow start, leaving the rink for a few hours seemed like a very good idea on Tuesday afternoon. They were free until the evening draw on Wednesday, when they face the winless host team from Russia.
“We’ve got a long stretch between now and our next game,” Jacobs said. “And I wouldn’t mind spending time with the family and having a few laughs.”
• The Canadian women were scheduled to play reigning world champions Eve Muirhead of Great Britain early Wednesday. The Brits are coming off a 12-3 win over the U.S. that included an Olympic record seven points in the fourth end.