Brad Gushue’s Canadian team managed to overcome the obstacles and used a steal of three in the eighth end for the 9-6 victory over the Wouter Goesgens of the Netherlands. “In terms of rankings we are really happy,” Gushue said. “At the level of the game, we are not so clear.” Canada improved to 4-0 tonight with a 10-6 victory over Swiss Yannick Schwaller. The team of Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker based in St. John’s had a first half to forget about the afternoon, which ended in a draw before the game at 199.1cm, by far the worst of the tournament. Gushue scored a hit-and-roll attempt at the second end for a steal from the Dutch. He gave another duo at the fifth end when his stone fell on a guard. “I threw two very good stones and it made me look like I was a hair curler in a club on Monday,” Gushue said. “But the ice is just like that and he came back to bite them at the eighth end.” With rates reduced and the Dutch track 5-2, Gushue’s team talked about things during the fifth-half break. The Canadians were determined to put more pressure in the second half and it worked. “There will be shortages out there, but let’s try to limit them and try to fight them,” Walker said. “The great thing is to believe that we will do the next thing.” Gushue scored two in the sixth end and equalized the game with a steal in the seventh. Goesgens momentum in the first half was gone and his light shot against three in the eighth minute turned the game around. “We throw some very nice stones and we just look like we haven’t been curled up in the past,” Gushue said. “But it has to do with ice. It is frustrating for a world championship to be done that way.” The high outside temperatures did not help the quality of the ice in the almost empty arena of 9,500 seats, which hosted this event in 2018. There were many curls, but the overall consistency was a problem. “It will be a big week,” Gushue said. “We will have a lot more games like we did today, where you just have to limit damage.” All four Canadians raised their shooting rates to at least 80 percent. But their trust as a trademark was not always there. Asked at what point he finally felt comfortable on the ice, Gushue said: “When I got off it.” Three-time defending champion Niklas Edin of Sweden (1-2) suffered two defeats a day. He made an 8-7 decision for Switzerland in the morning and the Italian Joel Retornaz scored four in the 10th end for a 10-8 victory over the dominant Olympian in the afternoon. “It’s difficult out there and we are not alone,” Gushue said. “You look the other way and you see what Niklas is today, one of the best teams in the world, and it was 69 percent. You just don’t see it.” Against the Swiss, Gushue started slowly but even pulled with fours in the fourth end. Schwaller’s side shook hands after giving a steal two to the ninth. Gushue was alone in first place after five rounds of play, which runs through Friday. The four-time Men’s National Champion won his only world title in 2017 at Edmonton. Italy beat Finland’s Kalle Kiiskinen 10-7 tonight, leaving Canada as the only undefeated rink. Italy, Finland, Germany, Norway and the United States tied for second with 2-1. The first six teams on the field of the 13 teams will advance to the playoffs. The medal races are scheduled for April 10. Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni won the women’s world title last weekend at Prince George, while BC Canada’s Kerri Einarson won bronze. This Canadian Press report was first published on April 3, 2022.
