Photo: Canadian Press
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland – Canadian Brad Gushue picked up two wins on Saturday on the opening day of the World Men's Curling Championship.
He defeated Czech Lukas Klima 9-8 in an extra end and then scored an 8-5 win over German Mark Moskatewicz at the IWC Arena.
“The first day was a little bit worrying because you're not sure what you're going to get when you put the broom down,” Gushue said. “Today was a good learning opportunity and we hope the ice stays the way it is now.”
In the opening draw, the St. Louis-based team of Gushue, Mark Nichols, EJ Harnden and Geoff Walker. John's, NL hit the stick for victory.
Canada took control of the Germany game by stealing two goals in the eighth end to take a four-point lead. Moskatewicz smashed one of the guards with his final throw and the action confirmed the devil.
“That was probably the only bad stone he threw all game and fortunately for us, it resulted in two stolen stones. That would have been a sin because we played a very good end,” Gushue said.
Defending champion Bruce Mowat of Scotland also opened with two victories. Gusho and Mowat will meet on Sunday.
“Now that we have a better feel for the ice, it's better to play with some of the bigger teams so you can go up against them with more confidence,” Gushue said.
Mouat defeated South Korea's Jongduk Park 10-3 and beat American John Schuster by the same score later the same day. Magnus Rumsville defeated New Zealander Anton Hood 9-5, and Italian Joel Retornaz defeated Japanese Shinya Abe 6-4.
In the early draw, Schuster defeated Swiss Jannick Schwaler 5-3, and Swedish Niklas Edin defeated Dutchman Wouter Gosgens 8-1.
“This was a really good day, especially since it was a long day. Having to come out for the opening ceremony and then play back-to-back, I thought that was a good start and we'll keep building,” Harnden said. Just like we did at the Brier and moving forward.”
The back-and-forth play continues until Friday. The top two teams will earn direct semi-final berths while the other qualifying teams will play qualifying matches.
The medal matches are scheduled for April 7. Canada is looking for its first gold medal in the event since Gushue won the 2017 title in Edmonton.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2024.
