That advantage was still on the table for Gushue heading to the final day of the round robin on Friday. Despite winning seven of the nine games to be champions in Las Vegas, the tournament seemed like a tough battle for a team that is fighting for a third major title in as many months and in different countries. Gushue overcame the slow starts to open with six straight wins in Vegas, but a five-point deficit after five finishes against Korey Dropkin of the United States proved to be a very deep gap in a 10-6 defeat on Thursday morning. “A difficult defeat, but you know, we are still in control of our fate and we can still finish in first place to win,” said the Canadian skip. Canada (7-2) was to face South Korea’s Su-Hyuk Kim (5-3) in the afternoon tie. Gushue was left alone at the top of the standings after the defeat, but Sweden, the USA and Scotland (6-3) were on Canada’s heel with two draws remaining in the day. Italy, Norway and Switzerland were 5-4. The top six teams advance to the playoffs on Friday. The two top seeders say goodbye to Saturday semifinals on Saturday afternoon with the third to sixth playing earlier that day to join them. Medal races are on Sunday at the Orleans Arena. Gushue, the third Mark Nichols, the second Brett Gallant and the head of Geoff Walker from St. John’s, NL, could take full advantage of a goodbye semifinal. A few days after winning bronze at the Beijing Olympics in February, they headed to Lethbridge, Alta, for the Canadian Men’s Championship. They claimed their fourth Brier playing as a three-man team in the final weekend of the playoffs. Nichols had to be isolated with COVID-19. In addition to the breath the first two seeds offer on Saturday, the higher seeds are rewarded with the last rock advantage to start each playoff game. In the round robin, the combined count of two draws with buttons before the game determines which country will get the hammer at the first end. The United States beat Canada on Thursday, meaning Gushue was without a hammer to start an eighth straight game. The Americans made the most of it, scoring a quick two-pointer at the opening end. “The first and foremost thing is to get this hammer. We were not very good at this week,” Gushue said. “This would definitely be a bonus, but as big as it is to rest. We all feel it. I think the energy was a bit low and it was mostly this week. Any opportunity we can get a little rest will benefit our team. ». In nine qualifying round games, the Canadians prevailed combined with 42-32 in the first five ends and prevailed over the opponent with 43-19 against the five. The Americans had the weight of their tie locked in their entire lineup. Canada did not, and was often forced to chase with reversals and low success rates. Dropkin, who shot 100 percent in his first seven ends, equalized for four in the fifth end for a 7-2 lead. “It’s as good as anyone played against us this week and definitely this year,” Gushue said. “I never felt like they took their foot off the pedal, I can not even say we had the opportunity, because I never felt we had the opportunity to be honest.” Reduced 9-4 after seven ends, substitute EJ Harnden entered the Canadian lineup for Gallant. “We felt the game was a bit feasible. We wanted to give him a chance to get on the ice,” Gushue said. “We were not very good at controlling the games and being in a situation where we have an easy win. “It looked like it was going to be a very easy defeat, so we brought him there.” Superior seeds also receive the first selection of stones in playoff games. Groups detect the movements of the stones and compile reports for them in order to match the consistent stones with each other. The World Curling Federation granite – formerly used in the Grand Slams of the Curling World Tour – is a Beef Gushue in Vegas. Gallant and Walker changed stones early in Thursday’s loss to the United States due to a lack of curls. “Even when it came time for Mark’s shots, it was difficult to know where to put the broom, because his rocks were different from those of Geoff and Brett,” Gushue explained. “It’s not a good set of stones. That’s why the Grand Slams stopped using them. I was just shocked that they were used in a world championship. They were very out of place when we played with them in the Slams. “We had a great book (for them), but then they changed all the handles on them, so we couldn’t use it. So, just a scourge.” This Canadian Press report was first published on April 7, 2022.
