Canada’s Gushue downs the Netherlands to improve to 6-1 at world curling playdowns

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland – Canada’s Brad Gushue scored a 7-4 win over Wouter Goesgens of the Netherlands at the world men’s curling championship on Wednesday.

Gushue scored a pair in the opening end and stole a single in the second to take an early lead he would never relinquish. He added a single in the sixth end, a deuce in the eighth and one more in the 10th to seal the win.

“I think once we got up three and knowing full well the ice conditions were going to get tougher, it was about keeping it simple and making their shots tough,” Gushue said.

With the victory, Gushue and his St. John’s, N.L.-based team of Mark Nichols, E.J. Harnden and Geoff Walker improved to 6-1 to remain in second place in the 13-team round-robin standings.

The Netherlands fell to 2-5.

The game turned in the eighth end when Gushue made a runback ahead of a tap for two. Goesgens was forced to a single in the ninth end and couldn’t manage a game-tying steal of two in the 10th.

“This is a long week and it’s going to be gruelling so you don’t want to make it any more difficult than it has to be,” Harnden said. “That was a perfect example of patience today.”

Canada was scheduled to play later Wednesday against Jongduk Park’s winless South Korean team (0-7).

In other early games, six-time champion Niklas Edin of Sweden (7-0) maintained a one-game buffer on Canada with a 7-5 win over Joel Retornaz of Italy (4-3).

Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller dumped New Zealand’s Anton Hood 8-3 and defending champion Bruce Mouat of Scotland topped Czechia’s Lukas Klima 6-3.

After 12 draws, Sweden and Canada were followed by Scotland, Switzerland and Germany’s Marc Muskatewitz at 5-2. Italy and American John Shuster were next at 4-3.

Round-robin play continues through Friday night. The top six teams will make the playoffs.

Medal games are scheduled for Sunday.

Gushue won world gold in 2017 at Edmonton but has settled for silver on three occasions since, including last year in Ottawa.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2024.