Canada falls to Scotland in world mixed doubles curling quarter-final

KARLSTAD, Sweden – Canada was knocked out of the playoff round at the world mixed doubles curling championship on Friday after dropping a 6-5 decision to Scotland at the Lofbergs Lila Arena.

The Scottish duo of Gina Aitken and Bruce Mouat hit a takeout for the decisive single point in the eighth end.

Saskatoon’s Dustin Kalthoff and Marliese Kasner scored three points in the fifth end for a 4-3 lead but the Scots answered with a deuce in the sixth end before giving up a single in the seventh. It was Canada’s first loss at the competition.

Earlier Friday, Canada dumped New Zealand 12-2 in the opening playoff game for its seventh straight win. Scotland qualified for the quarter-finals by upsetting defending champion Hungary 6-5.

Scotland will face China in one semifinal Saturday while the United States will take on Russia in the other. Canada will play Finland in a placement game.

The medal games are scheduled for Sunday.

The combined results of the 2016 and 2017 world mixed doubles events will decide the seven teams who will join host South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.