MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Canada entered play against Sweden on Tuesday with a game plan to make the defending world men's curling champions throw big-weight shots in key moments.
It helped the host side skipped by Brad Jacobs earn an 8-6 win over Niklas Edin at the Temple Gardens Centre. Edin missed two mid-game hit attempts that helped Canada take control.
"I think it's just something we've picked up on over the years against certain teams," said Canada vice Marc Kennedy. "If you can make them throw hard ones early — tough doubles and tough runbacks — in a morning game, maybe they're not fully awake.
"Maybe they are and they make them all. But we try to catch teams a little bit maybe not so awake."
Canada defeated Italy's Joel Retornaz 4-2 in the evening draw to improve its round-robin record to 5-1.
Jacobs, Kennedy, second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert are early risers and that'll come in handy this week. The Sweden matchup kicked off four straight two-game days with morning sessions for the first three.
"We've actually been a really good morning team, waking up, getting energized, getting activated," Kennedy said. "By the time we're out on the ice for a morning game, it almost feels like an afternoon game.
"I think it's been a big edge for us."
Sweden stole the opening point but Jacobs rebounded with a deuce in the second end and the game plan kicked in for the fourth.
Canada forced Edin to try a runback double that was well off the mark. Jacobs drew for three to give Canada the edge and the foursome survived a nervy 10th end when he made a hit for the victory.
"Being up one coming home was really comfortable for us, so just good control," Kennedy said.
Edin's side, also the reigning Olympic champions, has endured a challenging season that has seen it slip to 13th in the world rankings.
The seven-time world champion is still looking for his first title of the campaign. Edin is 39-29 since undergoing off-season right wrist surgery.
"I think it's more in the head than in the wrist," Edin said, when asked about his post-op comfort level.
The 39-year-old Swede tried another big-weight double-takeout in the seventh end but settled for a single when his shooter rolled out. He did well to score two in the ninth with a tricky double that made it a one-point game.
Gallant made a nice double peel in the 10th end to help Canada bounce back after falling to top-ranked Bruce Mouat of Scotland in an extra end a day earlier.
"We had a really good discussion and debrief after the Scotland game," Jacobs said. "To be able to come out today with the right energy and just in the right head space, we've been resilient all season. So that's a big win."
In the evening, Italy was aggressive at the start and a thin double-takeout by Retornaz helped force Canada to one.
Jacobs drew for a pair in the fourth end for a 3-1 lead and made a game-winning double in the 10th.
"It just manifests through the team when he's throwing that well," Gallant said.
In the other evening games, China's Xiaoming Xu (6-1) moved into sole possession of first place with an 8-7 victory over Austria's Mathias Genner.
American Korey Dropkin dropped a 7-6, extra-end decision to Czechia's Lukas Klima and Germany's Marc Muskatewitz dumped Japan's Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi 11-3.
Canada and Scotland were tied in second place at 5-1. Sweden was at 4-2 with Norway's Magnus Ramsfjell and Switzerland's Yannick Schwaller. Czechia was 4-3 and the Americans fell to 3-3.
Round-robin play will continue through Friday evening. The top six teams in the 13-team field will make the cut for the weekend playoffs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
