Canada got exactly the kind of response it needed Monday at the World Men’s Curling Championship.
After a pair of difficult losses over the weekend, Matt Dunstone and his Winnipeg-based rink bounced back emphatically, downing Poland 9-2 in the opening draw and then capping a two-win day with an 8-3 victory over Japan’s Team Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi on Monday night.
The win moves Canada to 4-2 in the round robin, good for a share of third place and, more importantly, firmly back in the hunt for one of six playoff spots.
For a team that looked out of sync in losses to Scotland and the United States, this was much more like the group that captured the Tim Hortons Brier title earlier this month in St. John’s.
“Obviously, we had to bounce back,” Dunstone said. “It was two tough days, getting blown out like that. We had to get momentum back on our side and get this team humming like we know it can and are used to. I think we accomplished that today. I think we're getting a really good handle and feel for the ice now.”
It wasn’t a perfect start for Canada.
Japan opened with a steal after Riku Yanagisawa made a perfect hit-and-roll to the button, and Dunstone was unable to remove it with his final stone of the first end.
But rather than let the early mistake linger, Canada answered immediately.
Dunstone delivered a double takeout in the second before following it up with a precise draw to the side of the button for two, swinging momentum right back to the Canadian side.
“That was huge,” vice-skip Colton Lott said. “It was such a momentum swing, and it just put us in the driver’s seat from then on. We saw Matt today, who won the Brier, the phenomenal Matt we always see.”
From there, Canada settled into the kind of controlled, confident game it has become known for.
Japan was limited to a single in the third, the teams blanked the fourth, and Dunstone took one in the fifth for a 3-2 lead. After Japan managed another single in the sixth, the turning point came in the seventh.
With the game still within reach, Dunstone delivered the shot of the night, a long raise takeout that opened the door for four points and broke the game wide open.
It was the kind of shot that changes not only a scoreboard, but the feel around a team.
“You sit in the hack, and when you're not thinking about anything, then that's the way it should be,” Dunstone said. “In seven, that's what we felt in that spot and the weight and E.J. on the inside to hold the line. Typically, when you nail the weight, a lot of good things are going to happen.”
Japan conceded after the following end when Canada added a steal, putting the finishing touches on a much-needed bounce-back performance.
Lott, meanwhile, turned in his best outing of the championship, shooting 97 per cent in a performance that drew high praise from his skip.
“I think he’s the best player in the country,” Dunstone said. “I’ll tell that to anybody who listens. It’s a privilege getting to watch him operate around a sheet of ice. He’s the man; we love having him.”
Now, the challenge only gets tougher.
Canada returns to the ice Tuesday for another split day, first taking on China’s Team Xiaoming Xu before a marquee evening matchup against unbeaten Sweden and skip Niklas Edin.
For Dunstone and his team, Monday may have been the reset they needed. The confidence appears back, the shots are starting to fall, and Canada is once again looking every bit like a medal contender.
