Team Canada sent a loud message to the rest of the field on Tuesday at the World Men’s Curling Championship.
Matt Dunstone and his Winnipeg-based rink put together a perfect two-win day, opening with an 8-4 victory over China before delivering one of their most emphatic performances of the week, a 10-3 dismantling of Sweden’s Niklas Edin in just six ends.
The pair of victories pushes Canada to 6-2 in round-robin play and firmly back into the hunt for a top-two finish and a direct berth to the semifinals.
If the morning win was about surviving, the nightcap was about making a statement. Against the seven-time world champion Swedes, Canada couldn’t have asked for a better start.
After Sweden ran into immediate trouble in the opening end, Dunstone capitalized in stunning fashion, stealing four to seize complete control of the marquee matchup.
“We put eight straight together, really precise shots in the first end and made them look at five,” Dunstone said. “You couldn't ask for a better start.”
From there, Canada never looked back.
Sweden was limited to singles in the second, fourth and sixth ends, while Dunstone’s team kept applying pressure, scoring two in the third and another four in the fifth to blow the game wide open.
By the time Edin offered handshakes after six ends, Canada had not only secured a massive win but perhaps sent a warning shot to the rest of the championship field.
“I think what we did today kind of shuts that all down,” Dunstone said, referring to any doubts that surfaced after Canada’s pair of losses earlier in the week. “We know the type of team we are, and we're starting to really show that on a consistent basis.”
Earlier in the day, Canada had to grind. The morning draw against China was far less dramatic, but no less important.
After building an early lead, Dunstone’s rink found itself deadlocked 4-4 heading into the ninth end before the Canadian skip delivered the decisive moment, a superb come-around tap that removed a partially buried Chinese stone and produced four points.
That was enough to end it.
“We built a big end late and capitalized,” Dunstone said after the win. “The focus all week has been just trying to be the best team for 10 straight ends. And that paid off today.”
The victory over China showed Canada’s patience. The win over Sweden showed its ceiling.
Taken together, Tuesday may have been the day Team Canada truly announced itself as a championship threat.
E.J. Harnden said the key has been the team’s ability to stay composed through the grind of a demanding 12-game round robin.
“This is a long week. It’s going to be tough every single game. We’re going to have to fight every single end.”
Canada returns to the ice Wednesday morning against Switzerland, a game with major implications in the race for one of the top two spots in the standings.
After Tuesday’s dominant showing, however, the momentum clearly belongs to Dunstone’s rink.
