Canada Falls Shorts Against No. 1 Swiss at World Women’s Curling Championship
It has been an up-and-down day for Canada at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Sandviken, Sweden.
Early Tuesday, Canadian skip Kerri Einarson and her team came up short against top-ranked Team Switzerland in round-robin play on Tuesday. Team Silvana Tirinzoni, the three-time defending champion, won 7-6.
Then later in the day, Canada bounced back against winless New Zealand, 10-4. Canada broke that open in the third end with three points after the teams were tied 2-2.
How Canada is Faring in the Tournament
Canada now sits in second in the 13-team field – 5-2. The Swiss are a perfect 6-0.
The Swiss game had its share of misses for both teams, including a timely one by Canada in the fifth end that led Team Tirinzoni scoring three. Team Canada – Einarson, vice skip Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard, lead Briane Harris, alternate Krysten Karwacki, and coach Reid Carruthers - had a chance to respond with a tap back for up to three points in the sixth, but it didn’t catch enough of the target and Switzerland stole one.
“We didn’t play well,” Einarson said. “We had our opportunities and we missed those opportunities. I took a little more ice in the hack on that last shot for three. It was difficult and I didn’t see much, but it was there. I should have just left the broom and thrown the right weight instead of questioning it. We just have to adjust a little better.”
Canada was forced to one in the eighth and stole a point in the ninth to tie the game. It marked the first time any team had stolen a point on Switzerland all week.
“The sheet was definitely a little trickier than any sheet we’d played. There were some tendencies that were coming out in it,” Einarson said.
Canada is up against Germany tomorrow afternoon, local time, then follows that with a match against Korea in the evening.
The top six teams qualify for the playoff round, with the top two receiving a bye while the bottom four play in the first round. The medal games will be played this Sunday.
