CANADA STEALS WIN FROM SWISS 

CANADA STAYS IN CONTENTION WITH STOLEN WIN OVER SWITZERLAND 

After two losses early in the Youth Olympic Games, Canada’s mixed curling team was desperate for a win. A third loss wouldn’t officially take the team out of playoff contention, but it would certainly make the chances of a medal less likely. 

So, on Monday, when Canada faced Switzerland at the Gangwon, South Korea event – in the last end of a tie game, without last rock, it was time for the Canadians to dig deep. 

“The whole team played really well throughout the game and stayed in it right until the end,” said Allie Iskiw (Edmonton), lead for Canada.  

Swiss skip Nathan Dryburgh was slightly heavy with his final draw, and Canada stole the win. 

“It’s exciting to come out with a win after such a close game.,” said Iskiw. 

It was a back-and-forth battle from the beginning. Canada (skip Nathan Gray, third Chloe Fediuk, second Owain Fisher, lead Iskiw) started with hammer, but gave up a steal of two in the first. They rebounded with two of their own in the second, before trading singles in the third and fourth. Then they traded deuces in the fifth and sixth, meaning the score was tied 5-5 going into the seventh.  

“It was a fight from the beginning with an unfortunate start,” said Gray (Dartmouth, N.S.). “It wasn’t my best game, but the team made up for it admirably. We all were super positive out there and stuck it through together, and the team is feeling great!”  

Switzerland was able to blank the end, to maintain their last rock advantage in the eighth. Canada however, managed to orchestrate the steal, and pull out the 6-5 win. 

“There’s been a couple of games where we have played really good but we came out on the wrong side of a few stones,” said Gray. “To get the win today feels extra good after the close games earlier.” 

With the win, Canada stays in the playoff hunt as the top three from each eight-team pool will advance. The team, supported by coaches Helen Radford and Jeff Hoffart, will play two games Tuesday vs. Germany and South Korea.  

“We’re just looking to replicate the energy and focus going into the next game,” said Iskiw. 

They’ll finish the round robin with a game against Denmark, who are currently tied at the top of the standings with a 3-1 record. 

Following the four-player tournament, there will be a Mixed Doubles event. Cailey Locke (Conception Bay South, N.L.) and Simon Perry (Portugal Cove, N.L.) are now en route to Korea to join Team Canada in the athletes’ village in preparation for the event. 

Some games are streaming on http://www.youtube.com/olympics and https://olympics.com/en/gangwon-2024/. CBC has daily highlights on http://cbcsports.ca 

Scores, standings, and schedules can be found here: https://livescores.worldcurling.org/