Team Canada qualifies for the playoffs at the 2025 World Wheelchair Curling Championship

In a quick game between Team Canada and Team Italy, the Canadians punched their ticket to the playoffs at the 2025 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Stevenston, Scotland.

With a 9-3 victory, Team Canada advances to the quarterfinal round on Friday to face Team Norway for a rematch of the 2024 gold-medal game.

“Our team played great tonight,” said Canadian skip, Gilbert Dash (Kipling, Sask.), after the win. “Everyone shot really well, our draw weight was on, our hit weight was on, and combined with learning the sheet early, things worked out well for us. I’m ready to go to bat with these players anytime, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Heading into the game, the standings were so close that Team Canada could have finished as low as ninth. Team Canada clinched the second-last qualifying spot and holds the No. 5 seeding heading into the playoffs.

Team Canada started the game against Team Italy with a ton of pressure in the first end, who managed to escape it when Italian skip, Egidio Marchese, made a key hit, which forced Canada to draw for a single.

Following some back and forth in the second through fifth ends, the turning point came in the sixth end when it was Italy’s turn to apply some pressure. Facing three buried Italian stones, Team Canada strung together a series of five highly precise shots to flip the end and score four. Unable to get anything going in the seventh end, the Italians shook hands and sent Canada forward into the playoffs.

Thursday saw some excellent curling by Team Canada, but the day started with an 8-6 setback to Team China, the first-place team. Team China has the highest hitting speed of any team Canada has faced and will take on the winner of the match between the Canadians and Team Norway on Friday.

“I was looking forward to playing China because they’re a great hitting team,” said Canadian second, Douglas Dean (Thunder Bay, Ont.), reflecting on Thursday’s game. “But the only way you’re going to beat them is to take them out of their element and make them draw, make them see different things. I feel bad for Italy because they’re going to feel our frustration tonight.”

It’s fair to say the Canadian team brought some of their frustrations from the game against Team China into their faceoff with Team Italy, as the final score didn’t reflect their great performance on the ice.

Side by side with Dash and Dean, fourth Jon Thurston (Dunsford, Ont.), lead Collinda Joseph (Stittsville, Ont.), fifth Chrissy Molnar (Trent Lakes, Ont.), and head coach Mick Lizmore will represent Team Canada in the playoffs with the aim to reach the gold-medal match to improve its back-to-back silver medals won at the last two world championships.

On Friday, Canada will take on Team Norway at 5 a.m., and the winner will face Team China at 1 p.m. (all times Eastern).

All games will be available to watch live on the Curling Channel.

For live scores, standings, and statistics for the 2025 World Wheelchair Curling Championship, click here.