Canada’s Matt Dunstone is set to compete for a gold medal in the world men’s curling championship in Ogden, Utah this Saturday. The team from Winnipeg secured their spot in the final by defeating Scotland 9-7 in an intense semifinal match on Friday evening. They made a crucial move by scoring two points in the ninth end to take an 8-7 lead, and then sealed the victory by stealing one point in the 10th end against Ross Whyte’s team.
The game was evenly matched, with both teams tied at 3-3 after five ends. Scotland took the lead with a score of 5-3 in the sixth end, but Canada responded strongly by scoring three points in the seventh end to go up 6-5. Scotland managed to regain the lead with a deuce in the eighth end, making it 7-6 in their favor.
In an earlier qualification game, Canada triumphed over Italy’s Stefano Spiller with a score of 9-7. Dunstone, trailing by one point but having the hammer in the 10th end, executed a double-takeout to score three points and secure the win.
Following their victory, Dunstone expressed his joy at reaching the championship final, joking about the opportunity to sleep in on Saturday morning before the big game. The Canadian team, consisting of Dunstone, Colton Lott, E.J. Harnden, and Ryan Harnden, will face Sweden’s Niklas Edin and his team in the final. Sweden advanced by defeating the United States 8-6 in an extra end in the other semifinal match on Friday.
Despite finishing the round-robin stage with identical 10-2 records, Canada placed third on a draw tiebreaker, leading to their need to play a qualifying game against Italy in the morning before the semifinal. Meanwhile, Scotland and the U.S. will compete for the bronze medal on Saturday morning.