Brad Gushue meets Sweden’s Edin in the final of the world championship in curling
That’s what we expected.
And what we hoped for.
Canada’s Team Gushue plays against Sweden’s Team Edin for the gold medal at the 2022 LGT World Curling Championship for men.
The winner will be crowned after Sunday’s final at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas (22:00 ET, TSN).
In what will be a rematch of both the 2018 world final in Vegas – won by Niklas Edin’s rink – and the 2017 world final in Edmonton – won by Brad Gushue’s team from Newfoundland – Canada and Sweden collide over the right to be named curling kings of the world during the next 12 months.
Gushue, third Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant and leading Geoff Walker earned their place in the championship with a semifinal victory over the United States on Saturday. They beat the team that Korey Dropkin skipped 8-5, and took revenge on one of only two losses in the round robin.
At the same time, Edin and Sweden topped Italy’s Joel Retornaz 8-4 in the second semifinal.
Canada used the hammer they earned to finish first in the round robin with a record of 10-2 to score two goals in the second end and then stay one step ahead of the American foursome for the rest of the match. Another two at the sixth end extended the Canadians’ lead, and another one at 10 secured the victory.
The United States did not count a skewed number until the ninth end, when its second made it tight on its way into the final picture. But Canada won after Dropkins’ last stone was a bit heavy for a place in the championship game.
The Americans advanced to the semifinals after losing Scotland’s Kyle Waddell 6-4 in the qualifying round earlier this Saturday.
Sweden’s four-ender in the fifth part was the difference in its semi-triumph over Italy, which defeated Swiss Yannick Schwaller 10-4 in the second qualifying competition.
Team Gushue, from Newfoundlands St. John’s Curling Club, owns the hammer in the final, as it tries to remove the three-time defending champion Edin, who has won five world titles in total.
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