Feb. 20, 2013
Canada remains in first place at Wheelchair Worlds
Despite an 8-7 loss to Sweden on
Tuesday, Team Canada retained first place at the World Wheelchair Curling
Championship in Sochi, Russia.
In their first loss of the
competition, the Canadians — skip Jim Armstrong (Cambridge, Ont.), third Dennis
Thiessen (Sanford, Man.), second Ina Forrest (Armstrong, B.C.), lead Sonja
Gaudet (Vernon, B.C.), alternate Mark Ideson (London, Ont.) and coach Joe Rea
(Prince George, B.C.) — were chasing Sweden most of the game and had a shot for
the win, but Armstrong’s last rock wrecked on a guard.
“Just a little bit more weight, more
positive,” said Armstrong about what went wrong on his last shot. “There were a
lot of rocks that came through there, and there wasn’t much room. I actually
had an easier shot with my second than with my first, it was just that I was a
little light...and that is all that it takes out there.”
“We’ve played Jalle (Jungnell) a
couple of times,” he said. “We met in the final in 2009 and semis (of the
Paralympics) in 2010. They are a good team and he’s a wonderful person, which
makes it a lot more enjoyable when you are out their playing. Full marks to
them today. The ice was a little tricky and they got on to it quicker than we
did and we ended up chasing them. It’s a tough game when you are playing
catch-up.”
In Draw 10 action, Canada rebounded
for an 8-2 win over Finland’s Markku Karjalainen to lock up a berth in the
four-team playoffs. Team Canada alternate Mark Ideson replaced Sonja Gaudet at
lead – an opportunity for the rookie to play in his first world championship.
During free time on Tuesday, Team
Canada was asked to meet some of the hundreds of volunteers helping at the Ice
Cube Curling Center in Sochi.
“It was such a warm reception for
the team,” said Canadian Team Leader Wendy Morgan. “The volunteers here are so
friendly and welcoming each day. We chatted with them outside the venue and it
turned into an autograph session. Our team singed programs, posters,
accreditations an even an iPad cover.”
Canada will play its final game of
the round-robin competition on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Sochi Time (5:30 a.m. EST)
against Norway’s Rune Lorenstsen.
Live scoring and standings from the
2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship can be found at: http://wwhcc2013.curlingevents.com/
Live scoring and standings from the
2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship can be found at: http://wwhcc2013.curlingevents.com/.
Al Cameron
Director, Communication
& Media Relations | Directeur, Communication et relations avec les
médias
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