Canada's Peterman and Gallant suffer 1st loss at mixed doubles curling worlds
Husband-and-wife team from Chestermere, Alta., falls 7-5 to Italian duo
Canada's Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant suffered their first defeat at the world mixed doubles curling championship on Monday in Fredericton.
The husband-and-wife team from Chestermere, Alta., lost 7-5 to the Italian combo of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, the reigning Olympic champions, in a battle of 4-0 teams atop the Group A standings.
Italy tied the game 5-5 by stealing one in the seventh end and then, without hammer in the final end, scored a deuce to improve to 5-0.
Canada had built a 5-2 lead after five ends, then Italy scored a pair in the sixth, and from there stole its way to victory.
"It's frustrating but we know how to move on," said Gallant. "We've got to get back to doing some of the things that we do well, control what we can control.
"They [Italy] made some fantastic shots late in that game to win, so we'll just have to come back and play our game [Tuesday] and we should be in good shape."
In the eighth end, after a couple barely missed runback attempts from Gallant, and then a splendid double-raise takeout from Constantini, Peterman's attempt to draw to the side of the button for the win came up short.
"It was a close game," said Peterman. "A couple shots here and there that didn't go our way and she made a beauty on her last."
Oh so close, but still a good result! Jocelyn draws on a wider path and then tries to help Brett drag it in to the four-foot and is just short, but STILL a deuce on the board and a 5-2 lead over Italy after five ends!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WMDCC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WMDCC</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZmaxyCBlrY">pic.twitter.com/ZmaxyCBlrY</a>
—@CurlingCanadaCanada faces South Korea on Tuesday
Earlier in the day Canada knocked off the Netherlands 7-3 as Peterman and Gallant combined to curl 92 per cent in the lopsided win.
Phew! An absolutely crucial draw and sweep from <a href="https://twitter.com/PetermanGallant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PetermanGallant</a> to score a go-ahead single in the fifth end and take a 4-3 lead against the Netherlands!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WMDCC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WMDCC</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ze4WqGNiSV">pic.twitter.com/Ze4WqGNiSV</a>
—@CurlingCanadaItaly beat Denmark 8-5 and Scotland thumped Finland 9-2 Monday morning. Scotland lost 10-7 to Korea in the evening draw to slip to 4-1.
Canada will play Korea in its only game on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET.
Being able to bounce back from disappointments such as Monday night's goes with the territory, said Gallant.
"It's like any big curling competition," he said. "It's mostly mental. The physical training is done before the event starts and at that point, it's just managing your thoughts and your strategy and everything like that."
Combined results from this year's competition and the 2024 world playdowns will determine the seven countries that will join host Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. The two remaining spots in the 10-team field will come from the Olympic qualifying event in December at Kelowna, B.C.
Reigning Canadian mixed doubles champions Kadriana Lott and Colton Lott were fifth at last year's worlds in Oestersund, Sweden.
