Canada falls short in Wheelchair Worlds one-two playoff

Team Canada will need a second chance to advance to the gold-medal game at the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Sochi Russia. Canada, going for its third world championship in four years, bowed 6-5 to Sweden’s Jalle Jungnell on Friday at the Ice Cube Curling Center in Sochi in the Page playoff one vs. two game.

Team Canada’s Sonja Gaudet delivers a rock with the assistance of teammate Dennis Thiessen during the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. (Photo, courtesy World Curling Federation)

As a result, the Swedes advance directly to Saturday’s gold-medal game at 3:30 p.m. Sochi time (6:30 a.m. EST). The Canadian team — 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.) — will return to action later on Friday, taking on Patrick McDonald of the U.S. in the semifinal (8 p.m. Sochi time, 11 a.m. EST). The winner of that game moves to the gold-medal game, while the loser will play China’s Haitao Wang, who lost 8-4 to the U.S. in the Page three-four game, for the bronze medal on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Sochi time (12:30 a.m. EST). The semifinal, as well as Saturday’s medal games, can be watched online at https://russiasport.ru. Live scoring and standings from the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship can be found at: wwhcc2013.curlingevents.com/.