Brad Jacobs and Canada were handed their first loss of the 2025 BKT Tires World Men’s Curling Championships in Moose Jaw, Sask. Monday afternoon. Losing 6–5 to Scotland.
Despite it being just the third day of competition, the energy in the sold-out Temple Gardens Centre had the feel of a championship game. Culminating with extra ends to finish it off.
“Getting the crowd going like that, playing Scotland in a full barn on a Monday afternoon is pretty spectacular thing,” Jacobs told reporters following the loss. “We’re 3 [and] 1. We’re still in a great spot.”
“We’re hoping to be here at the end of the weekend,” Scottish skip Bruce Mouat said. “If we have another situation like that and get to play against the Canadians again, then it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Canada and Scotland traded blows in what was the most exciting game of the tournament so far. By the end of the draw, the teams had the ice to themselves after all the other games had wrapped up.
“Normally, Monday and Tuesday at these championships there may be a little dip in the crowd after the weekend,” Canada second Brett Gallant said. “To see a full house in there today was pretty exciting for us.”
“And in the tenth, we almost put them on their feet,” he added.
In the tenth, Mouat filled the house with three yellow stones ahead of Jacobs’ hammer throw.
The combination runback triple from Jacobs would clear the yellows enough for Canada to score two and tie the game at five to force extras.
“It was very close [to three],” Jacobs said. “I don’t think you could get any closer.”
“Anytime you have a shot to [potentially] win the game is great,” the skip added.
But Scotland held the final stone in the 11th end. On Jacobs’ last rock, the arena fell silent before a round of applause following a freeze play. Forcing Mouat to make a hit and win 6–5.
“We play for these games,” Mouat said. “It’s a lot of fun. The crowd was amazing. We had a lot of support ourselves. Just a lot of fun just to be on the ice and to play some good shots.”
It was Canada’s fourth and hardest game of the tournament so far. Scotland came into this year’s tournament as the number one ranked team in the world.
Both teams went into the seventh draw of the week with perfect 3–0 records.
Canada, statistically, outcurled Scotland as a team shooting 93 per cent, compared to 88. But the edge between skips went to Mouat, who shot over 95 per cent Monday.
“We saw a little bit more curl,” Jacobs noted. “We also saw the brooms doing a little bit more work, especially on helping rocks curl. So, we’ll learn from that.”
Canada started things out in the first end with a single point to take an early 1–0 lead.
In the second, Scotland third Grant Hardie threw a wonderful runback take-out, which seemingly by mistake, took out Canada’s scoring rock.
Later in the frame, a failed take-out by the Canada skip set up a perfect opportunity for his counterpart Mouat to draw for three.
Scotland led 3–1 after two ends.
Jacobs would bounce back well in the third, scoring two and tying the game at three-all. While Mouat would get the hammer back.
“We flipped the hammer,” Mouat said. “That was the kind of goal, to have hammer at the fifth end break.”
“We got fourth tonight and then tried to control it from there,” he added.
It was a defensive middle of the draw, with the skips trading takeouts.
Mouat was unable to generate any opportunities to score a deuce or more as Jacobs would counter with well-placed take-outs. Forcing Scotland to three-straight blanks.
Finally, Scotland would take a single point, and a 4–3 lead, in the eighth end.
With his final stone in the ninth, and Scotland sitting three, Jacobs would misfire. Allowing a steal of one and Scotland’s lead increased to two.
The win kept Mouat and Scotland perfect so far, with a 4–0 record.
Canada now sets to play the defending world champions, Sweden, Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
Skipped by Nikolas Edin, Team Sweden is 3–1, and have one three-straight games, after beating Korea Monday.
Edin, who is a seven-time World Champion, believes his team has yet to curl their best stuff this week.
“It’s a really long week, you need to save energy,” Edin said Sunday night. “We always start a little bit slow in every event we play. You can’t really afford to do that in a lot of the smaller events.”
“We will be really strong in the playoffs as long as we make it there. So look out,” he added.
