UPDATE: 1 p.m.

Team Canada will play for gold at the 2018 Winn Rentals World Mixed Curling Championship.

Mike Anderson鈥檚 team, representing The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont., put together a stellar performance en route to a 7-3 victory over Norway鈥檚 Ingvild Skaga in the semifinal on Saturday morning.

ORIGINAL: 9 a.m.

Just two wins separate Team Canada from a first-ever gold medal at the Winn Rentals World Mixed Curling Championship.

Mike Anderson鈥檚 Canadian team from the Thornhill, Ont., Curling Club needed an extra end to turn back previously undefeated Robin Brydone of Scotland 8-5 in quarter-final play Friday night at the 91大黄鸭 Curling Club.

With the victory, Anderson, vice-skip Danielle Inglis, second Sean Harrison, lead Lauren Harrison and coach Jim Waite advance to Saturday鈥檚 10 a.m. PT semifinals, where they鈥檒l take on Norway鈥檚 Ingvild Skaga 鈥� the lone team to have beaten Canada this week in 91大黄鸭.

READ MORE: Team Canada opens World Mixed Championship with victory

And, suggested Anderson, some of the pressure that accompanies wearing the Maple Leaf at a world championship is now off with a berth in the final four.

鈥淲e talked about it before the game 鈥� there鈥檚 a difference between trying to win Canada and trying to represent Canada,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淭his is where we feel Canada probably should be, and where the world probably thinks Canada should be, and it鈥檚 a bit of a monkey off our back to get there.鈥�

But that monkey wasn鈥檛 shrugged off easily against the young Scottish team coached by Toronto鈥檚 Sean Turriff.

The Scots鈥� nerves showed early as Canada took an early lead by stealing single points in the first three ends, and forcing Scotland to one in the fourth.

鈥淭hat was the best stretch of four ends that we鈥檝e played all week,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淭hey (his teammates) gave me a chance; it was one of those things where you just look at the broom and you know you鈥檝e made it the moment you let it go. It鈥檚 a really good feeling.鈥�

But Scotland, which won the world title last year in Champ茅ry, Switzerland, by beating Canada (both countries had different lineups last year), hung tough. The Scots forced Canada to one in the fifth and seventh ends, and scored deuces in the sixth and eighth ends to force the extra.

In the ninth, Brydone put his last rock-draw on the button behind a centre guard, but Anderson made a precise angle-raise takeout to remove the Scottish counter and score three for the victory.

鈥淲hat we鈥檝e seen with the five-rock (free guard zone) rule so far this week, it鈥檚 so easy to spin a deuce (when you鈥檙e behind),鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 afford to take your foot off the gas pedal, and sometimes that鈥檚 what happens.鈥�

Norway advanced to the semifinal with a 6-4 win over Switzerland鈥檚 Mario Freiberger.

Norway defeated Canada 5-4 in their round-robin game last Sunday, thanks to a first-end count of three.

鈥淲e owe them one,鈥� said Anderson with a smile. 鈥淛ust come out strong and see what we can do.鈥�

The other semifinal will feature Russia鈥檚 Alexander Eremin against Spain鈥檚 Sergio Vez. Russia downed Turkey鈥檚 Oznur Polat 11-2, while Spain dispatched Germany鈥檚 Rainer Sch枚pp 6-4.

The gold- and bronze-medal games are scheduled for 3 p.m. today.

edit@kelownacapnews.com
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