Sault Ste. Marie’s Brad Jacobs will play for bronze at the 2025 World Men’s Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Jacobs and his Team Canada rink that features third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, and lead Ben Hebert, dropped a 7-4 decision in semifinal play against Scotland on Saturday.
Trailing by one in the 10th end with time becoming an issue, Jacobs attempted an angle raise to score two and win the game but was unsuccessful. Scotland picked up a steal of two and sealed the win as a result.
“That’s how these games go,” Jacobs said in an interview with TSN following the loss. You play the top teams in the world and get into some complex situations. You’re trying to keep an eye on the clock as best you can and save some time for the end, but we didn’t have our best.
“We can’t come out and force, deuce, force deuce,” Jacobs added. “That made it tough. Scotland came out firing today, really precise and not missing.”
In media availability produced by Curling Canada, Mouat said he wasn’t surprised of the Team Jacobs decision to go for two on Jacobs’ final shot.
“Stats say that if you have to back yourself to make the tough shot to win or steal the extra end, it’s probably a bit of a 50/50 at that point,” Mouat said. “As a skip, you’re always going to want to make the shot to win than rely on a miss from the opposition.”
Scotland forced Canada to a single in the opening end before scoring a pair in the second on an open draw.
After Jacobs tied the game at two in the third end, Scotland blanked a pair of ends before scoring a pair in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead.
Jacobs wasted little time tying the game as the Canadian rink got the pair back in the seventh end, but Scotland would take a 5-4 lead thanks to a single in the eighth, setting the stage for the steal in the 10th.
With the win, the Scottish team, skipped by Bruce Mouat, moves on to the gold medal game on Sunday where they will face Switzerland.
The Swiss beat China 7-3 in Saturday’s other semifinal game.
Canada and China will meet in Sunday’s bronze medal game.