Canada powers past China for 2nd mixed doubles curling win
Kaitlyn Lawes, John Morris next play Finland at 11:35 p.m. ET on Thursday
CBC Sports
Canada put on its best performance to date to improve to 2-1 in curling mixed doubles with victory over China on Friday in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Winnipeg natives Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris jumped to an early lead and never let up to seal a 10-4 win over Rui Wang and Dexin Ba at the Gangneung Curling Venue.
Canada took a 3-0 lead in the first end thanks to some good angle shooting. While China took back two in the second, Canada kept up the pressure with four more to make it 7-2 after three ends.
"The ice was really good. We're starting to get a bit of momentum," said Morris.
After Canada limited China's power play to a single point in the fourth, the duo was quick to regain the offensive, with China conceding in the seventh.
Lawes was quick to credit Morris for Canada's hot start, "I get a lot of confidence from my partner. He's making a lot of great calls and shots."
The win was Morris and Lawes' second straight win. The pair defeated the U.S. 6-4 following a tournament opening 9-6 loss to Norway. .
Canada will look to make it three wins in a row later tonight when they take on Finland at 11:35 p.m.
Mixed curling is making its debut at the Olympics, and the basics are relatively simple.
- Each team consists of only two players – one man, one woman instead of the usual teams of four players of the same gender.
- Each team throws five stones per end, with the player delivering the team's first stone of the end also delivering the team's final stone of the end. One stone per team is pre-positioned before the start of play in each end.
- The game lasts eight ends.
- The scoring is the same as in regular curling.