Canada’s spot at the 2022 World Men’s Curling Championship was secured over the weekend in Lacombe.
October 29-30, the Lacombe Curling Club played host the America Challenge.
Team Canada, skipped by Brendan Bottcher, secured the spot with a win over Mexico during the Americas Zone Challenge at the Lacombe Curling Club.
The team made it through the weekend riding a four-game sweep. They started the weekend by winning the battle against Brazil on Friday night and then defeating Mexico on Saturday.
The final game on Sunday afternoon, started out on the plus side for Canada. The team stole two in the second. Mexico skip Jesus had an open double takeout for three with final shot but just nudged the Canadian stone and then it was three in the third, one in four and two in five. Barajas made a last-rock tap-back to score Mexico’s only point in the sixth end.
Bottcher, vice-skip, Lacombe’s Darren Moulding, second Brad Thiessen, lead Karrick Martin, alternate Patrick Janssen and coach Don Bartlett, finished 11-1.
In the Americas Zone there are two guaranteed berths into world men’s and women’s championships. The U.S. is guaranteed a berth into the men’s worlds as the host team this season, meaning Canada could be challenged by other countries in the zone for the right to attend the world championship. Brazil and Mexico challenged and Team Bottcher was selected by Curling Canada
This was the second time that Canada has played and the first being 2018 when they also won. This was Mexico’s first appearance at the Challenge and was skipped by Jesus Barajas, who also made his first appearance on the international curling stage. Brazil was skipped by Marcelo Mello for the fifth consecutive year and have yet to win a game at the America’s Challenge.