Canada clinches playoff spot at wheelchair curling worlds

Canada kept the momentum going and earned two more victories on Thursday, booking its ticket to the playoffs at the wheelchair curling worlds. 

The team started the day at Beijing's Ice Cube in sixth place, tied with Norway for the last playoff position. Canada would go on to earn its must-win game against Latvia 6-2,  as well as against Italy 7-6 for good measure. 

"We knew we were at the point where we controlled our own destiny," said Canadian skip Mark Ideson in a media release. 

"We needed to win our last couple to give us a chance at the playoffs."

Canada entered their first game of the day on a high note after a victorious Wednesday, when it defeated both South Korea and Slovakia after previously suffering three straight losses. 

The team first took on Latvia, where Canada started with the hammer. The Canadians trucked along, scoring its first point in the second end and stealing one in the third. Though their opponents got on the board in the fourth, Canada responded with a point of their own in the fifth.

Latvia would only score one more point in the sixth, while a three-point seventh end for the Canadians would secure the victory. 

Meanwhile, Norway had lost its own game, meaning that Canada had earned their playoff spot.

"Latvia gave us a good game, but we're happy to get that win," said Ideson. "It was good to go into the second game with a little bit of confidence."

Though Canada fell behind in its second game of the day against Italy, the Canadians pushed through, matching it up in the seventh end with another slew of three points. They would steal the eighth for the win. 

"We were just trying to be patient," said Ideson. "One of the themes of the week was to not get ourselves into too much trouble. We just tried to be patient and wait for our opportunities."

The Canadians leave round-robin play with a 7-4 record and rose up the standings into fifth place. 

They'll next face the United States for the chance to play in the semifinal against China. The Americans have notched a  8-3 record at the tournament and place fourth in the round-robin. 

Scotland will take on Sweden, with the winner playing RCF.