Denmark defeats U.S. in semifinals at men's curling worlds
Skip Stjerne to play Canada's Koe for gold on Sunday
Canada's Kevin Koe will face Denmark's Rasmus Stjerne in the final of the world men's curling championship in Basel, Switzerland.
Stjerne advanced to the championship game with a 9-3 semifinal win over American John Shuster on Saturday. Shuster qualified for the semifinal contest with a 5-4 victory over Japan in the 3-4 Page Playoff game earlier in the day.
The U.S. and Japan will meet again Sunday in the bronze medal contest.
Koe qualified for Sunday's final with a 5-3 victory over Stjerne in the 1-2 Page Playoff game Friday. The Calgary skip broke a 2-2 tie by hitting a draw to the button to score three points in the decisive seventh end.
Canada's last gold medal at the world men's curling championship came at St. Jakobshalle four years ago. Koe will have a chance to end that drought Sunday at the same venue against Denmark.
Koe won gold in 2010 with a different team at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. He settled for a fourth-place finish when he returned to the world championship in 2014 in Beijing.
In the 3-4 Page Playoff, the Americans clinched the victory when Shuster's draw in the 10th end provided the winning margin.