Curling

With just three days remaining in the round-robin portion of the Tim Hortons Brier, Wednesday's action was key for several teams, including the defending champions, Canada.

Below, we'll take a look at the day's results, updated standings and the tournament's remaining schedule.

Team	Score	Team
Draw 11
British Columbia	2-7	Alberta
Ontario	9-4	Prince Edward Island
Northwest Territories	4-5	Saskatchewan
Newfoundland and Labrador	7-3	Canada
Draw 12
New Brunswick	4-6	Canada
Saskatchewan	5-6	Manitoba
Alberta	9-4	Quebec
Ontario	4-6	Northern Ontario
Draw 13
Northern Ontario	9-2	Northwest Territories
Newfoundland and Labrador	7-6	Quebec
New Brunswick	7-4	Prince Edward Island
Manitoba	8-3	British Columbia

Place	Team	G	W	L
1	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	8	8	0
2	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	8	7	1
3	Manitoba (McEwen)	8	6	2
4	Alberta (Koe)	9	6	3
5	Canada (Simmons)	9	5	4
6	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	9	4	5
7	Ontario (Howard)	9	4	5
8	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	8	3	5
9	Quebec (Menard)	8	3	5
10	British Columbia (Cotter)	8	2	6
11	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	8	1	7
12	Northwest Territories (Koe)	8	1	7

Time (ET)	Team	Team
Thur, Mar. 10 (Draw 14)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
9:30 a.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 15
2:30 p.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 16
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
7:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Alberta (Koe)
Friday, Mar. 11 (Draw 17)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)

Canada 6, New Brunswick 4

Canada kept their slim playoff hopes alive, knocking off New Brunswick 6-4.

Canada trailed 4-3 heading into the final frame but Pat Simmons and company scored three in the 10th, maintaining their playoff hopes, however slim.

Manitoba 6, Saskatchewan 5

Despite blowing a 5-3 lead late in the match, Manitoba recovered to sneak past Saskatchewan 6-5 with a point in the 10th end.

Mike McEwan and company raced out to a 3-0 lead after two ends but Saskatchewan battled back, nearly stealing a match Manitoba controlled throughout.

Alberta 9, Quebec 4

Alberta earned its second win on Tuesday and put itself in excellent position to move onto the playoffs, beating Quebec 9-4.

“Man this is hard," Alberta's Marc Kennedy said after the win, per Curling.ca. "You can’t miss much in this field. Overall we’re throwing the rock well, we all feel good, we’re confident, now we just need to make a couple of big shots and catch a couple breaks and who knows. We’re trying to get to seven wins as quickly as possible and we put ourselves in good position.”

Deuces in the first and fifth gave Alberta control of the match, while a four in the eighth end put a close to the match and left Alberta in excellent position.

Northern Ontario 6, Ontario 4

Northern Ontario moved to 7-0 with a comeback 6-4 win over Ontario.

Ontario took a 1-0 lead in the first and was up 3-1 in the fifth and 4-2 in the seventh, but a three in the eighth from Brad Jacobs and a point in the 10th sealed the win for Northern Ontario.

“We try to give it as much as we can, give it every shot and good things happen at times,” Ryan Fry said of the pressure Northern Ontario has continued to apply on teams throughout this tournament, per Curling.ca. “We played pretty well and good things happened at the end."

Much as they've happened during the entirety of this tournament. 

Alberta 7, British Columbia 2

Alberta earned a big win on Wednesday, knocking off British Columbia, 7-2.

"We played well this morning," said Alberta second Brent Laing, per curling.ca. "A tough day yesterday with two losses. We wanted to get the train back on the track and caught a couple of breaks."

Alberta didn't waste much time, scoring three in the second end. British Columbia earned one back in the fourth, but Alberta put things away with two more in the fifth. 

Ontario 9, Prince Edward Island 4

Three points in the fourth and twos in the sixth and seventh fueled Ontario to a 9-4 win over Prince Edward Island. 

Prince Edward Island had their only lead after the second when they posted two points, but Ontario tied things in the third and took the lead for good in the fourth.

Saskatchewan 5, Northwest Territories 4

A last rock hit-and stick from Steve Laycock in the 11th end gave Saskatchewan a thrilling 5-4 win over the Northwest Territories.

In a match that featured three lead changes, the Northwest Territories tied the match at 4-4 with a clutch two points in the 10th. But Laycock would have the last laugh, earning Saskatchewan a key victory.

Newfoundland and Labrador 7, Canada 3

Newfoundland and Labrador continued to cruise through the Tim Hortons Brier on Wednesday, defeating Canada 7-3 in the first draw.

The match was all but decided after Newfoundland scored a three in the second and stole a two in the third, taking a dominating lead early. Canada notched a two of their own in the fourth and crawled to within 5-3 in the eighth with another point, but Newfoundland ended things in the ninth with a two.

"We're playing very well," said Newfoundland skipper Brad Gushue, per curling.ca. "I didn't like a couple of things out there (in the late ends), but we haven’t been in that situation this week. All of our games have been really tight. Any time you can get a good team against the ropes it’s a good idea."

For the defending champions, meanwhile, the loss put them in a serious hole.

"We have to win our last three games, that's all that matters now," Canada's Nolan Thiessen said, per curling.ca. "Can't worry about what happened before. They're executing and we're not. Either we start executing or our Brier is over."

Northern Ontario 9, Northwest Territories 2

Northern Ontario wasted little time establishing momentum in its 9-2 victory over Northwest Territories. Led by Brad Jacobs, Northern Ontario jumped out to a 5-0 lead through two ends and never looked back.

Any realistic chance at a comeback for Northwest Territories ended in the fourth end when Jacobs and his team earned three more points to go ahead, 8-1. 

Newfoundland and Labrador 7, Quebec 6

Skipper Gushue and Newfoundland and Labrador escaped with a thrilling 7-6 victory over Quebec during Draw 13. 

The matchup was tied heading into the 10th and final end, but Newfoundland and Labrador scored a critical point to walk away with the win. It was a critical victory and moved Gushue and company into second place in the standings behind only undefeated Northern Ontario.

New Brunswick 7, Prince Edward Island 4

New Brunswick turned in a clutch performance in the ninth end to earn a 7-4 victory over Prince Edward Island. 

New Brunswick held a 5-3 advantage heading into that ninth end but scored two critical points to move ahead, 7-3. From there, it could afford the one point from Prince Edward Island in the final end and still have enough cushion to win easily. 

Manitoba 8, British Columbia 3

The contest between Manitoba and British Columbia was closer than the final score of 8-3 indicated, but skipper Mike McEwen helped his team score six points in the final three ends to overcome a 3-2 deficit. 

The turning point came in the seventh end when Manitoba scored three points to seize the lead. 

All stats via curling.ca. You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter. 

The Tim Horton's Brier continued on Tuesday with a full slate of morning, afternoon and evening matches in the curling tournament. 

Below, we'll take a look back at the day's results, updated standings and the schedule for the remaining matchups.

Team	Score	Team
Draw 8
Manitoba (McEwen)	5-4	Northwest Territories (Koe)
New Brunswick (Kennedy)	4-7	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
Prince Edward Island (Casey)	2-6	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
British Columbia (Cotter)	5-6	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 9
Saskatchewan (Laycock)	8-5	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
British Columbia (Cotter)	4-8	Canada (Simmons)
Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	4-3	Alberta (Koe)
Ontario (Howard)	5-8	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 10
Quebec (Menard)	9-5	Ontario (Howard)
Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	8-3	Alberta (Koe)
Manitoba (McEwen)	6-4	Canada (Simmons)
New Brunswick (Kennedy)	7-6	Saskatchewan (Laycock)

Place	Teams	Games	Wins	Losses
1	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	6	6	0
2	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	6	5	1
3	Manitoba (McEwen)	6	4	2
4	Alberta (Koe)	7	4	3
5	Canada (Simmons)	7	4	3
6	Québec (Menard)	6	3	3
7	Ontario (Howard)	7	3	4
8	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	7	3	4
9	British Columbia (Cotter)	6	2	4
10	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	6	2	4
11	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	6	1	5
12	Northwest Territories (Koe)	6	1	5

Time (ET)	Team	Team
Wed, Mar. 9 (Draw 11)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Canada (Simmons)
Draw 12
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Canada (Simmons)
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Quebec (Menard)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
Draw 13
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
7:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	British Columbia (Cotter)
Thur, Mar. 10 (Draw 14)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
9:30 a.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 15
2:30 p.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 16
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
7:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Alberta (Koe)
Friday, Mar. 11 (Draw 17)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)

Manitoba 5, Northwest Territories 4

After a back-and-forth affair, Manitoba handed the Northwest Territories its fifth straight loss with a point in the 11th end to earn the 5-4 win.

Manitoba took a 2-0 lead in the first end, but the Northwest Territories tied it after the second end. Manitoba retook the lead in the fourth, but again the Northwest Territories evened things in the fifth. But Manitoba earned the win in the 11th.

It was a big win for Mike McEwen and company after Monday night's tough loss to Alberta, 9-4, highlighted by McEwen's failed freeze attempt in the fourth that led to four points for Alberta.  

I don't regret the decision," McEwen said after Monday's loss, per Tim Baines of the Ottawa Sun. "We thought we'd put it on the line, and it didn't work out well."

Manitoba came up big with the match on the line on Tuesday, however, getting back above .500 heading into a key match with Canada on Tuesday night.

Newfoundland and Labrador 7, New Brunswick 4

Newfoundland and Labrador scored two in the second, sixth and eighth ends to earn a 7-4 win over New Brunswick on Tuesday. 

New Brunswick took an early 1-0 lead in the first, but Newfoundland responded with a two in the second and a one in the third. New Brunswick pulled one back in the fourth, but Newfoundland took control of the match with the two in the sixth to pull away for the win.

Northern Ontario 6, Prince Edward Island 2

Northern Ontario started strong and never looked back, posting a two in the first and a one in the second before taking a 6-2 win.

Prince Edward managed to pull back a point in the third, but Northern Ontario's two in the sixth put the match out of reach.

Quebec 6, British Columbia 5 

After a thrilling back-and-forth contest, Quebec scored two in the 10th end to steal a 6-5 win over British Columbia, which had taken a 5-4 lead in the ninth with a two of their own.

They couldn't hold off Quebec, however.

The two sides exchanged runs throughout the match, with British Columbia scoring in the second, fourth and sixth but Quebec responding in the third, fifth, seventh and eighth. That set up the exciting finish, with British Columbia looking to steal the match in the ninth before Quebec reclaimed the lead and the win in the 10th.

Saskatchewan 8, Prince Edward Island 5

Saskatchewan moved to .500 for the tournament with an 8-5 win over Prince Edward Island in the afternoon session. Saskatchewan scored in all but the second, fourth, sixth and eighth ends to earn the win.

The match was relatively close throughout, but points in the ninth and 10th frames helped Saskatchewan pull away.

Canada 8, British Columbia 4

British Columbia came into Tuesday at 2-2 for the tournament, but losses to Quebec and Canada sunk the side toward the bottom of the standings.

British Columbia started well, opening with a two in the first, but Canada's huge five in the fourth put them well ahead. British Columbia earned one point back in the fifth, but Canada pulled it back in the sixth. British Columbia pulled to within two in the eighth, giving them a shot, but Canada closed down the match with a two in the ninth.

Newfoundland and Labrador 4, Alberta 3

Newfoundland earned another crucial win on Tuesday, holding off a tough Alberta side, 4-3. A point in the 10th end was the difference, while the key moment came in the sixth, when Newfoundland earned a crucial two.

Northwest Territories 8, Ontario 5

The Northwest Territories earned their first win of the tournament, knocking off Ontario, 8-5.

A four in the eighth and a one in the ninth was the difference, as the Northwest territories overcoming a 5-3 deficit after Ontario posted a two in the sixth to take the lead.

Quebec 9, Ontario 5

Quebec evened its record with a late surge by scoring five points in the final three ends to break open a tie match.

Eric Sylvain was the star of the night for Quebec with a match-high 69 points and 96 percent shooting. 

Northern Ontario 8, Alberta 3

A four-point third end gave Northern Ontario a two-point lead, and it rolled to its sixth victory in as many matches. Alberta was down just 4-3 heading into the fifth but allowed four points in the final three ends to take the loss.

Brent Laing of Northern Ontario had a match-high 63 points and a shooting percentage of 98.

Manitoba 6, Canada 4

Manitoba pulled out its fourth victory in dramatic fashion with four points in the ninth end after entering with a two-point deficit.

Canada led 3-1 through five, but could not stop Manitoba's Denni Neufeld. He shot 100 percent and had a match-high 80 points.

New Brunswick 7, Saskatchewan 6

It took 10 ends to decide this one as New Brunswick pulled out a victory with a point in the 10th and final end. The match was back and forth all night, but New Brunswick carried a 6-3 lead into the ninth only to see Saskatchewan tie it up with three points.

New Brunswick, led by Scott Jones' 72 points, answered in the 10th and left with just its second victory of the tournament.

All stats via Curling.ca. You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

Draws six and seven of the Tim Hortons Brier took place on Monday in Ottawa, Ontario, as Canada Curling searches for its next team to represent it at the World Championships this year.   

Here are Monday's results, the updated standings and schedule following draws six and seven:

Team	Result	Team
Draw 6
Ontario (Howard)	5-9	British Columbia (Cotter)
Northwest Territories (Koe)	7-8	Alberta (Koe)
Saskatchewan (Laycock)	5-7	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
Canada (Simmons)	4-6	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
Draw 7
Canada (Simmons)	6-10	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
Quebec (Menard)	3-7	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
New Brunswick (Kennedy)	6-9	Ontario (Howard)
Alberta (Koe)	9-4	Manitoba (McEwen)

Place	Team	Record
1	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	4-0
2	Alberta (Koe)	4-1
3	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	3-1
4	Canada (Simmons)	3-2
5	Ontario (Howard)	3-2
6	British Columbia (Cotter)	2-2
7	Manitoba (McEwen)	2-2
8	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	2-3
9	Quebec (Menard)	1-3
10	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	1-3
11	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	1-3
12	Northwest Territories (Koe)	0-4

Time (ET)	Team	Team
Tuesday, Mar. 8 (Draw 8)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 9
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Canada (Simmons)
2:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Alberta (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 10
7:30 p.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Canada (Simmons)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
Wed, Mar. 9 (Draw 11)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Canada (Simmons)
Draw 12
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Canada (Simmons)
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Quebec (Menard)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
Draw 13
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
7:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	British Columbia (Cotter)
Thur, Mar. 10 (Draw 14)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
9:30 a.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 15
2:30 p.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 16
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
7:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Alberta (Koe)
Friday, Mar. 11 (Draw 17)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)

Draw 6

Ontario 5, British Columbia 9

British Columbia got back to .500 with a 9-5 win over Ontario on Monday. 

With the match tied at 3-3 after six ends, British Columbia erupted for three points in the seventh end only to give up two in the eighth to Ontario. 

Up 6-5 headed to the ninth end, British Columbia recorded another three points in the final two ends to secure its second win of the tournament. 

Northwest Territories 7, Alberta 8

It took 11 ends, but Alberta's 8-7 win over the Northwest Territories ensured the losing team remained winless at the Brier. 

The Northwest Territories needed a win in pre-playoff qualifying just to make this stage of the tournament, but it has been handled ever since. 

Alberta squandered a 7-6 lead in the 10th end to the Northwest, which forced the decisive 11th. The win moves it into a tie for second place.

Saskatchewan 5, Newfoundland and Labrador 7

Newfoundland moved into a second-place tie with Alberta in the Brier standings thanks to a late spurt that secured its third victory. 

Saskatchewan led 5-3 after the sixth end before Newfoundland posted three points in the seventh end and one more in the ninth. 

Newfoundland saw all four of its players record at least 72 points and shoot at over 90 percent on the afternoon. 

Canada 4, Prince Edward Island 6

Prince Edward Island won its first match of the Brier by handing Canada its first loss of the tournament. 

The winners opened up a 4-2 lead heading into the eighth end before Canada scrambled to tie the game going into the 10th. 

Prince Edward Island pulled out the win in the 10th by recording two points despite some low shooting percentages. The team shot just 77 percent as a whole compared to Canada's 84 percent. 

---

Draw 7

Canada 6, Northern Ontario 10 

Canada dropped its second match of the day with a four-point loss to Northern Ontario, who remained unbeaten in the tournament. 

Only eight ends were needed to decide this match thanks to two big ends from Northern Ontario. They put up four points in the second end to answer a three-point Canada first end. 

With the match tied at six after the sixth end, Northern Ontario put up three in the seventh and one in the eighth to ice the match. 

Saskatchewan 7, Quebec 3

Quebec held a 3-1 lead in this match after six ends. But that's when the wheels fell off. 

In the final three ends, Saskatchewan scored six unanswered points to to cruise to a nine-end victory, their second of the day and of the Brier. 

Saskatchewan managed to get past Quebec's Philippe Menard, who shot 100 percent during Monday night's match. 

New Brunswick 6, Ontario 9

Ontario salvaged an earlier loss on Monday to British Columbia with a three-point win over New Brunswick.

They used a two-point eighth end to put the game away at 8-4, which were much-needed points. New Brunswick put up a two-spot in the ninth to make it interesting before Ontario secured the win with a point in the 10th.  

Richard Hart recorded 78 points on 20 shots for a shooting percentage of 98, which was a match high.

Alberta 9, Manitoba 4

Alberta one its second game of the day and fourth of the Brier as they are right at the top of the leaderboard. 

They used three multi-point ends, including a four-point effort in the fourth to end this match in eight ends. 

Alberta is the only team other than Northern Ontario to have won four games in the tournament's first three days. Northern Ontario does have a game at hand over Alberta, but will play Prince Edward Island in Draw 8 on Tuesday.

Stats courtesy of Curling.ca.

Round-robin action at the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, continued Sunday at TD Place Arena with three draws to get through.

This year's pool of 12 teams is filled with talent and depth, so the defending champions in Team Canada have their work cut out to protect the hardware against many capable compatriots.

Skip Pat Simmons' bunch had a tough test in Sunday's early-morning draw but edged out a 5-4 victory over Saskatchewan. Check out the updated results from the latest draws, starting with the third:

Team	Draw 3 Result	Team
Team	Draw 4 Result	Team
Team	Draw 5 Result	Team
Alberta (Koe)	10-4	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
Canada (Simmons)	5-4	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
Manitoba (McEwen)	6-2	Ontario (Howard)
Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	5-4	Quebec (Menard)
Canada (Simmons)	6-3	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Ontario (Howard)	4-3	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
Alberta (Koe)	10-4	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
Saskatchewan (Laycock)	8-4	British Columbia (Cotter)
Québec (Menard)	4-2	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
Manitoba (McEwen)	6-3	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	5-3	British Columbia (Cotter)
Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	6-3	Northwest Territories (Koe)

The close runner-up to Team Canada last year was Northern Ontario, led by skip Brad Jacobs. By an identical 5-4 score, Jacobs' squad also improved to 2-0 in round-robin play in a victory over Quebec.

Continue on for more details on the day's draws and the updated Brier schedule.

Time (ET)	Team	Team
Sunday, March 6 (Draw 5)
7:30 p.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	British Columbia (Cotter)
7:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Monday, March 7 (Draw 6)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	British Columbia (Cotter)
2:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
2:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
Draw 7
7:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
7:30 p.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Manitoba (McEwen)
Tuesday, March 8 (Draw 8)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 9
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Canada (Simmons)
2:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Alberta (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 10
7:30 p.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Canada (Simmons)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
Wednesday, March 9 (Draw 11)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Canada (Simmons)
Draw 12
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Canada (Simmons)
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Quebec (Menard)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
Draw 13
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
7:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	British Columbia (Cotter)
Thursday, March 10 (Draw 14)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
9:30 a.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 15
2:30 p.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 16
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
7:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Alberta (Koe)
Friday, March 11 (Draw 17)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)

Alberta 10, New Brunswick 4

Kevin Koe's Alberta team started the game with the hammer and set the tone early with two scores in the opening end.

All four players on Alberta's side had percentages of over 90, which went a long way in accounting for the lopsided final tally. Although New Brunswick hung relatively tough and put two scores up in the fifth end to cut the deficit to 4-3, Alberta roared back with three each in the sixth and eighth ends to coast to a win.

New Brunswick had just capped off Saturday's slate with an 11-end win over the Northwest Territories, so perhaps a letdown was destined to be in store. The team will try to bounce back late Sunday against Manitoba.

Canada 5, Saskatchewan 4

Simmons and Co. jumped out to a 3-0 lead through three ends, only to see that advantage evaporate as Saskatchewan scrapped their way back into the contest.

After two-point showings in the sixth and eighth ends by the underdogs, with one seventh-end score by Canada in between, the game was tied. Canada pulled it out, though, with a decisive winner in the 10th end.

"Easy games? Here? Not ever," said Simmons, per Curling.ca. "They're non-existent, I think, so we have to be prepared for that. That was a good game, another great team. We got a little bit of a jump early, and then it was a mental marathon. Lucky to be able to pull that one out."

There will continue to be a target on Simmons' team throughout the competition, which will make their run fascinating to watch unfold.

Saskatchewan got a rotten draw out of the gates and must regroup quickly following one-score losses to Canada and Northern Ontario.

Manitoba 6, Ontario 2

The two teams combined for only two scores in the first four ends, gridlocked at one apiece at the game's approximate midpoint. Then Manitoba kicked into high gear, avoiding the perilous pitfall that would've been a 0-2 start with an exceptional finish.

Two points in the fifth end gave Manitoba some breathing room, and three more in the seventh sealed the win. It was a fine recovery from skip Mike McEwen's side, which lost 5-4 to Newfoundland and Labrador in their Brier opener in 11 ends.

This was also McEwen's maiden victory on the Briers stage (h/t the Canadian Press, via CBC.ca), so that has to give Manitoba a shot of confidence heading into the next phase of the draw.

Northern Ontario 5, Quebec 4

Capping off the morning in dramatic fashion was an extremely high-quality showdown in which all participants' percentages were 90 or better. When Northern Ontario put up a deuce in the second end, Quebec responded with two points of their own in the third.

A point in the ninth put Northern Ontario on the precipice of a big win, only to see Quebec return the favor with an equalizer in the 10th end. Finally the eventual victors clinched it with an 11th-end point to reach the 2-0 mark.

Skip Jean-Michel Menard's Quebec outfit has to be a bit down after the defeat, but facing Canada and Northern Ontario out of the gates is no easy task. Saskatchewan are in the same boat, so it wouldn't be wise to sleep on either 0-2 team despite the lackluster bottom-line results.  

Canada 6, Northwest Territories 3

The theme of starting hot continued for Team Canada as they moved to 3-0 with a less stressful win than they had in the early morning draw.

A two-point first end preceded a lengthy period of scoreless play until the Northwest Territories belatedly answered with two in the fifth end to even the score. But two points in both the sixth and eighth ends allowed Canada to create the necessary separation to remain undefeated.

John Morris put up a game-high 79 points and had a shot percentage of 99 to boost Canada to victory. The team's Brier defense is going quite well thus far, and it will proceed to face Prince Edward Island before a marquee clash with Northern Ontario on Monday.

Ontario 4, Newfoundland and Labrador 3

It took 11 ends, but Ontario managed to escape with a close win to avoid dropping a second game of the day.

Brad Gushue's Newfoundland and Labrador bunch managed to force extra time due to a clutch point in the 10th end. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough in the end to avoid from dropping to 1-1 overall.

It's a quite turnaround for Gushue and Co. as they prepare to take on the Northwest Territories in Draw 5. The latter figures to be eager to bounce back after falling short a duel with Canada and desperately needing a victory following three opening losses.

Alberta 10, Prince Edward Island 4

One of the rare blowouts from Sunday's games, Alberta didn't pull away until very late, courtesy of a five-point explosion in the eighth end.

Prince Edward Island saw British Columbia put up three points in the seventh end of a conceded 8-4 loss in their opener. The trend of poor finishes continued in their second game, so skip Adam Casey's crew must find a way to improve in that area soon.

Alberta's 20 total points on Sunday could well be a source of momentum and aid the team's chances moving forward. A great chance to go 3-1 is on the horizon Monday morning in a matchup with the Northwest Territories.

Saskatchewan 8, British Columbia 4

Instead of being rattled by a close call against Canada earlier in the morning, Saskatchewan regrouped to close out Draw 4 with a decisive win over B.C.

Skip Steve Laycock emphasized how important the "W" was, saying, per Curling.ca, "They're all important at this point, especially with the 0-2 start. We played a couple of pretty good games, but against some hot teams. To go 0-3 and playing Gushue in the morning would not have been a lot of fun."

The four-point seventh end made all the difference for Saskatchewan, who otherwise would have been in serious trouble despite playing quality matches against prime contenders Northern Ontario and Canada.

Québec 4, Prince Edward Island 2

It was a scoreless match through five ends before Prince Edward Island took a 1-0 lead through six. It was a 2-1 lead into the 10th where Quebec racked up three points for the victory.

Prince Edward nearly avoided its second loss of the day despite shooting 83 percent compared to 91 for Quebec.

Jean-Michel Menard led the way for the winning team with a match-high 79 points and 99 percent shooting.

Manitoba 6, New Brunswick 3

Manitoba used a three-point sixth to to grab a 4-1 and never looked back en route to its second win of the day.

The teams' shooting percentage was nearly identical, with New Brunswick actually coming in better at 93 percent over 92 for Manitoba.

Mike McEwen had 78 points on 98 percent shooting for the victors, while Marc Lecocq had 80 points on 100 percent shooting in a valiant effort for naught. 

Northern Ontario 5, British Columbia  3

Northern Ontario notched its second win of the day with an efficient two-point victory by scoring in half of the 10 ends.

B.C. did tie the match at 2-2 in the fourth, but managed just one more point the rest of the way.

Three Northern Ontario players shot at least 90 percent, led by Ryan Fry at 96 with a match-high 77 points. B.C. dropped to 0-2 on the day.

Newfoundland and Labrador 6, Northwest Territories 3

Despite jumping ahead 1-0 after the first end, Northwest Territories dropped to 0-3 with a defeat at the hands of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Northwest climbed to within one after eight ends, but Newfoundland and Labrador broke open a close match with two points in the ninth.

Geoff Walker was one of the stars of the match, notching 71 points with a shot percentage of 99 for Newfoundland and Labrador.

For 89 years, the Tim Hortons Brier has been one of the most prestigious tournaments in curling. This year, several high-quality teams will compete to determine which one represents Canada at the World Curling Championships.

Seven matches were on the slate Saturday, and the tournament will conclude Sunday, March 13.

Here are the updated results after Saturday's play:

Team	Result	Team
Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	5-4	Manitoba (McEwen)
Northwest Territories (Koe)	7-4	Nova Scotia (Murphy)
Canada (Simmons)	7-2	Quebec (Menard)
Ontario (Howard)	5-4	Alberta (Koe)
British Columbia (Cotter)	8-4	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
New Brunswick (Kennedy)	7-6	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	6-5	Saskatchewan (Laycock)

An early loss wasn't dooming for three of the day's losers, but the loser of the match between the Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia went home. Here is the updated schedule after Saturday:

Time (ET)	Team	Team
Sunday, Mar. 6 (Draw 3)
9 a.m.	Alberta (Koe)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
9 a.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Canada (Simmons)
9 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Manitoba (McEwen)
9 a.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
Draw 4
2 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Ontario (Howard)
2 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
2 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	British Columbia (Cotter)
Draw 5
7:30 p.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	British Columbia (Cotter)
7:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Monday, Mar. 7 (Draw 6)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	British Columbia (Cotter)
2:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
2:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
Draw 7
7:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
7:30 p.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Manitoba (McEwen)
Tuesday, Mar. 8 (Draw 8)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 9
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Canada (Simmons)
2:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Alberta (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 10
7:30 p.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Canada (Simmons)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
Wed, Mar. 9 (Draw 11)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Canada (Simmons)
Draw 12
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Canada (Simmons)
2:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	Alberta (Koe)	Quebec (Menard)
2:30 p.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)
Draw 13
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
7:30 p.m.	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	British Columbia (Cotter)
Thur, Mar. 10 (Draw 14)
9:30 a.m.	Ontario (Howard)	Saskatchewan (Laycock)
9:30 a.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Alberta (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
9:30 a.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
Draw 15
2:30 p.m.	Prince Edward Island (Casey)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)
2:30 p.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
2:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Manitoba (McEwen)
2:30 p.m.	New Brunswick (Kennedy)	Quebec (Menard)
Draw 16
7:30 p.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Quebec (Menard)
7:30 p.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
7:30 p.m.	Canada (Simmons)	Ontario (Howard)
7:30 p.m.	Saskatchewan (Laycock)	Alberta (Koe)
Friday, Mar. 11 (Draw 17)
9:30 a.m.	British Columbia (Cotter)	New Brunswick (Kennedy)
9:30 a.m.	Manitoba (McEwen)	Prince Edward Island (Casey)
9:30 a.m.	Quebec (Menard)	Northwest Territories (Koe)
9:30 a.m.	Northern Ontario (Jacobs)	Newfoundland and Labrador (Gushue)

Newfoundland and Labrador 5, Manitoba 4

It needed an extra end, but Newfoundland and Labrador pulled out a 5-4 victory in 11 ends.

In a closely contested match in which points were hard to come by, Manitoba managed to tie the match at 4-4 in the 10th end with one point, which broke a three-end drought that began after Newfoundland and Labrador scored two points in the sixth end to go up 4-3. However, Newfoundland and Labrador was able to secure the win with a point in the 11th end.

Northwest Territories 7, Nova Scotia 4

The Northwest Territories moved on to the group stage of the Brier with a three-point victory over Nova Scotia in the pre-qualifying round.

The team originally built a 5-2 lead after six ends, but Nova Scotia came within one after securing a point in the eighth end. The Northwest Territories finished strong with a point apiece in the ninth and 10th to seal the win.

The winner will take on New Brunswick during first-draw action later Saturday. 

Canada 7, Quebec 2

Canada made easy work of Quebec on Saturday, recording points in five of 10 ends thanks to its efficient shooting, as three of four members shot over 92 percent. Canada's skip Pat Simmons led the way with 71 points on 18 shots, which gave him a 99 percent rate Saturday.

John Morris wasn't far behind at 93 percent with 67 points on his 18 shots. 

Quebec, on the other hand, saw only Philippe Menard record a shooting percentage over 90.

Ontario 5, Alberta 4

Like Newfoundland and Manitoba, Ontario and Alberta needed 11 ends in a 5-4 decision. 

With the match tied at 3-3 after six ends, Ontario took a 4-3 lead in the eighth with one point before Alberta tied it back up in the 10th.

Ontario managed to win despite holding a worse shooting percentage than Alberta. The winner shot 92 percent, while Alberta's mark was 93 percent.

British Columbia 8, Prince Edward Island 4

British Columbia broke open a close match with three points in the seventh on their way to a four-point victory.

Rick Sawatsky was the star of the night for BC, collecting a match-high 68 points and shooting 94 percent.

Prince Edward Island actually jumped ahead 1-0 after the first end but trailed 2-1 after the second and never regained the lead. 

New Brunswick 7, Northwest Territories 6

This was yet another match in which 10 ends were not enough as New Brunswick edged out Northwest Territories after winning the 11th end 1-0.

New Brunswick looked to have this one wrapped up late, leading 6-3 heading into the ninth. However, two points from Northwest Territories in the ninth and another in the 10th tied the match at six.

Despite shooting just 75 percent, Northwest Territories hung in there on the strength of Robert Borden's 74 points.

However, no New Brunswick player shot under 82 percent, and Marc Lecocq (82 points, 93 percent) and Co. secured the slim victory.

Northern Ontario 6, Saskatchewan 5

The standard ends once again weren't enough for the final match of the night, as Northern Ontario left with a slim victory in 11.

Dallan Muyres of Saskatchewan was the most efficient on the night, totaling a match-high 81 points on 92 percent shooting. His team tied it up with a point in the 10th, but it wasn't enough.

Northern Ontario used a 4-2 lead after six to hang on for the victory behind Ryan Harnden's 80 points on 91 percent shooting.

Stats courtesy of Curling.ca.

The quality on show at the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier is set to be phenomenal as Team Canada aim to successfully defend their title from last year.

As ever, the victor in the Brier will go on to represent Canada at this year's World Men's Championship in Basel, Switzerland, at the beginning of next month.

However, predicting which of the 12 competing teams from across Canada will triumph this year in Ottawa, Ontario, at TD Place Arena is no easy feat.

Per TSN's Ryan Horne, "the field for the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier is arguably the most decorated and talented in the history of the Canadian men's curling championship."

As was the case last year, four teams—Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Yukon and Nunavut—will compete in the pre-qualifying stage to earn the right to take up the last spot in the tournament proper, which begins on Saturday, March 5, and ends on Sunday, March 13. The full schedule is available via curling.ca.

Victorious Brier skip from 2016 Pat Simmons is looking for a third victory on the bounce having won it with the Alberta rink in 2014.

Team Canada made a terrible start last year in Calgary, losing three of their first five games before Simmons replaced John Morris as skip.

They will be looking to avoid such a start this year in the Canadian capital, and lead Nolan Thiessen is under no illusions as to the challenge that faces the defending champions, per curling.ca:

To say that the competition at the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier is "tough" is likely an understatement. All I know is that of the 11 teams currently in the main draw (44 total players), a whopping 70 per cent of them (31) have played in a Brier playoff game, and 36 per cent (16) already have their name on the trophy.

These numbers include Manitoba sending a Tim Hortons Brier "rookie" team that has been ranked No. 1 in the world for much of the past four seasons—hardly the resume of a team that will be [a] deer in the headlights.

The round-robin stage—where all 12 teams take on each other once—makes up the majority of the tournament and is a gruelling period.

A couple of early losses can be terminal for a rink's chances of succeeding to the Page playoff stage, and conversely, an early streak of wins can help a rink be well placed come the final stages.

Given the quality on show this year, no team is likely to come away from the round-robin stage unscathed, and it will be the rink that responds best to defeats that goes the furthest and potentially triumphs in March 13's final.

Having got to the final last year, Brad Jacobs' Northern Ontario outfit will undoubtedly be in with a chance of victory again, as will Brad Gushue's Newfoundland and Labrador—see below what the 2006 Olympic gold medallist is capable of:

Meanwhile, two-time Brier champion Kevin Koe will surely challenge with Alberta.

Ottawa is set for a scintillating week of curling with some of the best rinks in the world going head-to-head.

Another triumph for Team Canada would be remarkable, but there is no guarantee they will even get into the final stages if they make a poor start again in 2016.

Sweden defeated Norway 9-5 on Sunday to take home the gold medal at the 2015 World Men’s Curling Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  

Hot shooting propelled Sweden to a big victory over the favored host Canada in the semifinals, and that momentum carried over to Sunday's finale against the reigning champion Norway.

The #wmcc2015 Medal Winners - Gold: Sweden (@team_edin); Silver: Norway (@TeamUlsrud); Bronze: Canada (@teamcanadacurl) #curling

— World Curling (@worldcurling) April 5, 2015

Canada fought back from a disheartening defeat on Saturday to salvage the bronze earlier on Sunday. Skip Pat Simmons' team never trailed en route to an 8-4 triumph over Finland to qualify for the podium.

Former Olympic silver medalist Cheryl Bernard congratulated those who represented her country for hanging tough following a 6-3 loss at the hands of the eventual gold medalists:

Congrats @TeamCanadaCurl brilliant finish- you made us all proud to know you! @johnnymocurler @nolancurling34

— Cheryl Bernard (@CBernardCurler) April 5, 2015

Curling Canada documented the key sequence in the gold-medal game, when Sweden star skip Niklas Edin notched three points for his side in the seventh end:

Ulsrud makes it okay but not great. Niklas picks it out for 3, and blows this game open. 9-4. #curling #fwmcc

— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) April 5, 2015

The Edmonton Sun's Terry Jones praised Edin's showing with a twinge of sarcasm:

Niklas Edin isn't that good. He's only scored on three ends here. Three, three and three.

— Terry Jones (@byterryjones) April 5, 2015

Devin Heroux of CBC Calgary commended Norway's Thomas Ulsrud for keeping the mood light amid extremely high stakes as his team hung tough, tied at three through four ends:

Norway's Thomas Ulsrud is a rockstar. Takes part in between-end entertainment. Crowd goes wild. How can you not like him? #FWMCC

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) April 5, 2015

But it wasn't enough to stave off Edin and Co., who were too much once they had the big three-point shot in the seventh.

Canada scored in each of their first two ends and answered Finland's third-end point with three of their own in the fourth. The outcome was never really in doubt thereafter.

Lead Nolan Thiessen weighed in on Team Canada's overall performance afterward, per The Canadian Press (via CBC.ca):

We wanted to be playing [for gold] this afternoon. So it still stings from last night. But you don't want to go home empty-handed. Last year, we stood out there at the closing ceremonies while everybody else walked up on the podium. That's the biggest kick in the head there is. We found a way and we medalled and we can be proud of that.

While the host nation will be left feeling a bit down after such a promising start, there is still solace to be taken in the fact that the Canada team has been exceptional since Simmons became skip. It was a polarizing gamble that's paid big dividends to date.

The Canadians should still be considered favorites if their form keeps up into 2016, though it would have been nice to win one in front of the friendly fans.

Dynasty talk can begin for Sweden after their second world championship in three years. As long as Edin is at the helm as skip, it doesn't seem this team can be stopped even by the most formidable foes.

Edin has a knack for pulling off clutch shots in the biggest moments, which is invaluable on such big stages. After managing to achieve the bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Games, the Swedes have surged strongly under Edin's leadership and show no signs of slowing down.

Another World Men's Curling Championship is almost in the books, as four teams remain in the hunt for the crown in 2015.

Canada (Pat Simmons), Norway (Thomas Ulsrud), Sweden (Niklas Edin) and Finland (Aku Kauste) are still duking it out at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The field of 12 has been dwindled down to perhaps the best four teams of curlers in the world.

Norway and Canada were a dominant 10-1 during the round-robin portion of the tournament, while Sweden (8-3) and Finland (6-5) are in the playoffs as underdogs. Still, this is anybody's game—especially with Simmons and the Canadians dropping to Norway in the 1-2 Page playoff.

Still, Canada sits in the semifinal matchup scheduled for Saturday without an opponent. The previous match of the day between Sweden and Finland will decide who Canada must take on. With two games on tap for Saturday, the World Men's Curling Championship is almost at its end. Don't miss out on the action.

Below is a schedule for Saturday, as well as predictions as to which teams will advance.

Match	Teams	Time (AT)	Prediction
Page 3-4	Sweden vs. Finland	2:30 p.m.	Sweden
Semifinals	Canada vs. TBD	7:30 p.m.	Canada

Sweden vs. Finland

Sweden was two games better than Finland in round-robin play, and while that may not be enough to sway your opinion one way or the other, then take a look at the world rankings.

WorldCurling.org ranks the Swedish men's team as the No. 2 team in the world behind Canada. Finland checks in at No. 14 behind several teams that were already knocked out of this tournament.

Finland also just barely got to this point, as it took a a single in the 10th end on Kauste's final rock to seal a victory over John Shuster of the United States. This Page 3-4 playoff game will be a far more difficult draw, and Finland cannot afford to let Sweden hang around for long. This is a game that can become one-sided quickly.

And it will get one-sided if Kauste and his team don't improve drastically from Friday's affair. He even admitted to Curling Canada that "some ends we were in horrible trouble."

Sharpening up and converting at higher percents is the main key to competing with Edin and Sweden. Scoring multiple times in an end is also crucial. Of Finland's six points in the tiebreaker against the United States, each point came in a different end. The U.S. had multiple two-point ends.

Finland didn't even participate in last year's World Championships in China, so this showing is already quite a step up from where this team had been previously. Whoever wins faces a tough test in Canada later in the day.

Prediction: Sweden, 7-3

Canada vs. TBD (Winner of Above Match)

Canada is in the driver's seat here, as neither Sweden or Finland should be able to compete with the No. 1 team in the world.

Simmons dropped a 7-6 game to Ulsrud in the Page 1-2 playoff, sending Norway (the defending champs) straight to the title game. Canada must now win in the semifinals to earn a rematch. Ulsrud has been stellar all tournament, including a shooting percentage of 91 percent against Simmons.

It was rare to witness a loss with Simmons as the skip, as CBC Calgary's Devin Heroux tweeted:

Since skip swap, Simmons and Co. have won 18 of 20 games. Calgary crew representing Canada at curling worlds in fine form. @nenshi #yyc

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) April 3, 2015

It's safe to assume that Canada will bounce back in the semis against Sweden (if the above prediction is correct). Even Finland is a favorable matchup, so Canada shouldn't have problems cruising into the finals.

The gold medal game would be quite the compelling matchup, for a variety of reasons. Norway has some advantages given last year's win in the tournament and Ulsrud's incredible shooting right now, but Simmons rarely loses. One would have to think that he'll take advantage of a second shot at Norway.

Simmons' focus is on Norway. Expect him and the Canadian team to make quick work of whichever team advances to the semifinal earlier in the day.

Prediction: Canada, 7-3

Kenny DeJohn is a Breaking News Team Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter.