Team Canada burst ahead 5-1 and never looked back in beating Germany 9-4 in nine ends at the world men's curling championship in Grand Forks, N.D., on Tuesday night.
Kevin Martin's Edmonton rink scored three points in the opening end and two in the third to put German skip Andy Kapp on his heels, and allow Canadian alternate Adam Enright to shake off a little rust.
Kevin Martin, left, shares a laugh with German skip Andy Kapp on Tuesday.
(Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)
"Once they get down there is no choice, they have to go after us," Martin said.
"That was the focus today, to be a little sharper," Canadian third John Morris said. "We felt like, in the last two games, against Norway and Scotland, they outplayed us in the first five [ends], so we wanted to come out stronger.
"We came out strong and kept the heat on for most of the game."
Enright replaced lead Ben Herbert, with Canada leading 7-2 in the eighth.
"For the first rock, I was a little nervous," said Enright, who has played twice. "Once the first one is out of the way it is a lot easier.
"It is a blast. Coming as a fifth, you do not expect to play.
"Every time you get in, it is a bonus. You cannot describe wearing the Maple Leaf."
Asked if he had suffered an injury, a healthy Herbert quipped: "Yes, my back is sore from carrying the team."
Canada needed an extra end to edge Norway's Thomas Ulsrud 9-8 on Tuesday morning, and tops the standings at 7-0 through 11 draws at the Ralph Englestad Arena.
"It wasn't by much," Martin said of the winning shot, a draw to the eight-foot on last rock in the 11th.
"It curled about a foot less than I thought it would, but it was still good by quite a margin. The guys swept it perfectly, and it was fine."
Logjam in second
Thomas Dufour of France defeated Australia's Hugh Millikin 6-4 in Draw 11 to create six-team logjam in second place.
Dufour, Kapp, Millikin, Ulsrud, Johnny Frederiksen of Denmark and David Murdoch of Scotland stand 4-3 overall.
Frederiksen dumped Claudio Pescia of Switzerland 6-4 to move into contention, while Murdoch walloped Sweden's Anders Kraupp 11-3 and Fengchun Wang of China 8-2.
Wang and Craig Brown of the United States lurk within striking distance at 3-4.
CBC Sports is televising the semifinal (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET) and the championship final (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET), and providing daily streaming at CBCSports.ca.
