Team Canada takes first mixed doubles loss at Winter Olympics

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO, Italy — Team Canada’s win streak to open the mixed doubles competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics was snapped Friday morning at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.

The Canadian pairing of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant of Chestermere, Alta., team coach Laine Peters and national coach Scott Pfeifer, dropped a 7-5 decision to Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of the United States. The loss dropped Canada’s round-robin record to 3-1, while the U.S. improved to 3-0.

A tight 4-4 game through six ends was broken open in the seventh on a U.S. power play. Dropkin’s double takeout set up Thiesse for an open hit to score three, and Canada was unable to muster an eighth-end comeback.

“It reinforces what we already knew (about the level of competition in Cortina),” said Gallant. “We didn’t do what we did last night (in a win over Italy) really well. We just didn’t really get a jump on (reading) the ice and we’re just on the heavy side on a few shots. The ice was a little faster, a little straighter, and we were just bouncing off a few too many shots, and they were taking advantage of it. But, yeah, a good learning experience.”

The Canadians started the game without last rock, but for the third time here under that circumstance manufactured a stolen point in the first end. But the U.S. was able to score a pair in the second and stole one more in the third.

Peterman made a wonderful double takeout in the fourth to tie it, and held the U.S. to one in the fifth, but Canada’s power play in the sixth end could only produce a single point.

“It was a tight game with them, and they’re a really talented team,” said Gallant. “We’re 3-1, four games in; we’re just going to refocus going into the next game. We’ve played four really tough teams The last three teams (Norway, Italy, U.S.) are all (former) world podium or Olympic podium teams. And we’ve got another one coming tomorrow. We knew that coming into this event — it’s going to be super, super tough. But 3-and-1 is a pretty good start for us, and we just have to get back to those winning ways, hopefully, tomorrow.”

And on the whole, suggested Peterman, the positives from the first four games will set a strong foundation for the final five round-robin games leading to a hoped-for berth in the four-team playoffs.

“I think our communication (has been good),” she said. “We didn’t necessarily adjust to the ice straight away (against the U.S.), but we’re continuing to talk, continuing to kind of fight through it together, and fighting for every inch until the last shot.”

Team Canada will play twice on Saturday, the first official full day of the Winter Olympics — at 4:05 a.m. (all times Eastern) against Great Britain’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat (4-0) and at 1:05 p.m. against Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill (1-2).

For live scoring, team lineups, and standings for the three Olympic curling competitions, CLICK HERE.

All of Canada’s games will be broadcast on a variety of platforms by CBC, the official Olympic rights-holder in Canada. CLICK HERE for the CBC broadcast schedule.