Canada’s Team Jacobs opens with a win in an extra-end Olympics thriller

Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs faced a tough test in its first assignment at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but ultimately prevailed with an opening-day win.

Jacobs, along with vice-skip Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant, lead Ben Hebert, alternate Tyler Tardi, team coach Paul Webster, and national coach Jeff Stoughton, earned a 7-6 extra-end win over Germany’s Team Marc Muskatewitz on Wednesday evening in Italy.

It is the first of what the Canadian contingent hopes will be many wins this week at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.

Jacobs made a routine hit for the win in the extra end, but the outcome was far from certain against a young German team making its Olympic debut.

Up by two without the hammer in the 10th end, Canada tucked its final shot behind cover in the four-foot. Germany could only attempt a short raise, with the stone getting enough of two Canadian counters to score the game-tying deuce.

“You know what? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think that was going to happen,” Jacobs said of the close game. “Pretty much knew that was going to happen against those guys.”

Germany scored a deuce in the third after blanking the first two ends.

Canada answered with two in the fourth end and took the lead with a steal of two in the fifth, after Muskatewitz was heavy on his draw.

Both teams traded points in the second half. Germany scored two in the sixth end. Canada responded with back-to-back blank ends, then scored two after Jacobs removed a German stone with his first shot and made a draw with his second.

That sequence led to Germany tying the game in the 10th, with Canada ultimately sealing the win in the 11th end.

“That’s a big win for us to get that under our belt,” Jacobs said. “That’s a must-win game, and to just get it done in 11 ends is good for us. I think the more that we can go deep into games, make the last shot to win like that — you want to get comfortable doing that and doing it in game one is great.”

Canada’s Team Jacobs has Thursday off and will return to the ice on Friday at 3:05 a.m. (all times Eastern) for a game against Team Daniel Casper of the United States.

In women’s play, Canada’s Team Rachel Homan makes its 2026 Olympics debut on Thursday at 3:05 a.m. against Denmark’s Team Madeleine Dupont.

For live scoring, team lineups, and standings for the 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.