Canada fends off Britain for 7-5 win in men's Olympic curling

Team Canada skip Brad Jacobs prepares to throw a rock during round robin competition against Norway at the Sochi Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia Friday February 14, 2014. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS

SOCHI, Russia -- Brad Jacobs and his rink have had some struggles, but they continue to find a way to win.

Canada held on for a slim 7-5 win over Britain on Saturday in a key round-robin match in the men's Olympic curling tournament.

Jacobs's rink from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has reeled off four straight wins since starting the tourney 1-2, catapulting it into a tie with Britain for third place at 5-2.

"We just need to keep coming out with a lot of intensity," said Jacobs. "We've got two big games left tomorrow (against China and the United States), so we will get some good rest today and then come out with our A-game tomorrow."

Britain's David Murdoch gave his rink a 2-1 lead after three ends, before the Canadians picked up three points in the fourth.

The British replied with two in the fifth, but Jacobs earned a point in the seventh end for a 5-4 lead.

Murdoch tied it 5-5 in the eighth before Canada took the lead again in the ninth.

The Canadians struggled putting the match away in the final end, however, as several rocks got picked on the ice, throwing off their trajectory.

"The last end had some pretty bad breaks," said Jacobs. "Even the end before that, my last stone grabbed up a bit. When I went to clean the rock, there was a huge piece of (broom) corn just glued on the running surface."

Britain had an opportunity to tie, but overcurled on their final shot of the match, giving Canada an extra point for the 7-5 victory.

"We played both decent and a little sloppy, but we got a lot of bad breaks that game and the positive thing is that we stuck with it and made the ones that we had to make," said Canadian third Ryan Fry.

Canada and the British trail in the round robin standings behind China and Sweden, who have identical 6-1 records.

China silenced the home crowd early in a 9-6 win over Russia and Sweden needed just nine ends to beat Germany 8-4.

Switzerland beat Denmark 9-3 in the other game in the afternoon session.