David Simard, Francois Lavoie and Dan MacLelland (pictured left, l-r) of Canada finished their three-game block on long oil (43 ft. Tokyo pattern) Wednesday afternoon at Khalifa International Bowling Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE with back-to-back 700-plus games to beat out Sweden for the top spot in Squad 2 by one pin and to leap into second place in the Trios qualifying at the Men's World Championships.

Squad 1 leaders Carsten Warming Hansen, Frederik Øhrgaard and Thomas Larsen (right, l-r) of Denmark held on the lead with 2158 and an average of 239.78.

The Canadians had games of 663, 707 and 709 and 2079 total, an average of 231. MacLelland, who won the gold medal in Singles three days ago, led the team with 738 including a high game of 280, Lavoie added 713 and Simard contributed 628.

Swedes Martin Paulsson, Robert Andersson and Joachim Karlsson also improved every game, posting scores of 675, 698 and 705 for a 2078 total and an average of 230.89.

Andersson, who won gold in Doubles at the 2006 World Championships in Busan, Korea, paced the team with 709 including games of 238, 236 and 235. Karlsson was just one pin behind with 708, and Paulsson, who won the Doubles title at the 2010 World Championships in Munich, Germany, added 661.

Team USA's Mike Fagan, Sean Rash and Marshall Kent finished their set with 749, the highest game of the Trios event so far, to leap into third place in this squad and fourth overall with 2038 total and an average of 226.44. Fagan led the way with 717, Kent had 668 and Rash 653.

Doubles gold medalist Park Jongwoo, who had the field-best 760 series, and his Korean team mates Hong Haesol and Kim Kyungmin and the second Danish trio featuring Jimmy Mortensen, Mik Stampe and Jesper Agerbo moved into fifth and sixth place in the qualifying standings with 2032 and 1995, respectively.

Finland, Colombia and Kuwait, who were in the top 4 after the morning squad slipped sixth spots to seventh, eighth and ninth place with 1975, 1955 and 1951.

Squad concludes the first block on long oil this afternoon starting a 16.30 Gulf Standard Time (GST). The second block on short oil (38 ft. Atlanta pattern) follows on Thursday with Squad 2 starting at 8.30, Squad 3 at 12.15 and Squad 1 at 16.00 after which the field will be cut to the top four trios for the medal round starting at 19.15.

No. 1 will bowl No. 4 and No. 2 meets No. 3 in a one-game semi-final match. The winners bowl for gold and silver while the losers share the bronze medal.

With the bowlers of Squad 1 and 2 having completed 15 out of 24 games in All-Events (combined scores in Singles, Doubles, Trios and Teams), Dan MacLelland (left) paces the field with 3492 total or an average of 232.80, 121 pins ahead of Mike Fagan, who is second with 3371 (224.73).

Squad 1 leader Manuel Otalora of Colombia slipped to third place with 3353 (223.53) and is followed by Joachim Karlsson and Joachim Karlsson and Park Jongwoo (right) in fourth and fifth place with 3349 and 3326, resp.

The top 3 after 24 games will earn the medals in All-Events while the top 24 will advance to the Championships-ending Masters competition on Sunday, December 14.