SINCLAIR/RUOHONEN ADVANCE TO SEMIFINAL
Photo by Bob Weder
In the 3 vs. 4 page playoff game at the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Mixed Doubles Curling, Peterson/Polo played Sinclair/Ruohonen.
Both teams qualified for the playoff round of Trials through Saturday morning’s tiebreaker to meet in the first playoff game of the tournament.
When the two teams met in the round robin, it was Sinclair/Ruohonen who was victorious, defeating Peterson/Polo 6-4 in eight ends.
In the must-win playoff game scenario, team Peterson/Polo was first on the board, stealing a single point in the first end which was answered with a score of one from Sinclair/Ruohonen in the second.
In the third end, Peterson/Polo attempted a tap to score a deuce, but unable to catch the curl they were anticipating, Peterson/Polo’s shooter tapped a Sinclair/Ruohonen stone into the pile, resulting in a steal of two and a 3-1 lead for Sinclair/Ruohonen.
Peterson/Polo bounced back from the steal by playing a nearly perfect fourth end, leaving Peterson a draw to the paint for a score of three and giving Peterson/Polo a 4-3 advantage entering the second half of the game.
“We’ve got to make sure we keep rocks ahead of the tee-line so we can use them and play off them,” said Tabitha Peterson at the break. “We need to make as many good ones as we can.”
Peterson/Polo forced Sinclair/Ruohonen to a single point in the fifth end. A draw to the side of the button by Sinclair/Ruohonen to outcount the Peterson/Polo stone that sat full four-foot evened the game at 4-4 after five ends.
Peterson/Polo used their power play in the sixth end to try to produce a multiple score, but Sinclair/Ruohonen’s ability to bring the play to the center of the sheet early in the end with a center guard resulted in a steal of one and propelled Sinclair/Ruohonen into the lead.
In the seventh frame, Sinclair/Ruohonen sat two counters in the top of the eight-foot, forcing Peterson/Polo to draw for a single and tie the game back up at 5-5.
Sinclair/Ruohonen reserved their power play for the final end, where they needed to score only a single point to ensure the win and advance to Sunday’s semifinal.
A nose hit on Sinclair/Ruohonen’s peel attempt of Peterson/Polo’s center guards allowed Peterson/Polo to tuck a rock into the four-foot.
After exchanging guards and peels, Tabitha Peterson threw a perfect guard to hide Peterson/Polo’s counter in the four-foot.
Needing to draw full four-foot for the win, Sinclair/Ruohonen covered the pin for the victory and to move onto the semifinal.
“It’s a lot of process thinking,” said Jamie Sinclair about making the game-winner. “I’m thinking about where I’m aiming, how I’m going to release it, and what the speed is going to be. That’s thanks to our sports psychologist for years of training on not thinking at all about the outcome and just staying in the process.”
Sinclair/Ruohonen will play the loser of Anderson/Dropkin and Persinger/Plys in tomorrow’s semifinal matchup.
Teams Persinger/Plys and Anderson/Dropkin will face off in the 1 vs. 2 game Saturday afternoon at 3:30PM (ET), where the winner will advance directly to the Trials final on Sunday at 8:00PM (ET) to play the winner of the semifinal game.
USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Toyota, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), and Sitrin, and is partnered with IHG, Rock Solid Productions Inc., Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, and United Airlines.
