TEAM SHUSTER TOPS STANDINGS THROUGH FIRST ROUND ROBIN
Photo by Bob Weder
Before two teams in each field qualify for the best-of-three game final at the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Curling, each team must compete in a double round robin.
On Monday afternoon, the six men’s teams completed their fifth game of the contest, thus completing the first round robin.
At the halfway mark of Trials, Teams Dropkin and Persinger sit tied for second at 3-2, Teams Dunnam and Ruohonen tied for third at 2-3, and Team Brundidge remains hungry for their first win with a 0-5 record.
Alone at the top of the standings is Team Shuster with a perfect 5-0 record after defeating Team Dropkin in the final game of the first round robin.
"It was definitely a grinder,” said Chris Plys, third on Team Shuster. “They're a really good team over there.”
Team Shuster trailed Team Dropkin by three points after the first three ends of play before performing a strong second half and winning 8-7 in an extra end.
"We just talked about being patient,” said Plys. “We knew a deuce, force, deuce and the game is tied just like that. That was our mindset the whole time. As long as we could get forces, we were confident that we'd be able to manufacture some twos."
With a 5-0 record and a comeback victory Team Shuster has confidence entering the second half of competition.
“John does what he does and there's nobody I'd rather have throwing a draw to the four foot for the win,” added Plys.
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