TEAM USA MIXED DOUBLES SQUAD STEALS VICTORY OVER AUSTRALIA IN OLYMPIC GAMES OPENER
Photo: Getty Images / Justin Setterfield
BEIJING - The USA Curling duo of Vicky Persinger (Fairbanks, AK) and Chris Plys (Duluth, MN) opened the 2022 Olympic Winter Games mixed doubles competition with a hard-fought 6-5 win over Australia Wednesday evening.
With the game tied 5-5 in the last end, Australia flashed a hit for the win on their final shot of the game, giving Team USA a key early win in round-robin play.
"I feel very fortunate to get out of there with a win," Plys, a two-time Olympian, said afterward. "Sometimes a little luck can go a long way in tournaments like this. We're excited to get the 'W' and move forward from here."
Playing in the iconic "Ice Cube" that Michael Phelps made famous winning eight gold medals during the 2008 Summer Olympics, the two teams traded singles in the first-four ends before Team USA grabbed a key steal in the fifth end to take a 3-2 lead.
"I think the first-four ends, looking back on it we played really really strong," Plys said. "The Australians just kept making big shots to get themselves out of trouble. Even in the fifth end, we got that steal of one and I think we were feeling really good and confident."
Australia opted to use its power play in the sixth and it paid off with the game's biggest score of three.
Trailing 5-3 going into the seventh end, Team USA countered with a power play of its own. Persinger made a beautiful double to get two, tying the game at 5-5 with one end remaining.
"I was glad to make the double in seven because it gave us a chance in eight," Persinger said. “We'll take it for our first game."
Plys added, "The tough thing with mixed doubles is it's really volatile and the swings are crazy. You can outplay a team, have a bad power play and lose quite often. And that's exactly what happened tonight."
It was a long wait for Team USA to finally hit the ice today. After arriving late last week, teams weren't able to practice until earlier in the day. Persinger said they both felt relieved to finally start practicing and playing.
"We got here several days early and were finally able to get on the ice today," she said. "Even in our practices earlier today, we kept talking about how great it felt. We're excited to kind of get back into that rhythm."
For the second-straight Olympic Games, Team USA scored a victory in its opening game. The duo will now turn their attention to a pair of back-to-back games tomorrow, starting with Italy at 9:05 am (local time) followed by Norway at 2:05 pm.
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.
