USA MEN OVER HALFWAY THROUGH ROUND ROBIN AT 2021 WORLD MEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP
Photo by WCF/Jeffrey Au
With eight games completed at the 2021 World Men’s Curling Championship, Team USA (John Shuster, Chris Plys, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner, and Colin Hufman) has five games remaining in round robin play to battle their way into the playoffs.
The Team, skipped by John Shuster, started the Championship off strong by defeating China in their opening game.
Team USA took the ice for the second time at the Championship in what was a 2018 Olympic Gold Medal rematch. Falling short against Niklas Edin and his squad from Sweden, the Team rebounded in their second game of the day against Germany. USA’s victory against the Germans marked the beginning of a three-game win streak, as the Team proceeded to collect wins the following day against Japan and an undefeated Swiss team.
On Monday morning, the neighbors to the north took a commanding 5-0 lead after a few American errors in the first four ends of play. Facing five Canadian stones in the fifth end, Shuster was left with a tricky angled runback to secure a single point, resulting in the Canadians adding five more to the board.
Following the closure of that game, Phill Drobnick, National Team Director, explained that managing tough losses is what separates the good from the great.
“It’s a long week and you are going to have ups and downs,” said Drobnick. “The team that handles the downs the best will be playing for a medal at the end of the week.”
With that mentality, Team USA rebounded last night, coming out victorious in their game against Italy.
Today, Team USA had a one-game day where they faced RCF. Following a slow start, Shuster and Team clawed their way back from a five-point deficit to even the score at 6-6 in the seventh. Unfortunately, RCF answered with a score of four points in the eighth, but even then, Team USA pressured RCF to throw a shot against the win to conclude the game.
Though a frustrating outcome, a commendable act of resiliency that has proven to be a staple in this Team’s achievement of continued success.
“That’s one thing the Team has prided itself on over the past few years, learning from the losses and focusing on what’s next,” said Drobnick.
Eight games into the round robin and one thing is abundantly clear: this team has grit. It was proven in the historic Olympic Gold Medal run in 2018 and remains true as Team USA faces the best in the world this week in Calgary.
With a 5-3 record, Team USA is still very much in the thick of the standings and will look to bounce back, as they’ve proven they can, tomorrow against Norway and Scotland.
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USA Curling is sponsored by Toyota, Goldline, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), Sitrin, Traveler’s Choice, and Volt, and is partnered with IHG, Rock Solid Productions Inc., 12th End Sports Network, Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, and United Airlines.
