U.S. Olympic Men’s Curling Team Squeaks by Sweden 8—7

USA's skip John Shuster (R) roars in triumph as USA defeats Sweden in an extra end overtime victory 8-7, at the men's curling at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

The United States Olympic Men’s Curling team went all the way to the wire, and a bit beyond, finally beating Sweden by one point in the eleventh end.

After losing four straight, and trying different lineups, the U.S. team came back with their original four and battled the talented Swedish squad end for end.

Both sides missed shots and failed to capitalize on opportunities, but in the end, the strategy of John Shuster and the shot-making of Jason Smith brought the Americans there second win in the Olympic Games.

After the game Jason Smith and John Shuster spoke to an NBC reporter.

U.S. skip John Shuster was satisfied with the win and with his new position in the lineup. “Going out there and getting a win, especially against a quality team like Sweden—they’re right around the top of the standings—meant a lot,” he said.

“Getting to hold the broom and watch my best friend make the last shot for the win, and the crowd going nuts—I felt great for the USA and I felt great for this guy too, today,” [indicating Smith].

Jason Smith said he was glad to have Shuster back as skip.

“It was a lot less stressful on me I don’t have to worry about the broom placement, I just have to go and throw. I just have to throw the right weight and hit the broom because I know it’s right so that’s all I can do.”

Shuster said the teams lineup would be reconsidered daily. “Our coaching staff is going to evaluate every night, how we can put the best team on the ice for the next game, to win the game. That decision will be made on a day-to-day basis.”

Change at the Top

After swapping out original skip John Shuster for 22-year-old Chris Plys, the U.S. team scored their first victory in Olympic Men’s curling, beating France 4–3 after four heartbreaking losses. But the win brought no respite; the Americans’ next opponent was the formidable Swedish team.

Sweden beat World Champion Britain in the first day of play, showing that this young team (average age: 24, youngest in the field) was a serious contender for gold. With its 3–1 record, Sweden was a stern test for the rejuvenated American squad.

After Chris Plys led them to victory, the U.S. coach decided to put Shuster back in the lineup as skip but shooting third, dropping Plys, with Jason Smith going last. There was some justice to this, as Shuster had assembled and lead the team since its inception. The question remained, would Shuster make his shots?

The drama started in the first end, with Shuster and Smith badly missing their first shots and making difficult, and important second shots. Sweden came out shooting well, and aggressively, but a triple takeout attempt on the last shot hit only two, letting the U.S. steal one point.

The second end was a strategy session, with twelve rocks in play at the end. Sweden had the hammer but almost couldn’t use it, the sheet was so complicated. Swedish skip Niklas Edin took several minutes to decide, and in the end couldn’t thread a shot through to knock out the Americans, letting the U.S. steal yet another point.

The U.S. behind an amazing hit-and-roll from Jason Smith, held the Swedes to one point in the third, getting the hammer for the first time in the match, while keeping a one-point lead. The U.S. team made good use of the hammer, scoring two in the fourth.

Missed Opportunities

Sweden made two in the fifth, and the U.S. got one in the sixth. In the seventh, Sweden scored their first three-point end of the Olympics, when oversweeping pulled Jason Smith’s last stone long.

Swedish strategy kept the U.S. from running up a good score in the eight, so John Shuster elected to blank the end and keep the hammer for the ninth. The U.S. got a break when Sebastian Kraupp threw an airball, but Shuster threw too heavy on his next short, giving it away.

Niklas Edin then shot heavy, knocking a U.S. stone closer to the button while his rock rolled out, giving the U.S. another chance at a big end.

Jason Smith then stepped up for the U.S. and his first stone also went long. Edin’s final shot was well-placed draw, ruining any chance for a big U.S. end.

Shuster came through with a tough draw to get the U.S. two , heading into the tenth one ahead, with Sweden holding the hammer.

If the U.SD. team had not missed two clutch shots they could have had four and put the game away.

Down to the Wire—and a Bit Beyond

Sweden had almost run out the clock by the time the tenth end started. They were shooting as soon as the U.S. rocks stopped moving, taking no time to plan or focus. But their shooting was good enough to get a point, tying the game and bringing on an eleventh end.

The U.S. had the hammer going into overtime, so the Swedes tried to create a lot of traffic in front of the house to make later draws more difficult. Again, missed shots by both teams wasted chances for an advantage, until the two final shooters were up.

Sweden’s Edin first set a perfect guard, too far out to be run back onto Sweden’s shot rock. Smith decided to forgo peeling, and instead drew to the back of the four-foot circle.

Edin responded by slamming a shot into the house, clearing out the four-foot circle and leaving Sweden lying two.

Smith with last shot and the game on the line curled a rock perfectly between the two Swedish stones, tapping on slightly to lie shot rock and give the U.S. team their second win of the Olympics.