USA MEN FINISH FOURTH AT 2022 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
WCF / STEPHEN FISHER
Team USA (John Shuster, Chris Plys, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner, and Colin Hufman) moved to the bronze medal game after losing 8-4 to Great Britain in the semifinal matchup.
Despite the heartbreaking loss and opportunity to defend the gold medal in men’s curling, the Team reset, prepared to finish its Olympic competition on a high note.
“Tough loss, and honestly, I thought I’d feel way worse,” Matt Hamilton posted to social media following the Olympic semifinal. “I think the reason I don’t is I know that me and my team left it all out there. Sure, we missed some shots, but we were in absolutely every shot 100%.”
The Team made Olympic history by being the first U.S. curling team to play for back-to-back Olympic medals but knew the bronze would be the icing on the cake.
“I’ve rebounded and reassessed my goal: win the bronze,” Hamilton’s post went on to say. “It will take an amazing effort by the guys, but I know we got one more in us.”
In the bronze medal game, Team USA faced Canada, a Team that the Shuster-skipped rink had beaten in its last two out of three encounters, losing when the countries met earlier this week in the round robin.
Due to Canada’s higher ranking at the conclusion of the round robin, the Canadians started the game with last stone advantage, scoring a deuce to open the game.
The Americans were forced to a single point in the second end before forcing Canada to make a takeout against three counters in the third.
With the United States’ second crack at hammer, John Shuster executed a draw to the four-foot, securing the first deuce of the game for the Americans and evening the score at 3-3.
In the fifth, the U.S. set up the end to force Canada to a single, but a hit and roll out on second stones allowed for the Canadians to peel the center guard. Canada had the opportunity to hit and roll out to blank the end and keep control of the hammer, but an unforced error resulted in Canada being forced to a single.
The United States opened the second half of the bronze medal game with hammer, making quick use of it by scoring a deuce with a draw to the rings after Canada narrowly missed a double takeout attempt with its last.
In the seventh end, Canada made a double takeout, removing both U.S. counters and spilling its shooter out the top of the house to keep the hammer in the eighth, where Canada scored two and took a 6-5 lead.
The first steal of the game happened in the ninth end when Team USA attempted a hack weight takeout on a Canadian stone that sat buried under a center guard at the top of the four foot. Unable to catch enough curl to remove the Canadian counter from play, Canada stole two points to move ahead 8-5.
Ultimately, Team USA couldn’t gain positioning in the final end and ran out of stones, conceding 8-5 and earning Team Canada the bronze medal.
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.
