Despite facing the defending silver medalists, Team USA did not back down. The match went down to the wire, where Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin pulled off a comeback win over Norway in their first match of the round-robin session.
Advertisement
It was a close game throughout, as neither team led by more than two points the entire game. The US team managed to take the first lead and score a point in the first set. But Norway fought back immediately and scored three points in the second set. That set the tone for the rest of the game. Team USA earned two points in the third quarter, tying things up, but then Norway increased their lead to two after a strong final quarter. Team USA got a point in the fifth end and then Norway got a point in the sixth end, giving Norway a 6-4 lead heading into the seventh end.
With their backs against the wall, Team USA rallied. The American managed to tie with two points. The team had a chance to take a one-point lead on the last stone at the end, but was unable to move one of Norway’s stones far enough away. That set up a 6-6 game going into the end.
The Americans performed well early in the final, putting themselves in position to earn three points and the victory, with just two stones remaining for Norway. On the second to last stone in Norway, Magnus Nedregotten managed to weave his stone around some of the stones blocking the path, but it traveled too far, still setting up a victory for Team USA.
Thiesse had a chance to put the game away, but he didn’t hit his shot well enough, leaving a chance for Norway to steal the game with a well-placed final shot. However, they couldn’t get the stone to curve enough, giving Team USA the 8-6 victory.
This story will be updated.