The Daily Pebble The official publication of the 2016 USA Curling National Championships Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016 Team Clark (l-r) Brady Clark, Greg Persinger, Colin Hufman, and Philip Tilker. Team Shuster (l-r) John Shuster, Tyler George, Matt Hamilton, and John Landsteiner. Clark, Shuster to meet in men’s final By Terry L. Davis, Daily Pebble Editor // THE PLAYOFFS ohn Shuster’s team will have a chance to defend their national title after defeating Craig Brown, 7-1, in Friday afternoon’s semifinal game of the 2016 USA Curling National Championships. #1 Brady Clark JShuster (Duluth, Minn.) and teammates Tyler George (Duluth, Minn.), Clark Matt Hamilton (McFarland, Wis.), and John Landsteiner (Duluth, Minn.) will now take on Brady Clark’s team in the men’s gold-medal game Saturday night at #2 John Shuster Shuster Veterans Memorial Arena. Final “The whole team started out sharp. We exhibited a lot of patience in this one,” George said. “Obviously, it’s a little bit circumstances today. I think the teams Shuster were on a level playing field and we’re comfortable going out there and playing Semifinal our game and knowing that’s what’s going to stand up at the end of the day. We’re #3 Korey Dropkin going to have to bring everything we got in the next one.” Shuster’s team has already earned enough points to represent the U.S. at the Brown 2016 World Men’s Championship in April but being national champion and #4 Craig Brown finishing out the week on a winning note is what’s most important, George said. “The team talked about it all week – and all week last year when we were in a similar situation having already secured the berth to worlds – that’s our trophy and our names are on it until someone takes it away from us,” said George, who is seeking his third men’s national title. “We want to keep it in the club. Anything less than the gold this week will be disappointing for us.” Shuster’s team got on the scoreboard in the second end to score the game’s first points with a deuce. Brown patiently waited for opportunities to score more than a point but had to settle for a single in the fifth end when the team’s takeout attempt kept the shooter stone in the rings instead of resulting in the intended blank end. 2016 USA Curling National Champions (l-r): Erika Brown, Allison Pottinger, Nicole Joraanstad, and Natalie Nicholson. Shuster’s team countered in the sixth end with a very precise draw to the but- Photo by Rich Harmer, Daily Pebble Chief Photographer ton with the final stone to score another deuce. The game slipped away for Team Brown in the seventh end when Shuster’s team got three rocks positioned around the button. Brown used his first stone to attempt a cross-house double takeout but the angle wasn’t there. In the end, Brown would miss his final shot as well and Shuster’s team stole three points to put the game away. Brown (Madison, Wis.) and his team of Kroy Nernberger (Madison, Wis.), Jared Zezel (Hibbing, Minn.), and Sean Beighton (Seattle) will be awarded the bronze medals. The men’s championship final between Clark and Shuster will close out the Golden Girls By Terry L. Davis, Daily Pebble Writer rink earns a berth in the 2016 Champions Cup, a event at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. A live webstream, scores and standings can be found he number of championship titles for Grand Slam of Curling event, scheduled April 26- at www.usacurl.org. Team Erika Brown is starting to run Erika Brown May 1 in Sherwood Park, Alberta. In addition to the national title, the winners of the 2016 National Champion- onto a second page – and the next chap- “We really wanted to win this championship ships earn berths in the 2016 Champions Cup, a Grand Slam of Curling event, ter Tstarted Friday night at the 2016 USA Curling because even though we sewed up Team USA scheduled April 26-May 1 in Sherwood Park, Alberta. National Championships as the team defeated rink wins 2016 going to Worlds a couple days ago, it was really The Nationals are a key component to the season-long points chase to Nina Roth, 8-6, to add one more title to their important for us to be the national champion determine which teams will represent the U.S. at the upcoming World Curling already impressive curling careers. representing the United States – it was something Championships. The John Shuster and Erika Brown rinks have now secured This is the 11th national championship title for women’s we all wanted to do,” Brown said. “For us, that’s enough points and have been named Team USA. The 2016 Ford World Women’s Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.); ninth for the way it’s always been. Team USA is the national Championship will take place March 19-27 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, while Brown (Oakville, Ontario) and Nicholson (Bemi- champion, and I think we take pride in that. That the 2016 World Men’s Championships is April 2-10 in Basel, Switzerland. dji, Minn.); and eighth for Joraanstad (Verona, national title was important for us.” Wis.). The win on Friday in the gold medal game at Line score, men’s semifinal: “It’s terrific and they certainly made us work early, this is like the cherry on top of the whole thing. Veterans Memorial Arena was a battle, however, *John Shuster 020 002 3xx x – 7 for it today so it feels really good,” said Pottinger, Winning a national championship never gets old.” and went into an extra end against Roth (McFar- Craig Brown 000 010 0xx x – 1 42. “We just had such a good season and came Brown’s team will represent the U.S. at the 2016 *last rock in first end together quickly as a team, so it’s really nice to cap Ford World Women’s Championship March 19-27 in it off. Winning and becoming the Worlds team Swift Current, Saskatchewan. In addition, the Brown Continued on Page 2 4))usacurl.org From Page 1: Team Brown captures gold SILVER MEDALISTS BRONZE MEDALISTS land, Wis.) and her team of Aileen Sormunen (Duluth, Minn.), Monica Walker (Brighton, Mass.), and Vicky Persinger (Fairbanks, Alaska). “It’s been a long season for us. It’s taken us a little while to gel as a team so it was really important for us to come into this event and do well,” Walker said. “All of us did really well this week – not just one or two of us and then trying to string shots together – so it was really important for this team to cap off the season and play re- ally well. I definitely feel like we left it all out there … and it feels good.” Brown’s team had control of the second half of the game but a few late game snafus nearly cost the Brown Team Roth (l-r): Nina Roth, Monica Walker, Aileen Sormunen, and Vicky Persinger Team Christensen (l-r): Cory Christensen, Sarah Anderson, Taylor Anderson, Madison rink the title. “I don’t think it’s ever over until it’s over; Bear, and Christine McMakin. we’ve all learned that lesson the hard way a few times,” Brown said. Team Brown made a hit for one point in the first end to start the offense. Roth answered with a deuce in the second end only to have Brown’s team counter with two points in the fourth. In the sixth end, facing four Brown stones, Roth had to draw to the button while avoiding two Brown team stones sitting on the top corners of the four-foot. Roth’s sweepers got it to touch a corner of the button to score a single point and tie the game at 3-3. The Brown rink narrowly swept past stones in the top of the house to draw in for two points in the seventh end and take a 5-3 lead. The team then benefitted from a great hit and roll by Pottinger to leave one of their stones in Team Brown (l-r): Craig Brown, Kroy Nernberger, Jared Zezel, and Sean Beighton. the four-foot behind guards in the eighth end. Roth was forced to use her first stone to peel a guard to open the path. Brown simply utilized her team’s final rock to re- cover the path to the four-foot. The best option for Roth // THE PLAYOFFS was to attempt to double angle raise a guard to remove Brown’s rock in scoring position. They got movement on #1 Nina Roth it but not enough to avoid the single steal. Brown With a comfortable lead, Team Brown made a perfect #2 Erika Brown Roth double takeout with their final stone of the ninth end Brown forced Roth to make a hit and stay to take a point in the Final ninth. Things got a little dicey for the eventual champions and a heavy draw with the final stone of the game gave Roth Semifinal Roth’s side a steal of two to force overtime. The extra end was getting a little more cluttered with #3 Jamie Sinclair stones than Brown’s rink would have liked. It wasn’t until Christensen Pottinger made a runback to remove Roth’s stone partially buried in the four-foot that put the end in Team Brown’s #4 Cory Christensen The Daily Pebble favor.