The Daily Pebble Volume 1, Issue 7 Saturday, March 7 Spatola Defeats Potter to Move on to the Gold Medal Game www.usacurl.org * Twier: @terry_usacurl & @2014CurlingNats Nina Spatola’s team will face the veteran Allison Ponger Semi-Final Dramatic Finish Results in a Fenson Win rink in the gold medal game at the USA Curling Naonal Championships presented by Laba aer emerging from the semifinals at IceWorks he semifinal between Arena this evening with a 9‐4 victory over the Cassie Poer rink. the Heath McCormick T and Pete Fenson teams “My team played a great game. We are on a roll, and are was a classic from start to finish, super focused,” said Spatola who will be skipping a team in the final for figuring to come down to who‐ her first me. She won the gold playing vice skip for Erika Brown in ever had the hammer last, or 2010. Spatola’s teammates – Becca Hamilton, Tara Peterson and So‐ made the last mistake. The fans phie Brorson —are all playing in their first final as well, but they showed crowding the stands and adjoin‐ plenty of poise in the semifinal today. “Our communicaon is really ing pub viewing area at Ice‐ Friday’s Results good,” noted Spatola. “It is something we have been focusing on all Works Arena were treated to week.” high drama in nearly every end, down to the last Ailsa Craig Poer and teammates Jamie Haskell, Jackie Lemke and Team Spatola with Coach Doug Pottinger are all smiles after winning 12 p.m. Men’s Page Playoffs their semi-final game to move on to the Championship game. rock. Stephanie Sambor opened the game with the hammer, but saw that Brown 7, McCormick 6 advantage slip away in the first end as their last‐rock draw for one slid McCormick had the through the house, giving Spatola’s team a steal of two. Trying to blank Spatola’s team missed a chance to firmly close a door in the P. Fenson 7, Clark 4 hammer to start the game, and the second to retain last‐rock advantage, Poer instead stuck around eighth when they were light with their skip’s first rock draw to get as things went along, that count. Poer put drew her first shot around a couple stones in the top and scored one. Spatola and her team of suffered the same fate in the looked like it was going to make Pete Fenson looks on as Ryan Brunt works to sweep the opposition’s rock out play. of the 12‐foot but didn’t quite get far enough to out‐count an opposing 4 p.m. Women’s Semi-Final third, but led 3‐1. In the fourth end, Poer’s team was forced to hit for all the difference, especially as Photo by Kelllie ”Hemingway” Krake. one, making it a 3‐2 game. Spatola had a tough draw for two in the fih, stone in the back of the four‐foot. Spatola threw a guard with her last Spatola 9, Potter 4 he was the hot skip, shoong in pressure in the ninth. The end took shape aer a center needing to get to the buon, but her shot wrecked on a guard and the stone, leaving Poer to mull over whether to try a risky runback to the 90s most of the way. McCormick’s team opened the guard ck by Polo wasn’t converted, and Hufman drew team counted just one for a 4‐2 advantage going into the midgame score two, or play a draw to the four‐foot for one. Aer taking a scoring with one in the first. Aer a blank second, Fen‐ his second stone perfectly to the top of the buon be‐ break. meout to confer with Coach Sandra McMakin, Poer’s team aempt‐ 8 p.m. Men’s Semi-Final son had a hogline violaon with his first rock in the hind the replaced center guard. With the last rock of ed an angle raise takeout for two. Poer’s shot didn’t curl enough to third end and wound up drawing against three with his Spatola’s team applied pressure again in the sixth, forcing P. Fenson 5, McCormick 4 the end, Fenson’s team had to draw the four‐foot promote the raised rock with enough weight to make the takeout, but last shot. Facing a somewhat tricky line, Fenson had to Poer to draw the four‐foot against three counters to narrow the score against three opposing counters. Fenson threw the chipped the stone in for first count to make it a 6‐4 game. draw the edge of the buon for count however his shot to 4‐3. “We had control most of the ends,” noted Spatola. In the sev‐ stone to his sweepers, and they took care of it all the just rubbed an opposing counter in the top 12 and spun enth, the Spatola team gained a lile breathing room when Poer just The Spatola team executed well in the ninth to put the game way to the buon to make it a 4‐4 game and set up the into second count, giving McCormick’s side a steal of missed a short raise to get first count, leaving the opposion already away, though, converng an open hit for three with the hammer to go dramac last act. one and 2‐0 lead. counng two with the hammer yet to come. Spatola’s shot for three up 9‐4, aer which Poer’s team conceded. With the win, Spatola and Holding the hammer in the 10th, McCormick’s didn’t quite curl enough, however, and the team seled for two and a her team move on to play Allison Ponger in the Women’s final at McCormick upped the pressure in the fourth team had the final say in who was going to meet the 6‐3 lead. 10 a.m. and Fenson had to draw the buon again for one, Craig Brown rink in Saturday’s gold medal game. On against three counters. This me, Fenson’s team made Fenson’s last rock he played a hit‐and‐roll behind a the draw perfectly to make it a 2‐1 game. The scenarios Tweets of the Day guard but rolled too far by about a foot which le the were much the same over the next two ends, with a four‐foot wide open for McCormick’s side to wint he draw for one by McCormick in the fih, and a draw to Weather Report game. But heartbreak instead of elaon was what rang the buon by Fenson in the sixth against mulple coun‐ out for McCormick and his team as their final stone slid ters to make the score 3‐2. Philadelphia Weather Forecast by lile more than two inches too far, giving Fenson’s Meteorologist George E. Groundhog: In the seventh, both skips missed freezes in team a steal of one for a 5‐4 win. the back of the house with their first stones. Fenson Saturday “You do what you can to get to the end and was nearly perfect freezing to shot rock with his sec‐ Saturday’s Schedule: then you hope you can make him have to make the last ° ond, however, forcing McCormick to draw for one. But 55 Mostly Sunny Skies with a shot,” said Fenson. “It’s very disappoinng,” a gracious this draw came up short, so instead of a 4‐2 lead Certainty of Happy Curlers McCormick said aer the game. “We played a great 10 a.m. Women’s Final McCormick’s team found itself in a 3‐3 e. The Fenson and Fans game. I had draw weight all game. That spot curled in team was counng five in the eighth by the me th the eighth end, but in the 10 it stayed out. If it curled McCormick came up with the hammer. McCormick earlier it would have been OK. It’s very disappoinng.” 3 p.m. Men’s Final drew in again and with strenuous sweeping by Hufman and Ruohonen, made the shot for first count by inches Fenson and his team will face the Craig to take a 4‐3 lead. Brown rink in the Championship game at 3 p.m. Follow USA Curling on Facebook and Twier (@terry_usacurl) It was McCormick’s turn to ratchet up the Tweeng about this event? Use #2014Nats or #curling Page 2 The Daily Pebble, Volume 1, Issue 7 The Daily Pebble, Volume 1, Issue 7 Page 3 US National Championship returns to Kalamazoo, MI in 2015 By Kellie scoreboard to keep eve‐ “Hemingway” Krake, ryone engaged in every Daily Pebble Contrib- shot. A new smartphone uting Writer app will permit fans and athletes to keep current The 2015 on all event acon and US Curling Naonal informaon. Athletes will Championship re‐ also find a new dehumidi‐ turns to Kalamazoo, ficaon system installed Michigan on Febru‐ specifically for curling to ary 14‐21, 2015. ensure championship‐ Left, Colin Hufman shares his emotions after a devastating loss to Athletes, curling caliber ice. A new ck‐ Team Fenson in the semi-final (Photo by Kellie Krake). Center, fans, and curious eng structure will em‐ Heath McCormick watches the line while his front end, sweeps spectators gather at phasize day‐passes in‐ feverishly (Photo by Kyle Calderwood). Right, Jackie Lemke calls for a time-out in their semi-final game. (Photo by Kyle Calderwood). Wings Stadium to stead of single‐draw ck‐ enjoy eight days of ets.