Canada Gives U.S. the Big Brushoff

On a day that the best offense was an awesome offense, Canada’s men’s curling team played lots of it, burying a hapless-looking U.S. team Tuesday morning at the Kazakoshi Park Arena in Karuizawa, 11-3 in only six ends, dealing U.S. hopes a serious blow in the round-robin portion of the Olympic tournament.

The Tim Somerville rink of Superior, Wis., the U.S. representative here, had lost its opener Monday night to defending world champion Sweden, 6-2, and went into a game with Norway Tuesday night with a 0-2 record. That was a major disappointment to the U.S. team, which had been considered a strong medal contender before play began. The top four rinks will qualify for the semifinals, and the figuring is that it will take four victories to get out of the qualifying round.

“We’re not pushing the panic button yet,” Somerville said. “Games like that just happen.”

As was the case against Sweden, Somerville chose a defensive strategy, but the free-wheeling Canadians of skip Mike Harris blew past the U.S. with a combination of finesse and abandon, deftly placing their stones and blasting the Americans’ out of the scoring house.

Canada, the traditional power in curling, has won 24 of the 39 men’s world championships, 11 of the last 16, and looked altogether capable of winning gold here.

“We didn’t shoot that badly but the way they played against us was kind of brutal,” Somerville said. “We wondered what went on. Harris was on the attack right away.”

Canada opened with three points in the first end, or inning, led 5-1 after three, then blew out the U.S. team with five in the sixth end, when Somerville’s last throw was too strong, leaving four Canadian stones in scoring position. Deciding the better part of valor was to fight another day, Somerville conceded the game at that point.

Harris set the tone for the match with his “hammer,” the final throw of the first end. Sommerville had a rock in scoring position but Harris knocked it out, leaving his stone in the scoring house for three points.

“It was a pretty easy shot for one [point] but to get three was tougher,” Harris said. “If we get by the guard [rock left by the U.S.], we get one, but we were able to get three.”

The U.S. came back with a point in the second, then scored two more in the fourth and was still in the game, trailing, 6-3, but Harris and company got another in the fifth, then the five-spot in the sixth.

“They gave us chances,” Somerville said. “We just didn’t capitalize.”