U.S. Men’s Curling Team Falls to the Swiss in a Rough Second Game

Played from behind the whole game

Cortina Bay, ITA- The U.S. Men’s Curling team faced Switzerland in their second game in Round Robin play, as the young side of Aidan Oldenburg, Ben Richardson, Luc Violette, and Daniel Casper got their stones handed to them very badly. No matter how much they tried to stay in the match, Team USA fell by a final score of eight to three and conceded after eight ends.

Overview

Both sides traded points in the first two ends, then a scoreless draw in the third end, but once the fourth end began, the Swiss started the onslaught and they never gave Team USA a single inch to cut the deficit. The Swiss got the hammer out and threw it down the sheet where they knock out the stone inside the four foot, and had one more around the eight foot for two points.

The USA earned a point in the fifth end to cut the deficit to three to two, but in the sixth and seventh ends, the Swiss took a combined five points, when the USA’s eighth stone missed the entire house and out, as the Swiss slowly curled their hammer into the button. Then two points were earned as the USA’s hammer missed everything again.

Switzerland could’ve had three points, but the stones on the 12 foot had the USA stone edging the third Swiss stone and conceeding two. With the eighth end the USA got a point, but conceeded the match and after two matches, the USA is currently at win and a loss. While these four young players are the future for Olympic Curling, they must do better the next day as they will face Canada in the morning.

During the match for Team USA, they made a substitution as their alternate Rich Ruohonen came in to replace Aidan Oldenburg and threw the first two stones in the seventh end. The 54 year old became the oldest American Olympian Athlete to compete in the games Winter or Summer.

Olympic Curling News:

• U.S. Women’s Curling Opens Round Robin Play With a Win over South Korea
• U.S. Men’s Curling Team Edges Czechia in First Match of Round Robin Play
• U.S. Curling Mixed Doubles Team Gets Silver as Sweden Takes the Gold
• U.S. Curling Mixed Doubles Team Advances to The Gold Medal Game, Defeats Italy on Final End

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