Team Gushue

CBC.CA - Torino 2006 - Curling - Headlines - Gushue scrapes into curling playoffs

Brad Gushue looks relieved Monday as he clinches the win and the final playoff berth. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Last Updated: Tue Feb 21 02:23:10 EST 2006
CBC Sports

Canada’s Brad Gushue showed plenty of determination Monday in claiming the final playoff berth in men’s curling at the Torino Olympic Winter Games.

Gushue made three clutch shots in critical situations to beat Pete Fenson of the United States 6-3 in the 12th and final draw at Pinerolo, about 50 kilometres from Turin.

“It is nice knowing we are in the playoffs now,” Gushue said. “If we have two good games now, from here on in, we achieve our goal.”

With the win, Canada completed the preliminary round at 6-3, eliminated defending Olympic champion Paal Trulsen of Norway and set up a rematch with the U.S. (6-3) in Wednesday’s medal round (1 p.m. EST).

“They are going to want to beat us as much as we want to beat them,” said American vice Shawn Rojeski. “If we go out and play a good game together, we can win.”

Finland (7-2) finished first overall and faces Great Britain (6-3) in the other semifinal.

“That’s fine,” British skip David Murdoch said. “It’s what we expected.

“We get a chance to get our revenge on Finland. We are going in very confident.”

Fenson stole one in the first end when Gushue came up soft on a hit and stick, but the Canadian skip responded with a draw to count two in the fourth.

Gushue regained the hammer in the fourth with a splendid double-takeout that left Canada lying two, forcing Fenson to draw to the button for a single point.

Gushue blanked the sixth to retain last-rock advantage, then conceded a steal of one in the seventh when it picked on debris.

Trailing 3-2 in the eighth, Gushue bumped up to remove two American stones, then parlayed a precision takeout into two points for a 4-3 lead.

Fenson made a fatal mistake in the ninth, leaving two rocks vulnerable in the four foot and Gushue capitalized with a hit and roll to the button directly behind a Canadian guard.

That forced Fenson to concede one and put Canada ahead 5-3 heading home.

Gushue hit and stuck for one to complete the scoring in the 10th.

“I feel much better today than I was feeling in the last couple of days,” he said.

Also Monday, Germany embarrassed Denmark 10-1 and Switzerland humbled host Italy 10-2, both in six ends.

The Swiss (5-4) also needed a Canadian loss to force a Tuesday tiebreaker, so began rooting for the U.S.

“We could hear the Swiss yelling and stuff,” Fenson chuckled. “We expected that.”

with files from CP Online

Copyright © CBC 2006

CBC.CA - Torino 2006 - Curling - Headlines

Last Updated: Sun Feb 19 15:29:19 EST 2006
CBC Sports

Shannon Kleibrink improved to 5-3 with an 11-4 triumph over host Italy on Sunday. (CP Photo/Andrew Vaughan)

Canadian curler Shannon Kleibrink rebounded from a shocking loss to Japan by thumping Italy 11-4 at the Torino Olympic Winter Games.

Kleibrink, whose rink curls out of Calgary, improved to 5-3 with Sunday’s nine-end triumph at Pinerolo, located 50 kilometres from Turin.

Sweden (7-1) and Switzerland (6-2) have guaranteed themselves playoff berths with Canada and Norway (5-2) also in position to clinch.

The top four teams advance to the medal round with first-ranked rink facing the fourth and the second taking on the third.

Italy dropped to a tournament-worst 1-7 as skip Diana Gaspari struggled mightily, posting an accuracy rate of 49 per cent.

By comparison, Kleinbrink curled at a 75 per cent clip.

Kleibrink led 5-0 through three ends, opening with a single point and scoring deuces in both the second and third.

Kleinbrink drew inside for a steal of two to go ahead 7-2 in the fifth, but Gaspari got one back with a hit and stick on last rock in the sixth.

Lying two in the seventh, Gaspari put Kleibrink on the defensive by closing the lone port to the button with a high guard.

Kleibrink had no choice but to erase one Italian rock with a straight hit and concede the single point.

Kleibrink drew to the button for two in the eighth, then closed out the contest with a steal of two in the ninth.

Elsewhere, Switzerland scored three in the 10th to edge the United States 9-8, Japan stunned defending Olympic champion Rhona Martin of Great Britain 10-5 and Russia toppled Denmark 9-7.

In the men’s draw, Finland joined Great Britain and the United States in the medal round by virtue of a 7-4 victory over host Italy.

Canada’s Brad Gushue currently holds the upper hand on the fourth and final playoff berth, sitting fourth at 4-3 heading into Sunday’s game against winless New Zealand (0-7).

with files from CP Online
Copyright © CBC 2006

CBC.CA - Torino 2006 - Curling - Headlines - Gushue controls playoff destiny

Last Updated: Sun Feb 19 16:59:53 EST 2006
CBC Sports

Brad Gushue of St. John’s easily humbled New Zealand 9-1 in seven ends on Sunday. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Canada’s Brad Gushue is breathing a bit easier in the men’s curling competition at the Torino Olympic Winter Games.

Gushue, who curls out of St. John’s, needed just seven ends Sunday to beat Sean Becker of New Zealand 9-1 at Pinerolo, Italy.

Gushue improved to 5-3 overall through 11 draws and currently sits fourth behind Finland (7-2), Great Britain (6-3) and the United States (6-2), all three of whom have qualified for the playoffs.

The top four teams advance to the medal round with first-ranked rink facing the fourth and the second taking on the third.

Canada can advance with a win over the U.S. on Monday. Should Canada lose, they will be tied with Norway (5-4) and the winner of Monday’s Switzerland-Italy contest.

If necessary, a tie-breaker to determine the final playoff spot would be held on Tuesday.

Gushue scored single points in first, second and fourth ends before blowing it open with back-to-back threes in the sixth and seventh.

Becker, still winless at 0-8, counted one in the fifth.

with files from CP Online
Copyright © CBC 2006

Canada vs Finland

END 1 - CAN 2, FIN 0
END 2 - CAN 2, FIN 0
END 3 - CAN 2, FIN 3
END 4 - CAN 2, FIN 3
END 5 - CAN 3, FIN 3
END 6 - CAN 4, FIN 3
END 7 - CAN 4, FIN 7
END 8 - CAN 4, FIN 8
END 9 - CAN 6, FIN 8
END 10 - CAN 7, FIN 8

FINAL: Finland 8, Canada 7
Result

CBC.CA - Torino 2006 - Curling - Headlines - Canada’s Kleibrink outcurls Britain

Last Updated: Fri Feb 17 12:40:11 EST 2006
CBC Sports

Shannon Kleibrink got the better of defending champion Rhona Martin of Great Britain in women’s curling at the Torino Olympic Winter Games.

Kleibrink, whose rink curls out of Calgary, built up a 3-0 lead by the third end en route to a 9-3 win in the seventh draw at Pinerolo, about 50 kilometres from Turin.

Canada improved to 4-2 overall, tied with Norway and Switzerland behind front-running Sweden (5-1).

Great Britain fell to 3-2.

Kleibrink scored two in the second and one in the third, then stole one in the fourth on Martin’s failed double-takeout for a 4-0 lead.

Martin was lying two deep in the fifth with a chance to draw for three on last rock, but settled for halving the deficit when it ran heavy.

It remained 4-2 until Kleibrink scored one on a takeout in the seventh.

Martin answered back with one in the eighth but, forced to relinquish the hammer, conceded when Kleibrink counted four in the ninth.

Elsewhere, Norway outlasted host Italy 9-7, Sweden also won 9-7 over Switzerland, and Russia beat the United States 8-7 in an extra end.

In men’s action, Markku Uusipaavalniemi of Finland parlayed a pair of early takeouts into an 11-4 victory over Sweden.

Finland (3-2) pulled even with the U.S. and Switzerland, an 8-5 winner over Germany.

Uusipaavalniemi’s opponent is Canada’s Brad Gushue (1 p.m. EST).

Gushue currently is tied for top spot at 4-1 with David Murdoch of Great Britain.

Defending Olympic champion Paal Trulsen of Norway trounced Italy 11-3 in Friday’s remaining morning matchup.

Italian skip Joel Retornaz conceded when Norway (3-3) stole four in the seventh.

The top four rinks advance to the medal round.

with files from CP Online

Copyright © CBC 2006