Olympic Curling - Men’s Semi-Finals

I started on my other blog, but I am now continuing here … Welcome to my “Curling Blog” readers and pardon the inconvenience … I am picking it up at the end of the 2nd end in here … here goes!

~~~~~~~~

Live Blogging .. as I watch the Team Canada game on TSN .. .. feel free to hit refresh to get new results! I am updating between ends

UPDATE: ALL SCORES ARE FINAL AND LIVE BLOGGING IS FINISHED

United States vs Canada

END 1 - USA 1, CAN 0
END 2 - USA 1, CAN 2
END 3 - USA 2, CAN 2
END 4 - USA 2, CAN 4
END 5 - USA 3, CAN 4
END 6 - USA 3, CAN 6
END 7 - USA 3, CAN 6
END 8 - USA 5, CAN 6
END 9 - USA 5, CAN 11
(concession after 9th end)

FINAL: Canada 11, United States 5
Results

Finland vs Great Britain

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

FINAL: Finland 4, Great Britain 3
Results

~~~~ Tidbits while I am Live Blogging ~~~~~

Markku U-15 Draws to the button! Finland Wins! - it will be CAN vs FIN for Gold/Silver! Great Britain and USA will play for the Bronze - Both games will be on February 24, 2006

FIN vs GBR ..
* Markku Uusipaavalniemi (U-15th) going for a draw - this will be last shot.. make it or lose it
* Great Britain’s skip David Murdoch’s last rock was a beaut with a hit and roll and are counting 1. it’s frozen against a red, and there’s another yellow in the 8th rings .. Markku’ U-15’s last rock .. thinking what to do

Did you like my Live Blogging?
* Hey! Athletes need funding .. Please consider donating to your local Athletic Organization .. “Trust your HART” .. they can use it :)

IT’s OVER - CANADA GETS 5 .. will be playing for Gold!

CAN vs USA - End 9
* Gushue #2 - peal? or bump? // peaks :D
* Fenson #2 - if he doesn’t make this shot, they will probably shake hands // he draws around to the 8ft, and CAN only counting 1, but you can see half of the stone.
* Gushue #1 - trying for nose hit to remove red and leave 5 in the house // Russ Howard looks concerned, but Brad Gushue has final say and thinks he can do it.. and ..// Gushue Did it! clean nose hit, shooter touching outside line 12 ft
* Fenson #1 - trying to draw to into the yellow at the button, but came short into the 12ft .. yellow counting 3 now, but red easy target for takeout
* Shawn bumped the outside yellow up to the button, Mark’s last rock clears the red in the house .. CAN counting 4 before the skip shots
* after 5 rocks each… USA just threw a rock - and it didn’t make the hogline .. I suspect Mark Nichols will clean house. There are 2 yellow (on 12th and on 8th line) and 1 red slightly in the 8th ft and a red guard // Mark takes out the counting red and rolls behind the guard - CAN counting 3 .. USA’s 3rd Shawn Rojeski’s last shot
* Btw - in the 10th end in the other game, tied up and Finland’s Markku “U-15″ skip has the hammer
* Commercial Monetizing by TSN is frustrating.. they pick up each end on Russ Howard’s last stone..

CAN vs USA - End 8
* Fenson #2 - needs to be full 8 to get ….. Perfect wait.. it’s a deuce
* Gushue #2 - tried to take out top red and roll right side to hide behind other stones.. hit the rock on the other side though, and took the lead shot and the shooter out. 2 rocks in the house
* Fenson #1 - trying to take out 1st yellow on 2/4ft and roll to inside and separate the rocks in the house. The other yellow is on the outturn side 8/12 ft line, redi in between them.// He made it and could have rolled it a little farther, but currently lies 2
* Gushue #1 - takes out top red, clean and the shooter
* after 6 rocks each .. 4 in the house .. 3 hovering 2/4ft rings, and top red on the 12ft ..
* After first 4 rocks, all are in the house - 1 yellow closest to button, 1 red frozen on another yellow and is 2nd shot. Mark nichols up.
* Don Wittman pointed out that in this game, except for the last end, both teams were alternating ‘hammer’ (last rock). Every time USA had it - they scored 1. Everytime CAN had it - they scored 2.

Ice Hockey Updates
* For those of you stuck on this permalink .. right-click on THIS URL to get yc’s updates on the hockey games played and in progress

By the way
* (1) Way to go Canada! 2 gold and 1 silver today! WooHoo! Cindy Klassen is also from Winnipeg, where I am you know…
* (2) I’m not really marking up my screen monitor with felt pen ..

CAN vs USA - End 7
* Fenson #2 - tries for takeout and must take own rock out to maintain last rock .. and does it..
* Gushue #2 - takeout, saves the shooter
* Fenson #1 - draws to 8/12ft line on outturn
* Gushue #1 - cleans house .. good takeout - it’s empy
* That was a long commercial .. leads stones out - 2nds are pealing away the guards .. there are 2 yellows counting in the 8ft with 1 red frozen in between them .. plus 1 red in the 12 ft .. then there was only red

This is the point..
* .. that I’ll start using my red marker on my computer screen to display the movements… can you all see that? Oh crap! where’s my whiteout

CAN vs USA - Continued.. more detail
* End 6 - !! He did it.. almost a measurement but Fenson agreed it was ahead by an inch ..or so ..
* End 6 - Fenson #2 - coming in the other side, but rubbed one of CAN’s outer rocks .. CAN should at least get 1, by Gushue #2 going for the tap of the same rock that was rubbed, towards to the button
* End 6 - Gushue #1 .. coming .. coming … weight 2 (halfway guard - looks good to me)
* End 6 - Skips’ turns. Pete 1st..good line, trying to freeze behind the shot rock to prepare for a bump I can imagine..
* End 6 - USA lies shot, coming down on the 12 ft at the back ring, (USA = Red btw, CAN = yellow) .. Mark Nichols drawing again to the 4 ft. Nice shot, canada now counting 1, 3 yellows in the house

Here are the efficiency Percentages after 5 ends
* Finland vs Great Britain
skip - FIN 90%, GBR 70%
3rd - FIN 83%, GBR 100%
2nd - FIN 93%, GBR 95%
lead - FIN 90%, GBR 98%

*United States vs Canada
skip - USA 72%, CAN 80%
3rd - USA 68%, CAN 95%
2nd - USA 73%, CAN 78%
lead - USA 73%, CAN 80%

I’m trying Chris .. honest!
* Grrrr .. Long Distance phone call // what happened? oop .. I guess I should be telling you guys that..
* I am an extremely fast typist and could type almost everything the announcers say, but then I miss the show myself … You’re not the only fan :D .. I should be working now me’self.

Team Canada and Team USA Game
* End 5 - Pete Fenson’s last shot .. trying to squeeze through the hold to roll into the pocket, otherwise it’ll be 6-2 … // lol! He shoots! He Scores!
* End 5 - Gushue calls a timeout .. CAN counting 2, two USA that can be tapped and clean house, Coach, Gushue and Howard considering the options.. going for the guard rather than open the house ..
* End 5 - It looks like the teams will take turns bumping stones at the button after 3 stones each. My guess is it will be a bump and draw round, just like end 2?
* End 4 - Fenson’s last shot draw around the 8foot to barely count 1 over Canada .. it’s one of those shots that doesn’t look like much, but it’s closest to the button and behind a guard. Gushue’s last shot tried the same thing, and just a little more curl, and was a little closer to the guard, and just tapped USA’s stone back behind CAN’s second stone for a duece
* End 3 - Similar to End 1 … CAN counting 3, last rock to Fenson - draws to the button!
* End 3 - Don Wittman and Joan McKusker are impressed with Russ Howard’s 92% efficiency after 3 ends of shot .. plus - is he sweeping too? He’s Everywhere! Game On! Mark Nichols is also shooting straight and is at 96% .. I think being on Sheet B is definately the reason, after watching Team Canada women play on Sheet D (as I mentioned earlier)
* End 2 - Lots of stones in the house! I like it! After Brad Gushue’s 1st throw, there is 9 stones in the house, with Canada counting 2 .. back and forth .. and finally - last stone … takes 2!
* End 1 - Canada with 4 in the house, Pete Fenson does a raise to one of his own to take 1 ..

CAN vs USA playing on Sheet B
* Earlier, Team Canada women were playing on Sheet D having some problems with the curling or lack of it on one side of the center but the men are playing on the same ice that the women’s NOR vs SWE was playing on .. sheet B ice looks good