Team USA’s chances of defending their gold medal just got a little tougher.
The American quartet led by skip John Shuster dropped their second straight matchup in a 10-5 loss to Canada. This was the largest defeat for the American men at the 2022 Olympics.
The Canadian men jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, aided by a four-point second end. Team USA got on the board in the third end but Canada added two more points of their own to extend the lead to six.
Just when all hope seemed to be lost, the man for the moment stepped up, giving the U.S. a lifeline.
In the sixth end, just past the halfway point, Shuster picked up three crucial points to bring the Americans within three.
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Unfortunately for the defending gold medalists, that proved to be too little, too late.
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Both teams exchanged a point in the following two ends before Canada closed things out in the ninth end with two final points.
Halfway through the round-robin competition, the U.S. now holds a 2-3 record and sits tied for sixth with China and Norway. The top four teams at the end of the round robin advance to the semifinals on Feb. 17. The next matchup for Team USA is at 7:05 a.m. ET against China.
