McCormick rink now 7-0

(ASTON, Pa.) - The Heath McCormick train continues to steamroll through the field at the 2012 USA Curling National Championships as the team picked up its seventh win of the week this morning at IceWorks Skating Complex.

With the playoff field starting to take shape, McCormick (Sarnia, Ontario) and teammates Bill Stopera (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.), Martin Sather (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) and Dean Gemmell (Short Hills, N.J.) have nearly secured a spot in the playoffs for the third straight year after defeating Wisconsin's Blake Morton rink, 7-6, with a double takeout with the final stone. With three games remaining in the round robin for most teams, one more win will earn Team McCormick a spot in the Page playoffs.

John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.) kept his team playoff-bound with an 8-3 win over Owen Sampson (1-6) to better the team's record to 5-3.

"Today we came out pretty sharp. We got two and forced them to one the whole game and that's kinda the goal in curling," said Zach Jacobson, vice skip for Team Shuster. "Some of the higher seeds now start to play each other, so with this win today and the games we have left, we definitely control our own destiny. That's always important."

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.