Team McCormick captures men's title

(ASTON, Pa.) - Team USA will be represented by new faces on the men's side but they are familiar on the world scene as Heath McCormick's team captured the men's 2012 USA Curling National Championships title tonight.

Team McCormick dethroned Pete Fenson's national champions, 5-4, in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 1,300 fans at IceWorks Skating Complex.

"It's incredible. It's super exciting. It's just kinda setting in at the moment," said McCormick, 35, after the win. "Obviously for the last day I know that it was a possibility, but you have to tell yourself to stay in the moment even when it comes right down to it and not get too far ahead of yourself."

This was the second straight year a men's team has advanced through the national championships undefeated. This is the is the first U.S. men's title for 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.). They will now represent the U.S. at the 2012 World Men's Championship March 31-April 8 in Basel, Switzerland.

"Pretty damn exciting; we've been close in the playoffs the last two years. We got a new skip, and he's a fantastic player," Gemmell said. "It's really exciting. None of us have ever represented the U.S. in a world event. That's exciting."

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