Press Coverage

McCormick rink now 7-0
February 15, 2012
(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.

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond9.pdf

Three women's playoff berths clinched
February 15, 2012
USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond10.pdf

Women's playoff field set at 2012 Nationals
February 15, 2012
USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond11.pdf

McCormick rink improves to 6-0
February 14, 2012
USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond7.pdf

Potter, Pottinger now 5-1
February 14, 2012
USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond8.pdf

Field starting to separate at 2012 Nationals
February 13, 2012
(ASTON, Pa.) - Heath McCormick and his East Coast contingent are cruising along in the men's round robin after posting another win this afternoon to improve to 4-0 at the 2012 USA Curling National Championships at IceWorks Skating Complex .

McCormick (Sarnia, Ontario) and his team of Bill Stopera (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.), Martin Sather (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) and Dean Gemmell (Short Hills, N.J.) picked up the fourth win as they defeated Owen Sampson's North Dakota squad, 7-3.

"Whenever they had a chance to maybe get something going Heath managed to make a good shot and squelch that," Gemmell said. "We played a pretty good team game. We feel like we've gotten a little better each game. We're still not super sharp, but pretty sharp, so I think we can get a little better still."

McCormick's team returns to the ice at 8 tonight to take on Pete Fenson's team. "The last two years we've started fast. One year we were 5-0, and now this year we're 4-0. We've been in the [Page] 3-4 game two years in a row and there's usually been one round robin game late that we wished we'd played a little better in. So if we can win that game it would be a different thing this year. That reminds us to remember not to falter down the stretch here."

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond6.pdf

Olympians standing strong in women's field
February 12, 2012
(ASTON, Pa.) - Despite the cold temperatures both outside and inside IceWorks Skating Complex, Allison Pottinger's team turned up the heat this morning as the 2010 Olympians cruised to 2-0 in the women's round robin at the 2012 USA Curling National Championships.

"The team is playing well. We're just really concentrating on making sure we read the ice, scout it and make sure we know what is going on so when we get into games where every little inch is making a significant difference, then that's the thing we're really trying to pay attention to," Pottinger said, who is a nine-time U.S. national champion. "Everyone's throwing it good at the stick and really doing a good job of weight control."

Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and her team of Nicole Joraanstad (Madison, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Tabitha Peterson (Eagan, Minn.) stayed undefeated with a 10-4 win over Maureen Stolt's team.

"If you get in the hack and feel comfortable and confident and you trust what's happening at the other end, it makes a big difference in the shot outcome," said Pottinger, who works as a marketing research analyst.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond2w.pdf

Four men's teams still unblemished
February 12, 2012
(ASTON, Pa.) - After two rounds of men's competition, four teams are left unblemished as the round robin continued Sunday afternoon at the 2012 USA Curling National Championships at IceWorks Skating Complex.

The 11th seeded Owen Sampson rink delivered the first upset special of the championships with a 9-5 win over top seed Tyler George (Duluth, Minn.). Sampson (Edmore, N.D.) and teammates Ned Sampson (Edmore, N.D.), Tucker Smith (Bismarck, N.D.) and Kyle Young (Fargo, N.D.), who have been playing together for three seasons, had the opening-round bye, but it didn't appear to be any sort of disadvantage.

"I could tell the first few ends we were nervous, but as the game went on we got more comfortable and confident. It was a big win for us," said Sampson, who is self-employed in North Dakota as a farmer with his brother, Ned. The game got close at 6-5 in the eighth end, but Team Sampson sealed the win with three points in the ninth.

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

USA Curling
Terry Kolesar
application/pdf icond2m.pdf