2:36- Here we go.
2:37- Both teams get decent chances early.
2:37- The US gets a few good chances. We're controlling the play early in overtime.
2:38- Canada has come on a little bit.
2:39- Glove save by the US goalie. Now that we have a stoppage, it's worth mentioning that I definitely couldn't name more than three of the American players. I don't care. I want to beat Canada and win the gold.
2:42- Canada has played better than us for the last few minutes.
2:43- Penalty on Canada. Let's win a gold medal. 13:51 to play.
2:45- Our power play lasted five seconds. Slashing penalty on the US. The NBC broadcasters don't like the call.
2:46- Three on three. Why do they play four on four in overtime? That's silly. If I remember correctly, it started in the NHL to open up the ice in overtime. They also started making an overtime loss worth one point. The purpose was to have fewer ties (open ice, a loss being the same as a tie so you might as well go for the win). But then the NHL put in the shootout so there are no more ties anyway. They should have gone back to five on five overtime.
2:48- The US takes a penalty to stop a breakaway. I'm not sure why this isn't a penalty shot, but okay. 12:29 to play. I'd settle for a shootout at this point.
2:50- Now this is weird. Canada is going to end up with five players on the ice because of the way the penalties are going to shake out here.
2:51- Canada scores. Heart breaking loss.
Do I really care about women's hockey? No, of course not. However, the United States and Canada are the only women's hockey powers in the world. We beat Canada twice in the 1998 Olympics and those are the only Olympic games they've ever lost (women's hockey has only been an Olympic sport since 1998). In men's hockey, a silver medal isn't terrible because there are several countries that are good. But in women's hockey, a silver medal means we failed. I'll forget about this pretty soon, but for today, it's disappointing. Hopefully we'll get revenge tomorrow in men's hockey. I'll be back later for the women's curling gold medal game.
5:01- Open wide for some curling! I'm back for the women's gold medal game. They just showed Eve Muirhead's shot to win the bronze. Canada takes on Sweden for the gold. The game happened in the morning and I was going to do this live, but they didn't show it on TV live. I could have watched it on my phone, but I didn't want to do that. I tried to avoid finding out what happened. Unfortunately, I was not successful, but I'm still going to do this anyway.
5:02- They show how Canada lost to Sweden in 2010 in the gold medal game. Up two in the tenth, you have to hold on and win that one. We get a rematch tonight. This is quite a curling rivalry.
5:07- We have bagpipes and everything to get us ready for this game.
5:08- Canada beat Sweden in eight ends earlier in the Olympics. The teams are being introduced. I haven't seen Sweden play at all. Unfortunately, it looks like there's not much talent on the Swedish team. Canada has Kaitlyn Lawes (not terrible) and Jennifer Jones (probably the most talented curler of this Olympics).
5:10- Canada is 3-2 against Sweden. Like I said, this is quite a rivalry. Canada had a choice between the hammer or color of stones as the higher seed. That's an interesting choice. Canada takes the hammer. Sweden takes the red rocks. I'm not happy about that because I don't like it when countries have yellow or red in their flag and then have the opposite colored rocks. If they switched colors, both countries would have rocks that match their flags.
5:11- Sweden's skip throws first rocks and she starts by putting one on the button, but Canada takes it out right away.
5:17- Two rocks in the house with three rocks left for each team in the first end.
5:18- The sideline reporter tells us that the Swiss team was bike riding and looking sad after losing the bronze medal game.
5:19- Jennifer Jones is about to throw her first rock. She has the best percentage of anybody who threw last rocks in the Olympics. I have absolutely no idea how curling percentages are calculated.
5:21- Last rock for Sweden in the first end. They have shot rock. They knock a Canadian rock out of the house and they're lying three. Canada will have to settle for one in the first end.
5:23- Good sweeping to get around a guard and Canada moves Sweden's shot rock out of the way to take one.
5:28- CNBC comes back from commercial and we're already halfway through the second end. Really cool camera shot that followed the Canadian rock down the ice. Canada has two rocks in the house.
5:31- Sweden misses with a shot. They tapped Canada's shot rock closer to the button and gave it better protection from a few guards out in front of the house.
5:33- Sweden moves some guards around and gets one of their stones second closest to the button.
5:35- Jennifer Jones puts up a guard with her final rock of the second end. Four rocks in the house. Canada has shot rock.
5:36- I have no idea what Sweden's going to try here.
5:37- Nice shot to get one. They hit a guard into a Swedish rock into the Canadian shot rock to tie the game.
5:41- I'm googling pictures of Jennifer Jones to find one to put in here.
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| There we go. Like I said, the most talented curler of the 2014 Olympics. |
5:43- We could have our first blank end. One rock in the house with three to go in the end.
5:46- Last rock for Canada. There's a Swedish rock in the house. Jennifer Jones will try to get that out and blank the end. And she nailed the shot. 1-1 after three.
5:51- Halfway through the fourth end, Sweden is lying two.
5:55- I just googled Cheryl Bernard (Canada's skip in 2010).
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| Canada had the most talented curler in 2010 also. |
5:57- One Canadian rock and one Swedish rock in the house. Canada is going to play the runback to get rid of the Swedish rock.
5:58- Jennifer Jones almost got rid of both rocks in the house, but the Canadian rock hangs on.
5:59- Jennifer Jones is at 96% for the game. She's thrown seven rocks so far. I have no idea how you get 96% out of seven.
6:00- Sweden goes for a double with their last rock, but they can only get one Canadian rock out of the house. This should be an easy two for Canada. Canada scores at least two 51% of the time with the hammer. The Americans did not score two 51% of the time with the hammer.
6:01- Some vigorous sweeping gets the rock into the house easily and Canada scores two. They lead 3-1.
6:02- Which picture of Cassie and Jamie Johnson should I use to show the most talented curlers in Olympic history?
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| USA! USA! USA! I miss them. |
6:07- Pretty cool Coca-Cola commercial right now.
6:09- Nice shot by Sweden to bump a Canadian rock that was shot rock. Sweden is lying two in the fifth end.
6:10- Jill Officer and Kaitlyn Lawes are struggling for Canada, but Officer just came up with a nice shot to get rid of both Swedish rocks in the house. Canada is lying two now.
6:11- Bad shot by Kaitlyn Lawes. She's down to 47%.
6:13- Another bad shot for Lawes. We get an "eh" from Jennifer Jones. I mentioned how I love the Aussie accent. The Canadians don't really have an accent that's distinguishable from my accent, they just say words wrong. If I just heard a Canadian, I wouldn't be able to tell they were Canadian until they said something like "aboot" or "organ-eye-zation" or "eh."
6:14- Sweden is lying three with skip stones still to come in the fifth.
6:17- "Never ever ever ever." Jennifer Jones was not happy with that shot.
6:18- Big shot by Sweden. They're lying three again and both countries have one rock left.
6:20- Good shot by Jennifer Jones. Sweden is lying one, but if they can get a double here, they'll score four.
6:23- Sweden can't get the double. They score two to tie the game 3-3 after five ends.
6:31- After the fifth end break, Sweden starts the sixth end by putting their first rock very close to the button.
6:34- I just googled Pyeongchang, which is the site of the 2018 Winter Olympics. They're fourteen hours ahead. Sochi is nine hours ahead. Nine hours ahead wasn't too bad. Tomorrow's hockey game is at noon. That's pretty good (especially since I don't have work). We've had hockey games at 7:30 in the morning. Not as good as noon, but not terrible. If we're playing hockey games at 2:30 in the morning in four years, that's no good.
6:38- Good news for the 2016 Olympics. Rio de Janeiro is two hours ahead. That's going to be fantastic.
6:39- Canada blanks the sixth end. Sweden would love to force Canada to take one in the seventh and get the hammer back for the even ends.
6:41- It looks like Canada wants to blank this end also. Kaitlyn Lawes leaves a rock out in front of the house.
6:42- No rocks in play after Sweden takes out Canada's rock.
6:43- Canada puts one in the house, but Sweden will get rid of it. The play by play guy points out that there aren't many team sports where you can't take out a player that is performing poorly. The analyst points out that you can bring in the alternate at the start of an end, but that would be very unusual.
6:45- Jennifer Jones gets rid of the Swedish rock and we have another blank end. Tied at three with three ends to play.
6:48- Canada is 8-1 when tied with three ends to go and with the hammer. Sweden is 7-7 when they don't have the hammer in that situation.
6:49- We have some rocks in play early. This won't be another blank end.
6:50- Big double for Jill Officer.
6:55- Another bad shot by Kaitlyn Lawes as Canada is looking to score in the eighth. Sweden is lying one as we're down to skip stones.
6:57- Sweden puts another one in the house.
6:58- Nice shot by Jennifer Jones. Canada has shot rock.
7:00- Jennifer Jones has one shot left. Sweden just put another rock in the house and it's tough to tell which team has shot rock. I think it's Canada, but I'm not sure. We might get a measurement if nothing moves on this last shot.
7:02- Jennifer Jones comes up short. We're going to have a measurement to see who gets one.
7:04- The measurement gives the point to Canada. They lead 4-3 going to the ninth.
7:14- Sweden has a rock on the button. They really want to score two.
7:15- Sweden's rock picked. You could see it just turn to its left. The analyst points out that you should always have one broom on the ice to keep that from happening.
7:16- Kaitlyn Lawes makes a big shot to get rid of a Swedish rock. Canada is lying three.
7:20- Big miss by Sweden. Canada is still lying three with skip stones left in the ninth.
7:22- Jennifer Jones puts one close to the button. Canada is lying four.
7:26- Canada is strategizing. As Vernon Davis says, there's more strategy in curling than football.
7:28- Jennifer Jones puts one right by the button. Sweden will have to take one.
7:29- Huge miss by Sweden and Canada steals two. Canada leads 6-3 with one end to play. Sweden has the hammer, but I don't see them scoring three. Canada will just keep the house clean.
7:34- Canada just throws their first rock right through the house.
7:35- Sweden puts up a guard, which Canada can't move for now because of the free guard zone rule. Canada puts another one through the house.
7:36- Another guard for Sweden on the other side of the center line. Canada peels it off.
7:37- Sweden puts a guard closer to the house. Canada peels off the first guard. Five rocks left for Sweden and they need three of them to score.
7:38- Another guard. I'm certainly no expert on curling strategy, but I think you have to come into the house sooner. You're running out of rocks.
7:39- Canada peels a guard. Sweden puts a shot through the house with the help of some sweeping by Jennifer Jones. Sweden has to score all of their last three rocks. That's not going to happen.
7:40- Canada peels Sweden's last guard. Sweden will put one in the house and Canada will get rid of it and win the gold.
7:42- Jennifer Jones is cleaning the bottom of the rock. She can win the gold medal with this shot.
7:43- There it is. Canada wins. Somewhere, Stephen Abootman is very proud.
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| Congratulations, Stephen. |
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