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US curlers to play for first Olympic gold after upsetting Canada

The U.S. is guaranteed its highest medal in Olympic curling history.
USA's John Shuster (R)celebrates after winning the curling men's semifinal game against Canada during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 22, 2018. (Photo: WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images)

For the first time since curling returned to the Olympics in 1998, Canada will not be playing in the gold medal game. And for the first time, the U.S. will.

It's tough to beat the same team twice in one week. It's even tougher when that team is a Canadian team that has won back-to-back-to-back Olympic gold medals and is the defending World Champions.

Don't tell that to John Shuster.

Shuster and his USA men's curling team has continued to make the difficult seem easy. After starting round robin play 2-4 with just slim chance of reaching the tournament semifinals, they simply won three straight games against three of the best teams in the tournament - including Canada - to take the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

Matt Hamilton, Tyler George, John Landsteiner of USA compete in the Curling Men's Semi-final against Canada on day thirteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 22, 2018. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Then, they made it look easy again.

The U.S. and the neighbors to the North battled through eight ends of tie curling before Shuster's squad finally broke through in the eighth end on the way to a 5-3 victory.

WATCH: U.S. curlers take down Canada to advance to gold medal game

Shuster seemingly had the upper hand on all strategy in the second half of play. Canada purposefully blanked both the sixth and seventh ends to keep hammer in the eighth, but was unable to do anything with it. Shuster came away with a huge takeout, landing two in the four-foot on his final shot. Canadian skip Kevin Koe's final shot came up way short of the house, giving the U.S. the two point steal and their first lead of the day.

"We really try to develop a field of play," Shuster told reporters after the game. "Our team motto is basically when we get half shots and misses we capitalize and that's something we did today."

The two teams traded single points early to go into the midpoint break tied 2-2.

The eighth was the only stolen end for either team in the game, but proved to be the difference maker.

Shuster again put pressure on Koe in the ninth, and Koe again folded. Canada had one red stone alone on the four foot, with no other stones in play. Shuster sent his final throw and landed it just in front of that red stone to put pressure on Koe.

Koe's hammer throw took out that U.S. stone, but was too hard and went left the house, forcing Canada to settle for just one point and 4-3 deficit. The strategy meant Canada would go into the final end down one and needing to steal a point with the U.S. hammer.

Shuster just needed to complete an easy hit-and-stay for the victory, and again, he made it look easy.

"I think that was one of the first times I've ever had a hit and stay where I said 'I do this in practice every day... I have a hit and stay in the center of the ice to play for Olympic gold," he said.

A man waves an American flag during the curling men's semi-final game between Canada and USA during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Curling Centre in Gangneung on February 22, 2018. (Photo: WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images)

The win means history for the American team that won just four games combined in the last two Olympics, both skipped by Shuster. The only other time Team USA has played for a medal was in 2006 when they won bronze. Shuster was the lead on that team. Now, he along with teammates John Landsteiner, Matt Hamilton and Tyler George will get to play for history.

“It’s unbelievable. I don’t know if I am going to sleep tonight," Landsteiner said to reporters after the game. "I think we are going to play even better, because there’s no pressure of ‘what if we get fourth?’ ‘what if we walk away with nothing?’ With that pressure gone and the desire to get gold over the silver – I’m excited for what that game is going to be like.”

Shuster's redemption tour will now conclude late Friday night at 11:35 p.m. MST when they take on Sweden.

"This was the next step for us, but the final step will come in a couple days," Shuster said.

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