John Shuster caps unbeaten run through USA Curling Nationals with win over Rich Ruohonen in final

Now that’s how you run the table.

John Shuster, gold medal winner at the 2016 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, was a perfect 11-0 at the U.S. men’s curling championship, capping the weeklong event with a dramatic 8-6 win over Minneapolis’ Rich Ruohonen in the final Saturday at the Eastern Washington University Rec Center.

Shuster, of Duluth, Minnesota, third Chris Plys, second Matt Hamilton and lead John Landsteiner had already dispatched Ruohonen 7-4 in the round robin and 8-2 in the Page 1-2 playoff game Friday. Ruohonen, third Greg Persinger, second Colin Hufman and lead Kroy Nernberger earned their berth, recovering to best Chase Sinnett of Medfield, Massachusetts, 9-5.

It was Shuster’s ninth national title, his fifth as a skip.

Ruohonen, however, didn’t make it easy in the final.

“We were all over them the entire game, but those guys hung in there and gave themselves a shot to win,” Shuster said, giving Ruohonen a nod. “It was a ridiculously well-battled curling game.”

Shuster and Ruohonen traded singles in the first two ends, each skip trying to lay claim to the rings early.

Shuster started to see more opportunities in the third when Ruhonen was a little short on a hit and roll to protect shot rock. He left Shuster an easy tap back for the deuce and a 3-1 lead.

Ruohonen got those two back in the fourth, though. Shuster was forced to break up a jam on the 4-foot, leaving Ruohonen an open draw for two. The 48-year-old from St. Paul, Minnesota, executed perfectly to tie the game.

Shuster had to dig himself out of trouble in the fifth, facing three on his first rock. He raised his own guard for a hit, but failed to make the double takeout he so badly needed. Ruohonen drew to the 4-foot to sit three and Shuster survived with a single, tapping off Ruohonen’s shot rock to roll to the button.

Ruohonen tied the game again with a single and in the seventh faced three on the 12-foot. He drew behind his own guard to sit full 4-foot. Shuster saw room through the port to tap that rock out, leaving Ruohonen a draw against 4. He made no mistake and picked up the single to tie the game one more time.

Ruohonen was not giving up without a fight. He found his own deuce in the eighth end with an easy draw for 2 when Shuster rolled too hard on a hit.

Shuster got one in the ninth but had to give up the hammer coming home. He had to find ways in the 10th to hold Ruohonen to only a single point and force extra ends.

With his last rock, Shuster had a tight draw to the button around two guards sitting full 12. With gentle weight, he froze right to Ruohonen’s shot rock. Ruohonen couldn’t see much and went for a raise but missed and gave up the steal of 1, handing Shuster his ninth U.S. championship.

Shuster said he appreciates his team’s never-say-die attitude.

“We have a lot of fun playing together as a team, but we try to be as professional as we can on the ice,” the skip said. “When you have that and big opportunities, none of us are nervous. … The drama, it looks scary because that last shot I threw was super, super hard, but that’s what we play for.”

The win earns Shuster a berth at the men’s world championship in Glasgow, Scotland, March 28 to April 5.

“It’s going to be awesome,” he said. “We circled this week on our schedule, after playing a lighter schedule than usual, and now we circle Scotland and see what happens.”

Shuster and crew missed the medal round at last year’s worlds in Lethbridge, Alberta, losing the playoff qualifier 7-6 in an extra end to Japan.

“We just gotta keep working hard in practice,” he said. “We’re going to be ready.”