USCA: 2004-2005 Press Releases

(MEDICINE HAT, Alberta, Canada) — No matter what the currency or exchange rate-loonies, dollars, euros-those attending the 2004 Continental Cup of Curling got their money's worth this afternoon at the grand finale. The record books will show that Randy Ferbey's Canadian rink defeated Sweden's Peja Lindholm team 47-13 in the men's 60-point final, thereby giving North America a 228-172 victory overall. But as with the first two Continental Cups, once again the sport of curling was the true winner, as the 3,912 fans at The Arena in Medicine Hat could surely attest.

Four days of drama came down to a final-rock takeout worth 33 points, the Cup title and winner's purse, a 2-1 advantage in the Cup standings, and a $25,000 final-game bonus. Lindholm and his compatriots, who have played in all three Continental Cup finales, had been coming up with big shot after big shot to keep the Europeans clinging to hope by their fingernails. But Lindholm's last shot, a hit and roll, strayed too far into the open, and the Canadians could see nearly all of it from the far end. There was no doubt that the last shot would be a takeout.

Ferbey raised his right arm in victory with last-rock thrower David Nedohin's hammer shot still 10 feet from pay dirt, but the shot was definitely true and the victory complete.

"Oh, I was nervous," Nedohin admitted later. "It's a little different when it's just your four guys out there, but when you're playing for another 20 or so on the bench and there's $75,000 on the line, it definitely makes you nervous. I've never had a shot worth $75,000 before. You just try to ignore it, go down to the other end, take a deep breath, go through your routine and basically treat it like any other shot."

The fiercely competitive Lindholm, as always, was gracious in defeat. "That was a good one, huh? It was fantastic," he said. "They put the pressure on us going in and they just kept putting it on us."

Europe entered the final contest trailing North America by 22 points, 181-159. Ferbey's team needed only 20 points to give North America the overall Cup title. There were two contests at play in this draw, though, as the team winning the game would earn a bonus $25,000 for its side.

A big part of Sweden's strategy going into the game was to force carryovers, creating high-value skins. This was accomplished in five of the eight ends. And Sweden was striving for a final carryover that would have forced a one-rock shootout between the two sides to determine the ultimate winner.

"We didn't want to gamble too much in the eighth end," said Lindholm. "We were playing for the steal, but also for the carryover. It would have been great to have a draw to the button for the Continental Cup, don't you think?"

Great shots were being made by both teams all up and down the line, but Ferbey delivered a beauty in the eighth when he skinned his second rock by a guard to tap Sweden out of first count and leave his own rock in its place. Lindholm missed a long runback attempt with his first shot. Nedohin made a similar runback with his first rock, however, leaving North America counting three and setting the stage for the final exchanges of the game.

North America got on the board first in this game, with Nedohin throwing a last-rock draw to the sweepers in the third end, and the powerful combination of Scott Pfeiffer and Marcel Racque took it expertly to the four-foot for a deuce and four-point skin.

North America was one rock away from winning the Cup in the fourth, with the winning point sitting on the button behind numerous guards. Lindholm missed a runback attempt with his first shot, but made the same shot with the hammer, just catching enough of the corner of the rock to take it out. He wasn't able to keep the shooter around to claim the skin, but at least forced the carryover and kept Europe's thin hopes alive for one more end.

The Europeans earned their first skin in the fifth, with Lindholm, vice skip Tomas Nordin, and sweepers Magnus Swartling and Peter Narup making a fantastic draw around a center guard for shot rock on top of the button. The shot cleared the guard by the thickness of a broom hair, and Sweden was immediately back in the game, trailing 14-13.

The tension in The Arena at Medicine Hat rose considerably in the sixth end, with the Europeans on the edge of their seats with each rock played. When Lindholm's first shot in the sixth crashed on a guard, Nedohin deftly picked out an opposing rock stacked on top of two of his own in the four-foot.

But Lindholm saved the end by making a double takeout and rolling the shooter behind a pile of guards. Canada went for the win, trying to curl around the clutter with enough weight to push Sweden into third count. Nedohin's shot got a piece of the target, but only moved it enough to give Canada one and the carryover, making for a winner-take-all, 20-point skin in the seventh.

Nedohin drew Canada's last rock in the seventh to the top four-foot to count two. But the rock didn't bury, and Sweden was able to tap it out to count one for the carryover of 33 points to the final end.

"It was a phenomenal feeling to captain this very talented bunch of players in this phenomenal event," said North America Team Captain Ed Lukowich (Calgary). "It seems that the two sides are getting stronger every year, and the caliber of play is just really, really high."

There is not yet a home for the 2005 Cup, or even a clear indication that the event will be held next year, but the excitement, camaraderie and drama that this event carries with it almost demands that it continue.

The North American teammates will split $112,500 Canadian for winning the Cup, plus the $25,500 bonus for the men's skins finale. The Europeans, captained by Kristian Soerum, will split $62,500.

Historical notes
Lindholm has played in all three finales of the Continental Cup. He missed a tough, long double raise with the final rock in the inaugural 2002 event, as Canada's Kevin Martin rink completed a North American rally by winning 43 of the 17 points in the game. Europe had begun that final day of play with a 34-point lead, needing just 44 more points out of the final 120 available to win the Cup.

In the 2003 Cup, North America woke up Sunday with an 18-point lead and 52 points away from the magic 201. This time Europe took 77 of the 120 points available, including all 60 in the women's skins game. Lindholm's team clinched the 2003 Cup by stealing an 11-point skin in the seventh end against Ferbey.

Highlights from U.S. action and the overall Cup will be featured in VERIZON ICE 2004 on NBC Dec. 11 and 12, from 4:30-6 p.m. ET both days. VERIZON ICE 2004 is a multi-sport program including luge, bobsled and skeleton, hosted by NBC's Dan Hicks and Mary Carrillo.

More information about the 2004 Continental Cup can be found online at www.continentalcup.ca.

USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics and AmerAust Technologies as well as by AT&T, General Motors, Chevron-Texaco and Bank of America through a joint marketing program with the U.S. Olympic Committee.