Over seven years ago, 1998 Olympian Mike Peplinski had a dream to build a junior team based at his home club in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Now, that team is about to play for a world championship.
My story from last December on the origin of Team Hebert:
www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/news/how-tea...
Over seven years ago, 1998 Olympian Mike Peplinski had a dream to build a junior team based at his home club in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Now, that team is about to play for a world championship.
My story from last December on the origin of Team Hebert:
www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/news/how-tea...
This will be the first appearance by a USA men's team in the World Juniors finals since Andrew Stopera took silver in 2017.
Chris Plys was the last American men's skip to win worlds, doing so in 2008.
The celebration is on for Team Hebert! USA defeats Canada in the semifinal of the World Junior Men's Curling Championship!
They will face reigning champion Stefano Spiller for gold tomorrow in Denmark!
It was a wet week at the Bojangles Coliseum but there was no rain on the parade for Shuster and Strouse at USA nationals on Sunday night.
My national championship recap:
www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/news/shuster...
Tons of great growth from them. And they all are still eligible for juniors next year too iirc
02.03.2026 16:28 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
What a game between USA and Korea.
Kang Bobae had been taken to a 10th end just two times all week. Down 1 with hammer, Kang makes the come around tap to take the win.
Great showing by Allory Johnson's rink. They'll play in the 3rd place game tomorrow.
It was an eventful week at the USA Curling National Championships, with one legendary rink picking up another title and another new rink breaking through.
Ben Hoppe (@hoppecurls) breaks it all down:
https://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/news/shuster-strouse-book-tickets-to-world-championships
John Shuster wins the USA National Championship! In the final championship for Chris Plys and Colin Hufman, the sleeveless boys of Team Shuster go out on top. They'll be headed to Ogden, Utah for their swan song as Team USA.
02.03.2026 00:05 — 👍 12 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
The men's national championship is onto an extra end, and we're without sound on the stream.
For those critical of commentary during past national events, now is your chance to do it yourself and prove you're better than the ones on the mic.
Team Strouse is headed to Calgary! Delaney Strouse, Anne O'Hara, Sydney Mullaney, and Maddie Bear win the USA National Championship!
01.03.2026 23:47 — 👍 7 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0Team Stopera has been so good all game, but they just didn't quite execute to finish the 9th end, and that seems to have carried over into the 10th.
01.03.2026 23:32 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Stopera's biggest miss of the game is coming up about 8" short of a perfect freeze. Shuster makes a perfect tap and now leads by 1 without hammer going into the final end.
Will Shuster hold on to allow Plys and Hufman to go out on top? Or will Team Stopera play spoiler? Here we go.
Intensity is ramping up in Charlotte. After Stopera gets the first multiple of the game, Shuster answers back with two of his own.
Next door on sheet B, Cousins stole in the 6th and is trying to see if they can set up another in 7.
The first multiple score of the game goes to Andrew Stopera in the 6th end. He's been incredibly patient and got his opportunity after a miss on Shuster's first stone. Stopera capitalized with a score of two and now leads by two with four ends remaining.
01.03.2026 22:36 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Team Strouse playing a very clean game through five ends thus far, and Cousins has had some key misses. Cousins down by two without hammer going into the second half of the game.
They've been the best team all event, but they have a lot of work to do over the last 5 ends.
Andrew Stopera has played so well this week, and he seems to be really locked in for this final against Shuster. He is keeping everything very simple and executing his shots as well as anyone on the sheet.
Stopera has hammer in a tie game going into the sixth end.
Oddly, both USA teams at the World Junior Curling Championships will have a rematch of their final game of round robin play.
The women will try to avenge their loss to top-seeded Korea.
The men will get a rematch with Canada, after they just defeated Canada tonight.
Delaney Strouse makes the final with an 8-4 win over Kim Rhyme.
The finals in both the men's and women's will be a rematch of the page 1v2 playoffs.
Team Shuster is into the finals! A huge score of six in the 6th end was too much for Tuma to overcome.
Shuster will have a rematch with Stopera in the final!
Despite losing to Korea earlier today, the USA women advance to the World Juniors playoffs with a 5-4 record. They were in a 4-way tie with Canada, Switzerland, and Japan and advanced.
The men have one game remaining but are already in playoffs, currently in 3-way tie for first.
Page playoffs are set for USA Curling National Championships.
Cousins vs Strouse 1v2 on women's side with Rhyme vs Podoll in 3v4 game.
For the men, Shuster vs Stopera in 1v2 and Tuma vs Dunnam in 3v4.
Playoffs start at 7pm EST. No rain delays are expected!
From earlier today: Allory Johnson made this run of a Canadian stone into the pile to sit four. On her last rock, she would make a hit for five and a 10-3 win over Canada in the AM session at World Juniors 🔥
Johnson is now 5-2 with two games left.
Nobody is safe, James. NOBODY.
28.02.2026 05:45 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Just over one month ago, Caiden Rose and Will Pohdradsky were playing in the playoffs of *U18* nationals in Colorado.
Now, these members of Team McMullin are one win away from the playoffs at the USA Men's National Championship.
Minnesota sports hate to see me coming at the Delta Center.
28.02.2026 04:35 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Will I finally see a Minnesota team win at the Delta Center?
28.02.2026 01:47 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
At the World Junior Curling Championships, the United States women picked up another win today to improve to 4-2. They have a tough couple matchups ahead with both Korea and Canada still to come.
The men's team is tied for first at 5-1 after a 1-1 day in Denmark!
Quite the jolt going from a 13-10 game at USA nationals to a 1-1 game through 6 ends of World Juniors.
27.02.2026 19:57 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Are you going to switch your Twitter handle to PrimeRoden or has that been taken already
26.02.2026 21:56 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
