Despite dropping a five-point lead in the final three ends, Duluth's John Shuster overcame Bemidji's Pete Fenson in an extra end to win 9-8 Friday in the first match of the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials men's finals at Scheels Arena in Fargo, N.D.
Shuster led 8-3 after seven of the 10 ends before Fenson rallied to put two stones in the house in each of the eighth and ninth ends and another in the 10th, even though Shuster had the final throw.
Shuster missed an open draw for one point in the 10th end, and that tied the game at 8-8.
"That's something that we've made all week, every single time," Shuster said. "That was the first one I missed this week."
Shuster, a 2010 Olympian, then scored the decisive point in an 11th end to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals over Fenson, a 2006 Olympic skip. Today's second match is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on NBC Sports Network. The winner does not automatically qualify for the Winter Olympics next February in Sochi, Russia, but must qualify at another event next month in Germany.
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