Miracle on pebbled ice: U.S. upsets Sweden, claims 1st-ever curling gold

The U.S. men's team led by skip John Shuster has claimed the country's first-ever gold in curling after defeating Sweden 10-7 early Saturday.

Shuster scored five points in a dominant eighth end to break a 5-5 deadlock and all but place the medal around his neck.

The only previous medal in curling won by the U.S. was a bronze in 2006. Shuster was a member of that rink, as well.

It's a remarkable story for Shuster and the U.S. curling team - one that will certainly draw comparisons to the "Miracle on Ice" achieved by the U.S. men's hockey team in 1980.

Shuster skipped the U.S. to dead-last finishes at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. Following those disappointments, he was cut from the national High Performance Program, which had the goal of creating a new curling training camp aimed at producing athletes capable of better results on the world stage.

Shuster responded by creating a rink dubbed "The Rejects" consisting of himself, John Landsteiner, Matt Hamilton, and Tyler George. The group won the 2015 U.S. championship and was eventually added to the High Performance Program, going on to win the 2017 U.S. championship and U.S. Olympic trials.

It wasn't all smooth sailing from there, however.

Shuster's team started its tournament in PyeongChang 2-4 and appeared headed for another Olympic dud.

Instead, they found a spark in a stunning 9-7 victory over heavy favorites and three-time defending gold medalists Canada, then wins over Switzerland and Great Britain that qualified the U.S. for the semifinals.

Another upset win over Canada followed, setting up Saturday's clash against top-seeded Sweden for gold.

Swedish skipper Niklas Edin was uncharacteristically shaky throughout the game, and Shuster and company continued the hot streak they started against Canada. Trailing by three late in the 10th end, Edin conceded defeat.