U.S. stuns Canada again, will play for gold in men's curling

The U.S. has Canada's number at the Gangneung Curling Center.

After beating their North American peers in round-robin play, John Shuster's rink repeated the feat in Thursday's semifinal matchup in PyeongChang, earning a 5-3 win over Kevin Koe's heavily favored team to book a place in the gold-medal match for the first time in the nation's history.

The U.S., now guaranteed of at least a silver, hasn't won an Olympic medal in men's curling since grabbing bronze in 2006.

The United States will now play Sweden for top spot on the podium, while Team Canada, looking to salvage its Olympic adventure, meets Switzerland with a bronze medal on the line.

Thursday's loss means Canada won't capture gold in men's curling for the first time since 2002 in Salt Lake City; a Canadian rink stood atop the podium in each of the last three Winter Olympics.

The unexpected finish for the men's team follows a bitterly disappointing showing on the women's side - reigning world champion Rachel Homan and her crew missed the playoffs after finishing 4-5 in round-robin play.