The final score doesn't necessarily tell the tale of the broom, as USA was playing from behind for the first seven ends, never leading until scoring a pair in the eighth to go up 7-6. The momentum built in that crucial end by McCormick and teammates Allison Pottinger, Nicole Joraanstad and Natalie Nicholson was swiftly carried to a crescendo in the ninth. Denmark's defeat was complete when vice skip Madeleine Dupont, throwing last rocks for her team, missed a draw that resulted in a USA steal of four, after which the gloves came off for the handshakes.

"They definitely had more momentum in the first half," said McCormick, a 2003 world champion from Rio, Wis. "We were throwing everything heavy, and I was a little uncomfortable with my broom placement. But we came back and put it together in the sixth end."

After giving up a quick deuce in the first end, USA blew an opportunity for multiple points in the second, and then gave Denmark an open hit for another pair in the third, and a 4-1 lead.

The Danes kept the pressure on in the fourth, and were counting four halfway through the end. After a couple of nice freezes by Pottinger and McCormick, USA had a draw for two. But McCormick's shot was a couple of feet light, and USA took one instead.

The first scent of a change in momentum came in the fifth, when Denmark failed to blank the end as intended. Yet the Danes still took a 5-2 lead into the break, and the Americans were ready for a regrouping by then.

"We were just trying to hang in there," said Pottinger. During the seven-minute break, Pottinger said the team just talked about playing with a little more precision. "We talked about keeping our draws in front of the tee, and understanding the ice a little better."

The USA rally caught fire quickly with a three-point sixth end that tied the game, 5-5. McCormick made a raise takeout with her first shot to leave her team counting three, and then bumped Dupont's draw out with her second to put the three on the board.

"I felt a lot more confident by then with my broom placement," said McCormick.

Denmark had a difficult but potential shot for two in the seventh that wasn't converted, opening the door further for the Americans to gain control. And that they did, picking up two points and their first lead of the game, 7-6, on a draw to the four-foot by McCormick.

In the ninth, "We were playing to force them to one, but once we got a couple in there, we decided to just keep going in," said Pottinger. Dupont faced a cluttered wall trying to reach the four-foot with her team's last rock, and she wasn't able to find a way through the maze.

"It's always nice to get the first win under our belts," said McCormick, whose team returns to the ice at 8 p.m. to face Italy (local time is 14 hours ahead of EST).

In other opening round games at Aomori Prefecture Skating Rink, Japan thrilled the sell-out home crowd with a 7-5 win over Germany; Canada defeated Switzerland, 7-4, and China upstaged a talented Russian team by scoring two in the final end for a 5-4 victory.

The round robin continues through Thursday as the 12 teams in the field battle for four playoff berths.

Game scores: USA 11, Denmark 6; Canada 7, Switzerland 4; Japan 7, Germany 5; China 5, Russia 4.

USA line scores:
USA 010 103 024 x 11
*DEN 202 010 100 x 6
*designates last-rock advantage in first end

Round robin standings
Canada 1-0
China 1-0
Japan 1-0
USA 1-0
Czech Republic 0-0
Italy 0-0
Scotland 0-0
Sweden 0-0
Denmark 0-1
Germany 0-1
Russia 0-1
Switzerland 0-1

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

For more information: Rick Patzke, USA Curling, rick.patzke@usacurl.org.