“We’re playing better now…the way we want to play,” said Todd Birr, who shot a scorching 98 percent today. The team overall shot its best game of the week at 90 percent.

Birr (Mankato, Minn.) and teammates Bill Todhunter (Menasha, Wis.), Greg Johnson (Appleton, Wis.) and Kevin Birr (St. Peter, Minn.) are now 2-2 in the standings in the 12-team round robin. While the Americans had the Midas touch, the Danes struggled especially at the skip position.

“We probably didn’t see Denmark’s best game here today. They struggled a bit,” Todd Birr said. “We twice had free draws for two. You just gotta pick up those extra points.”

The Americans worked hard in the first two ends to set up a deuce and got a break in the second end after Frederiksen failed to remove Birr’s first stone he buried behind a guard. Birr coolly drew the eight foot for two. Frederiksen couldn’t roll out with his hit on the U.S. rock in the next end and scored just one.

The U.S. protected two stones and added a third by Todhunter until vice skip Bo Jensen made a triple takeout to thwart the U.S. hope for a deuce. But Frederiksen failed to remove the stone Birr tucked behind a guard giving the skip another draw for two.

Birr made a double takeout with his last stone in the fifth end to lie three U.S. rocks forcing Frederiksen to make a hit but it still left two U.S. rocks closer to the button for a steal of two. In the sixth end, the Americans once again put the pressure on the Danes. Birr made a hit to sit three U.S. rocks in the house. Frederiksen failed to remove the stone near the button after hitting the U.S. stone in the eight foot and rolling to fourth count. Birr drew in a fourth U.S. rock forcing Frederiksen to draw in between two U.S. stones in the eight foot for one but he came in too strong and rolled off the U.S. rock behind the tee line for an American steal of three to end the game.

“There was a little doubt whether or not our style of game would work here, but now we’re feeling like it will,” Todd Birr said.

The U.S. men return to the ice at 1 p.m. MT today to face France’s Thomas Dufour team (1-2).

It was announced today by the World Curling Federation that the 2010 Men’s World Championship will take place in Cortina, Italy. The seating capacity is 4,000. The other bidder for the 2010 event was Hamburg, Germany. The 2008 men’s championship is scheduled in Grand Forks, N.D., at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. The 2009 event will take place in Canada (site not announced yet).

Game scores: USA 9, Denmark 1; Sweden 7, Norway 3; Canada 8, Switzerland 2; Finland 11, Australia 9

USA line score:
DEN 001 000 XXX X 1
*USA 020 223 XXX X 9
*designates last-rock advantage in first end

Round robin standings
Canada 4-0
Germany 3-0
Scotland 2-1
Sweden 2-2
Switzerland 2-2
USA 2-2
Norway 2-2
Finland 2-2
Australia 1-3
France 1-2
Denmark 1-3
Korea 0-3

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: Terry Luder, USA Curling, terry.luder@usacurl.org, 608-338-9900 (cell).