Birr (Mankato, Minn.) and teammates Bill Todhunter (Menasha, Wis.), Greg Johnson (Appleton, Wis.) and Kevin Birr (St. Peter, Minn.) improve to 3-3 with today's win and are now tied for fifth place with three other teams.

With the elbowing for playoff position coming full force as the 12-team round robin progresses, the win today was "huge" according to Todhunter.

"That was a big win," he said. "The field's going to start separating and whichever team gets on a roll is going to be the one to make it. Unless Canada crashes and burns, which is unlikely, we're fighting for three playoff spots." Canada improved to 7-0 after posting two wins today. Germany and Switzerland are tied for second with 4-2 records.

The Americans got a break in the second end when Uusipaavalniemi slid through the house with his final stone giving Birr a chance to make a hit for three points and get an early edge on the 2006 Olympic silver medalists.

Uusipaavalniemi came up short of the rings trying to draw in for first count with his first toss in the third end allowing Birr to draw in behind it to sit two. Uusipaavalniemi was forced to draw for one. The Americans gave the Finns one back in the fourth end when Birr missed an open takeout as he was trying to blank the end.

Birr made a soft tap through a port to score one and avoid giving up a steal of two in the fifth end. But, the Americans were in danger of giving up a big end in the sixth until Birr made a takeout and moved another Finnish stone to the back of the house forcing Uusipaavalniemi to draw for just two to tie the game at 4-4.

"We noticed that the Swiss struggled on this sheet of ice earlier," Todhunter said. "We had a couple of rocks that we questioned but we kept an eye on them."

A double takeout by Todhunter in the seventh helped open up the house as the Finnish threatened to steal once again. The Americans were eventually able to blank the end and start over in the eighth.

The U.S. got a chance for a deuce set up early in the eighth end getting a stone buried at the top of the house. Todhunter made another clutch double takeout to remove the two Finnish stones in scoring position to put three American stones in scoring position. Uusipaavalniemi only chipped out one and left his shooter in third position. Birr drew down to eliminate the raise but Uusipaavalniemi chipped his stone on the top of the house in for second count. Birr opted to draw for two opposed to the more difficult raise to remove Uusipaavalniemi's stone for a potential three. However, Birr came in too strong and slid out of the back of the house.

"We need to make those shots for extra points. Those are the shots we made at Nationals and we need to do it here," Todhunter said. Birr's team won its first national title back in February in Utica, N.Y. Todhunter is the lone U.S. team member with world experience having played lead for Jason Larway's Seattle team back in 2004 in Gavle, Sweden. "It's just been a couple of shots a game that have cost us," he said.

The Finns got themselves set up for a deuce after getting a stone behind a guard and exchanging hits with the Americans on the shot rock in the ninth end to take the lead, 6-5.

The U.S. got two stones in and around the four-foot after Todhunter's first throw but Finland still held the shot rock in the ninth end. Finnish vice skip Kalle Kiiskinen followed up with a double takeout to lie three Finnish rocks. Todhunter drew down for first count but it was open for Uusipaavalniemi to chip out. Birr tried to freeze his stone but left some space for Uusipaavalniemi to pop it out. Birr calmly drew the button for one to force the extra end.

In the extra frame, Finland brought stones in the house right away with the Americans putting up a guard and sticking one behind it but not good enough to be the shot rock. Birr drew down into the pot of Finnish stones with his last throw putting the pressure on the 2006 Olympic silver medalists. Uusipaavalniemi needed to wick off of his own stone to roll in for shot position but it didn't curl enough giving the Americans a steal of one.

"We had the shot possibly to hit our own stone but it was over-brushed or something," Uusipaavalniemi said. "I don't know what happened."

The American men return to the ice at 6 tonight to play Scotland's Warwick Smith team (2-4). "We need to play like we did against Norway," Todhunter said of the USA's 7-3 win on Sunday. "We just got to set up the ends better."

Game scores: USA 7, Finland 6; Australia 9, Denmark 5; Switzerland 7, Sweden 6; Canada 8, Norway 4

USA line score:
FIN 001 102 002 00 6
*USA 030 010 010 11 7
*designates last-rock advantage in first end

Round robin standings
Canada 7-0
Germany 4-2
Switzerland 4-2
Sweden 4-3
Australia 3-3
France 3-3
Norway 3-3
USA 3-3
Finland 3-4
Scotland 2-4
Denmark 2-5
Korea 0-6

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).