Whyte said his team had been disappointed to drop Friday’s semifinal game 9-7 to Canada and miss a chance to play for gold at the 2026 World Men’s Curling Championship. After that loss, they kicked around a soccer ball to relax and worked to reset for Saturday’s game against the United States.

“We just chilled out and then kind of talked and said, ‘Look, that game’s done now. We have to win a medal. We’ve played way too well this week to not win a medal here,'” Whyte said.

He said he was pleased his team made the podium for all of the fans who traveled to Ogden, and for those at home.

American skip John Shuster acknowledged that it was hard to defeat a strong team after giving up three in the first end, but noted the Stars and Stripes were able to tie the game at 5-all after the fifth end.

Grace Watters, Standard-Examiner

“I’m super proud that we battled back and got the thing tied,” Shuster said.

The United States reached the bronze-medal game after eliminating Switzerland 9-8 in an extra end in the qualification playoff game, but lost to Sweden 8-6 in the semifinal.

There were a lot of rocks in play in the first end. Shuster’s first rock without a hammer tapped two Scottish red rocks back. One went out of play but the other stuck around to be second shot.

After trading takeouts, Whyte used the hammer to hit the side of a red Scottish rock in the top 12-foot ring to split both rocks into scoring position, leading to three points for the Scots.

Both teams traded two-point ends through the fourth end. The U.S. tied the game by stealing a point in the fifth end when Whyte attempted to run back one of his stones on the U.S. shot rock but missed.

Grace Watters, Standard-Examiner

Scotland retook the lead with a two-point seventh end and put the game away for good with a four-point ninth end.

In the ninth, Shuster took out one of the Scottish rocks but lost his shooter, allowing Whyte to put a fourth Scottish rock in the rings with no U.S. stones in sight and soon, it was concession handshakes from the U.S.

Afterward, Shuster reflected on a season with what he called the strongest team he had ever played with. Although they fell a game short at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and weren’t able to reach the gold-medal game this week at worlds, they made the playoffs in every tournament entered and reached the semifinals in all but one.

“We got to the place we wanted to always be and thought we could get to — knew we could get to — and for it to be over is a bummer,” Shuster said.

Whyte said he believed his team’s bronze-medal performance bolstered their record before Scottish Curling, which selects its national team based on several criteria, including international experience. For years, the men’s Scottish representative has been Bruce Mouat, whose team is ranked No. 1 in the world.

Grace Watters, Standard-Examiner

“That really showed that we’re very capable and hopefully that puts more faith in this, just to select us in the future,” Whyte said.

Saying farewell

Saturday’s game marked the final appearance at world competition for U.S. vice skip Christopher Plys and second Colin Hufman, who previously announced they were stepping back from competitive curling after this season. Both will be appearing this week in the debut of the Rock League, a new competitive format for elite curlers, although Plys will be a team general manager.

After that, Hufman said he would buy a plane ticket to a beach somewhere if he even thinks about curling over the next two years.

Looking back at his time as a competitive curler, Hufman said he was motivated to “being undeniable and irreplaceable from a sweeping perspective.”

“I feel like I did everything, everything I wanted to,” he said. “I don’t think I left anything out, you know, in the practice room or at home.”

Grace Watters, Standard-Examiner

Plys was looking forward to spending more time with his wife and dog back home, but foresaw still being involved with curling at a club level and helping with development by perhaps coaching.

Looking back at his time as a competitive curler, Plys said it felt like juniors weren’t that long ago. And while they may not have as many world or Olympic medals as they may have hoped for, he said he had no regrets.

Plys said it was nice to be able to “leave the game knowing that you still have it and not, you know, just being a punching bag for people to end your career.”

The fact that it was Hufman and Plys’ last tournament was a thought on Shuster’s mind near the end of the competition, including Friday’s elimination game against Switzerland.

“It’s like, I want to make sure that for those guys, and you know, maybe for myself, that we really lock in” he said.

Grace Watters, Standard-Examiner

Neither Shuster nor lead Matt Hamilton have announced plans for next season.

Shuster said he hasn’t yet made a decision on whether he will step back. He said he’s “not rushing to any adventure” but wasn’t necessarily going to hunt for a new team.

“I still like playing and if the right situation arises, I’d imagine continuing it,” he said.

Ryan Olson is lead designer for the Daily Herald and Standard-Examiner. He is also a part-time curling instructor for event organizers, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, but was not involved in the event aside from teaching schoolchildren. Ryan can be reached at rolson@standard.net or on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/quesoguapo.com.

The United States' Christopher Plys, right, hugs a fan after their game against Scotland at the 2026 World Men's Curling Championship at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden on Saturday, April 4, 2026.

The United States' Matt Hamilton autographs a hat for a fan after their game against Scotland at the 2026 World Men's Curling Championship at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden on Saturday, April 4, 2026.

Scotland's Coach Alistair Scott receives a bronze medal during the awards ceremony at the 2026 World Men's Curling Championship at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden on Saturday, April 4, 2026.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Email(Required)

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)(Required)

Daily Newsletter

Breaking News

Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?(Required)

Yes

No