Sormunen (Duluth, Minn.) came up heavy with her last draw in the 10th end trying to tie the game and force an extra end.

"I feel like I should be more disappointed but both teams played extremely well. There were barely any missed shots," Sormunen said. "And, we have bigger goals ahead."

Those bigger goals for Sormunen and teammates Courtney George (Duluth, Minn.), Molly Bonner (Virginia, Minn.) and Jordan Moulton (Highland Park, Ill.) include preparing for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The Sormunen rink intends to continue to compete at the junior level but without George, who ages out of junior competition after this season. They will use the junior competition as a training ground for competing at the women's level with the ultimate goal of winning the U.S. National Championships, getting world experience and playing in the Olympics.

"We had hoped to medal together at the Juniors but it didn't happen so we are looking forward now to bigger things," Sormunen said.

This is the second fourth-place finish for longtime teammates Sormunen and George after losing the bronze-medal game in 2004 in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, but a great improvement for the USA, which finished last in the previous two world junior championships. "We had a great week," Sormunen said. "I just wished it would have ended differently."

Team USA started out strong drawing for three after Dupont missed an open takeout. The Americans continued to put the pressure on placing three stones in the house early in the second end. After 12 were thrown, the Americans still had one buried at the top of the four-foot. Dupont finally moved it to the back eight foot leaving her team lying two. Sormunen tried to remove those two but only moved one, rolled her shooter out and took out the other U.S. stone in the back eight-foot. This gave Dupont potentially a shot at removing the only other U.S. stone in the house for five but she opted to draw for two instead.

The U.S. got in trouble early in the third end but Bonner made a double takeout to remove the Danish rocks. Denmark kindly knocked Bonner's shooter in behind a guard with their next toss allowing the U.S. to set up a deuce but Dupont froze her last stone to the U.S. rock in the back of the house for shot stone. Sormunen drew down to it but couldn't nudge enough to get more than one point.

Denmark had a chance to tap forward a stone for a deuce in the fourth end but Dupont wrecked on the guard Sormunen had just placed. The Americans had a chance for two in the fifth but Sormunen came up heavy with her draw to the four foot, taking a 5-3 lead instead.

The Americans had the Danes chasing in the fifth end. Sormunen made a double takeout with her first rock. Dupont tried to come around the U.S. stone in the top of the eight-foot but sidled up to it instead. Sormunen chipped it out forcing Dupont to draw the four foot for one.

Sormunen attempted an angle raise double takeout in the seventh end but it was over-swept leaving one Danish stone in the house for a steal of one to tie the game. "I'd like to take back my last shot in the seventh. We had a tricky double set up to score four but didn't get it," Sormunen said. "And, obviously I'd like to take back my last shot as well."

In the eighth end, the U.S. never got control of the house chasing Denmark. Sormunen tried to come around a guard but left her stone wide open in the top eight-foot forcing Sormunen to draw the four foot for one.

Danish lead Ivana Bratic got two stones around the button until Bonner removed one and moved the other into the open. This allowed the U.S. to trade hits with Denmark. George tried to place a second rock in the house with her first toss but came heavy drawing around the guard. Two great stones by Dupont allowed the Danes to grab the deuce and take their first lead of the game at 7-6 heading into the final end.

In the 10th, Danish second Mona Nielsen tried to out-count Moulton's draw to the button but moved it further behind the guard and rolled her stone into the eight foot. Bonner then followed her in but set up the double takeout for Nielsen. Bonner drew in her second stone but left it open enough for Jeanne Ellegaard to tap it out. George drew her final stone to the back of the four foot but Dupont froze her stone to it. Sormunen tried to draw down to those stones but left it up in the eight foot. Dupont put up a guard to take away the tap-back opportunity for Sormunen forcing her to draw the four foot but she was heavy handing the steal and the bronze medal to the Danes. Dupont's best finish prior to tonight was fourth place in 2005.

Canada's Stacie Devereaux and Scotland's Sarah Reid battled for the gold medal two sheets from the USA-Denmark action beginning 30 minutes later. Canada took control of the game in the fourth end scoring three to pull ahead 4-1. Scotland could only manage singles but continued to chase Canada until the 10th end. Down two, Reid's Scots got three stones in the house with just three rocks left to be thrown. Devereaux got one out and moved the stone in the four foot into the open. Reid made a decent draw but it came in just a bit too deep giving Canada the hit and stick. Unfortunately for Canada, she hit it too thin giving Scotland the steal for two to force the extra end.

Scotland got a stone buried on the button early in the extra end until Devereaux removed it with a raise with her first stone. But, Reid's sweepers kept her draw to the button on course just squeaking past a guard. Canada's only hope was to try to angle off the side of their other stone to nudge the Scottish rock out but Devereaux came wide giving the Scots the gold.

Canada's Charley Thomas rink and Sweden's Niklas Edin will battle for the gold at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. This is a rematch of last year's gold medal game when Canada prevailed. In the bronze medal game, Switzerland and Denmark will play at 9 a.m.

USA line scores:
DEN 020 101 102 1 8
*USA 301 010 010 0 6
*designates hammer in first end

Gold-medal game:
SCO 010 011 001 21 7
*CAN 100 300 020 00 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.