Deb McCormick's Team USA scored two points in the 10th end Saturday to take down Kelly Scott's Team Canada rink 8-7 and reach the final of the Women's World Curling Championships.
It will match McCormick against Olympic Champion Annette Norberg for the third time in a week at the meet, being played at Grande Prairie, Alta.
McCormick, with Bemidji's Natalie Nicholson as lead, allowed Canada to steal one in the ninth when her draw to the four foot came up inches light.
But it didn't matter as it gave her the hammer coming home.
"You're always disappointed when you have a shot and miss," McCormick said. "But one down with the hammer is still a good spot. I feel more confident generating two so I didn't feel too bad being down."
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Vice skip Allison Pottinger made a game breaking draw around a Canadian center guard and buried it three-fourths.
Scott then wanted to freeze to the U.S. shot rock but came in heavy and slid to the back of the eight foot.
McCormick tried to draw through a port to sit two but rubbed a guard and spun into the top of the 12 foot.
Scott then tried to come through the same port to the four foot but left it short giving McCormick a draw to the full eight foot for the win.
"We're happy with it. People can think or say what they want," Scott said. "We had to make a conscious effort to have fun out there this week. There wasn't a high level of confidence with this ice. That has an impact on how you play. The experience was priceless. Playing in front of a Canadian crowd and under the Canadian microscope with the 2010 Olympics in Canada was a good experience."
McCormick opened strong getting three in the first.
Canada stormed back for two in the second when Scott closed with a double takeout. She then stole one in the third to tie 3-3.
The U.S. managed a deuce in the fourth to retake the lead as McCormick got her draw weight back under control.
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After blanking the fifth, Canada managed only one point in the sixth when McCormick made a hit and roll to put her second rock in the four-foot.
Scott drew to a price of the four-foot but not enough to out-count the other U.S. rock on the opposite side of the house.
Canada put pressure on the Americans in the seventh forcing McCormick to make a hit on a Canadian stone after they put another rock buried behind a guard.
Canada tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth with a pair setting up the dramatic finish.
McCormick and Pottinger return to the Gold Medal game they won in 2003, America's only women's world title.
Nicholson and second Nicole Joraanstad finished fourth in the worlds in 2004 curling on the Patti Lank rink.
Nicholson also was lead on Amy Wright's 2000 national champions that competed at the Worlds.
And she curled second on the Risa O'Connell rinks from Bemidji that won the national junior titles in 1995 and 97
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This will be the third time in four years that the U.S. will finish with the Gold or Silver. Cassie Johnson of Bemidji lost in last year's title match to Norberg.
Norberg beat McCormick twice 8-5, once in the round robin and again in Friday's 1-2 playoff.
The U.S. is hoping the third meeting will bring home a victory.
The title match will begin at 11:30 a.m.
Canada 021-001-021-0 - 7
USA 300-200-100-2 - 8
