Leslie Ingram-Brown reports from Sweden:"Norwegian skip Markus Hoiberg produced the shot of these World Junior Championships so far here in Oestersund, in the eighth end of the game against Scotland.
Scotland won the last stone draw and proceeded to blank the first threee ends but in the fourth, skip Kyle Smith, with Thomas Muirhead, Kyle Waddell and Kerr Drummond, was forced to play a dead draw against a Swedish counter well hidden behind guards. Norway blanked the fifth but were forced to draw for a single in the sixth. Score 1-1.
In the seventh, against three, Kyle drew for one. The eighth was the defining end. Kyle was forced with his first to draw against four and lay second shot behind a medium guard. The Norwegians decided it was time to lose the guard altogether. After discussion the Scots decided to put on another guard which looked as if it had overcurled, leaving a narrow but playable port for Norway's last stone of the end.
Hoiberg played an in-turn strike to perfection and when the dust settled Norway had counted five and as a contest the game was over.
With Sweden losing to Canada, Switzerland beating Italy and the USA beating Finland, the leader board has changed dramatically since last night. Canada and Norway now lead on five wins. Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA have four wins. China is alone on 2 wins.
Tomorrow afternoon Kyle and his team must face Switzerland before China and the Czech Republic on Thursday. None of these games looks easy."
RESULTS: Norway 6 Scotland 3; Switzerland 8 Italy 3; China 8 Czech Republic 3; Canada 5 Sweden 2; USA 7 Finland 3.
STANDINGS: 5/1 Canada, Norway; 4/2 Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, USA; 2/4 China; 1/5 Czech Republic, Italy; 0/6 Finland.
The official website is here. Check out the Galleries for Richard Gray's photos.
Top photo of skips in the head is © Leslie Ingram-Brown.
