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The pounding music and disco lights lent a sense of occasion to the first action of this year’s Games in the high-end Italian resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.<\/p>\n
The snow which had hammered down all day in the Dolomites had turned to sleet by the time the four matches started in front of a healthy crowd inside the 3,500-capacity arena. <\/p>\n
But many of those spectators were cast into darkness for four or five minutes early on until someone put some change in the meter, <\/b>the scoring screens flickered back into life and play resumed.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t mind the lights going off,” said Mouat. “It was a bit of a boogie, a rave… it was like a nightclub.”<\/p>\n
When the dancing stopped, Norway’s husband and wife team of Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien initially took control before the sides fell into a cagey contest.<\/p>\n
Mouat and Dodds seized the initiative in a splendid second end – the final accounting reached after some lengthy deliberation with the measuring stick – and led 4-3 at the break after edging a tight fourth against the 2002 silver medallists.<\/p>\n
The interval did check the momentum of the childhood friends a little, as Norway – who also won bronze in 2018 – drew level again.<\/p>\n
Nedregotten’s flawless play was keeping Norway in it – wife Skaslien’s struggles threatening a little domestic disharmony – but even his efforts could not prevent Team GB snatching three in the sixth end thanks to a stunning Dodds throw.<\/p>\n
That opened a three-shot lead with two ends to play. <\/p>\n
And, although the Norwegians invoked the powerplay to cut the deficit to one, Mouat and Dodds did likewise in the last end to close out a statement 8-6 win.<\/p>\n
“It took us a bit of time to work out one end was curling more than the other, but once we did we took a step up in performance and took control from there,” Dodds said. <\/p>\n
“It’s a good confidence builder to start the week.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n