And curling fans in Moose Jaw will have some big names to cheer on when the Canadian women’s curling championship begins Feb. 14 at Mosaic Place.
Leading the way will be perennial Scotties and world championship contender Rachel Homan of Ontario.
The three-time Scotties champion, 2017 world champion and 10-time WCT Grand Slam champion lead her rink of third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle to an undefeated run through the Ontario playdowns this past week, posting a perfect 9-0 record and defeating Holly Duncan 7-6 in the championship final.
The 2020 Scotties will mark Homan’s seventh appearance at the national tournament.
The Manitoba Scotties playdowns proved to be the most interesting of the lot, largely due to the Canadian Team Ranking System standings.
With Tracey Fleury, Jennifer Jones and Kerri Einarson holding down the top three spots in the CRTS standings and emerging as the final three teams heading into the final playoff rounds, that meant the Manitoba Scotties winner would advance directly to the main draw, while whoever didn’t win would play in the Wild Card game on Feb. 14.
In the end, it was Einarson who recovered from draw weight issues late in the game to take an 8-6 win over Jones.
That means Einarson, third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Brianne Meilleur will represent Manitoba in the Scotties, and the Wild Card game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14 – a game that’s completely free for fans to attend – will feature a world-class match-up between Jennifer Jones and Tracy Fleury.
Northern Ontario will be represented by Krista McCarville for the fourth time in the last five years.
McCarville and her rink of third Kendra Lilly, second Ashley Sippala and lead Jen Gates posted a perfect 7-0 record through their championship, defeating Krysta Burns 7-6 in the gold medal game.
The 2020 Scotties will mark her seventh appearance at the event, with her top showing a second-place finish in the 2015 tournament while representing Ontario.
British Columbia will have a new face in the crowd, as former Canada Winter Games gold medalist Corryn Brown will make her first Scotties appearance.
Brown and her rink of third Erin Pincott, second Dezaray Hawes and lead Ashley Klymchuk went 5-2 through the round robin and lost the Page 1-2 game to defending champion Sarah Wark, but rebounded to defeat Wark 6-4 in the final.
The full slate of teams for the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts includes:
B.C. – Abbotsford’s Corryn Brown, Erin Pincott, Dezaray Hawes, Ashley Klymchuk.
Alberta -- Edmonton’s Laura Walker, Kate Cameron, Taylor McDonald, Nadine Scotland
Saskatchewan – North Battleford’s Robyn Silvernagle, Stephanie Lawton, Jessie Hunkin, Kara Thevenot.
Manitoba – Gimli’s Kerri Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard, Brianne Meilleur.
Northern Ontario – Thunder Bay’s Krista McCarville, Kendra Lilly, Ashley Sippala, Jen Gates.
Ontario – Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Joanne Courtney, Lisa Weagle.
Quebec – Chicoutimi’s Noemie Verreault, Alanna Routledge, Marie-Pier Cote, Jill Routledge.
Newfoundland – St. John’s Erica Curtis, Erin Porter, Julie Devereaux, Beth Hamilton.
New Brunswick – Oromocto’s Andrea Crawford, Jennifer Armstrong, Jillian Babin, Katie Forward.
Nova Scotia – Halifax’s Mary-Anne Arsenault, Christina Black, Jennifer Baxter, Emma Logan.
Prince Edward Island – Montague’s Suzanne Birt, Marie Christianson, Meaghan Hughes, Michelle McQuaid.
Northwest Territories – Yellowknife’s Kerry Galusha, Sarah Koltun, Jo-Ann Rizzo, Shona Barbour.
Yukon – Whitehorse’s Hailey Birnie, Chelsea Duncan, Gabrielle Plonka, Kimberly Tuor.
Nunavut – Iqualuit’s Lori Eddy, Sadie Pinksen, Allison Griffin, Kaitlin MacDonald.
Team Canada – Calgary’s Chelsea Carey, Sarah Wilkes, Dana Ferguson, Rachel Brown.
Wild Card #1 – Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, Jocelyn Peterman, Dawn McEwen.
Wild card #2 – East St. Paul’s Tracy Fleury, Selena Njegovan, Liz Fyfe, Taylor McDonald.
