Who's off to the Scotties, Brier? Our guide to teams having qualified

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The Scotties Tournament of Hearts lineup is set, while the Brier roster got clearer after plenty of provincial finals were played over the weekend across Canada.

Championship draws in eight provinces crowned curling queens, all of whom will join pre-qualifiers in Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, Manitoba’s Kerri Einarson — who continues on with Krysten Karwacki at lead in place of newly re-instated Briane Harris — Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes, Edmonton’s Selena Sturmay and five other previously named provincial and territorial winners at the 2025 Scotties, Feb. 14-23 in Thunder Bay, Ont.

And a half-dozen men’s squads earned provincial titles to join pre-qualifiers in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue, Calgary’s Brad Jacobs, Saskatoon’s Mike McEwen and Winnipeg’s Matt Dunstone.

Homan and Gushue, of course, are the defending champs.

Here’s the weekend’s winning provincial rinks and how they made it to the national championships …

SCOTTIES

Alberta

Champions — Kayla Skrlik (skip), Margot Flemming (third), Ashton Skrlik (second), Geri-Lynn Ramsay (lead), Crystal Webster (alternate), Shannon Kleibrink (coach)

The skinny — Skrlik, of Calgary’s Garrison Curling Club, avenged last year’s loss in the championship draw, with a hit-and-stick in the deciding 10th end for Sunday’s 6-5 victory over Edmonton’s Nicky Kaufman.

B.C.

Champions — Corryn Brown (skip), Erin Pincott (third), Sarah Koltun (second), Samantha Fisher (lead), Jim Cotter (coach)

The skinny — Brown, of the Kamloops Curling Club, goes back to the Scotties for a fourth time in six years after defeating Victoria CC’s Kayla MacMillan 10-7 in Sunday’s provincial finale. The two rivals tangled in the Page playoff 1-v-2 game Saturday, with Brown also winning that class — 8-3 over MacMillan and the revamped B.C. champs.

Winner’s quote: “Feels incredible,” said Brown, in a post-game interview with Curl BC. “We had a really good week all week. I think it shows we deserved to be here. I think we brought it all together in that last game and really brought our A-game.”

Manitoba

Champions — Kate Cameron (skip), Taylor McDonald (third), Allison Flaxey (second), Mackenzie Elias (lead), Brianna Cullen (alternate)

The skinny — Cameron, of Winnipeg’s Heather Curling Club, returns to the Scotties to try and improve on last year’s bronze-medal finish after winning the RME Women of the Rings provincials. The final saw Cameron & Co. edge Beth Peterson, of Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Memorial CC, 7-6 with one in the final end.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Champions — Brooke Godsland (skip), Erin Porter (third), Sarah McNeil Lamswood (second), Camille Burt (lead), Cory Schuh (coach)

The skinny — Godsland, of the St. John’s RE/MAX Centre and the St. John’s Curling Club, blasted Carrie Vautour 10-4 in Saturday’s final after finishing the round robin with a first-place 4-1 record. Vautour, Sarah Boland and Stacie Curtis — the defending two-time champ — wrapped up the round robin with matching 3-2 records, but Vautour moved onto the final by beating both RE/MAX/St. John’s CC clubmates Boland and Curtis in that round robin to earn the tiebreaker.

Northern Ontario

Champions — Krista McCarville (skip), Andrea Kelly (third), Ashley Sippala (second), Kendra Lilly (lead), Sarah Potts (alternate), Rick Lang (coach)

The skinny — McCarville, of Thunder Bay’s Fort William Curling Club, scored four singles in the final four ends of Sunday’s finale to edge Sudbury’s Emma Artichuk 6-5 and secure a 12th passage to the Scotties. It wasn’t easy for the three-time Scotties medallist, as she lost a round-robin game and then needed a 10th-end “miracle shot” — said TB Newswatch’s Leith Dunick — to count four in another round-robin draw just to make the playoff round.

Ontario

Champions — Danielle Inglis (skip), Kira Brunton (third), Calissa Daly (second), Cassandra de Groot (lead), Steve Acorn (coach)

The skinny — Inglis, of the Ottawa Hunt Club, successfully defended their provincial crown with an 8-4 win over Niagara Falls CC’s Chelsea Brandwood in Sunday’s final. Inglis won the B event, while Brandwood earned a C qualifier before both teams knocked off Toronto’s High Park Club’s Hailey Armstrong in the playoff round.

Winner’s quote: “We did it!!” tweeted Team Inglis. “After an exciting week of curling, we are thrilled to have defended our title and have the opportunity to return to the Scotties as Team Ontario.”

Prince Edward Island

Champions — Jane Dicarlo (skip), Veronica Mayne (third), Sabrina Smith (second), Whitney Jenkins (lead), Kathy O’Rourke (coach)

The skinny — Dicarlo, of Crapaud Curling Club, defended the title she last year by winning all three group events to capture the crown without a playoff round being necessary. In Group 1, Dicarlo shut out Cornwall CC’s Rachel MacLean 8-0. In Group 2, Dicarlo defeated Summerside CC’s Hillary Selkirk 6-4. And in Group 3, Dicarlo again dropped Selkirk — this time 8-7, by stealing five in the last three ends.

Saskatchewan

Champions — Nancy Martin (skip), Chaelynn Kitz (third), Kadriana Lott (second), Deanna Doig (lead)

The skinny — Martin, of Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club, avenged two straight years of championship losses by defeating Jolene Campbell, of Regina’s Highland CC, 9-7 with a deuce in Sunday’s deciding 10th end to earn her second trip to the Scotties in five years.

BRIER

B.C.

Champions — Cameron de Jong (skip), Alex Horvath (third), Corey Chester (second), Brayden Carpenter (lead), Paul Cseke (alternate)

The skinny — Victoria Curling Club’s de Jong earned his first trip to the Brier with a
beat of Penticton CC’s Glenn Venance in Sunday’s provincial final. The 10-8 championship decision featured a four-ender in the sixth and a three-ender in the eighth.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Champions — Ty Di Lello (skip), Ryan McNeil Lamswood (third), Daniel Bruce (second)

The skinny — Di Lello, of the St. John’s RE/MAX Centre, edged defending champ Andrew Symonds in a 6-5 final Saturday to score his first spot in the Brier. Both Di Lello and Symonds, also of the RE/MAX Centre, each won a pair of qualifiers to set up the one-game playoff.

Northern Ontario

Champions — John Epping (skip), Jacob Horgan (third), Tanner Horgan (second), Ian McMillan (lead)

The skinny — Epping, of Sudbury’s Northern Credit Union Community Centre, needed only four games to sweep to victory, with the 10-2 final over Dylan Johnston — of Thunder Bay’s Fort William CC — capping his perfect week.

Winner’s quote — “We’re pumped to be heading to the #Brier2025 in Kelowna, BC!” tweeted Team Epping. “Let’s goooo!!”

Ontario

Champions — Sam Mooibroek (skip), Ryan Wiebe (third), Scott Mitchell (second), Nathan Steele (lead), Jake Higgs (coach)

The skinny — Mooibroek, of Whitby Curling Club, wrapped up a perfect 5-0 run at the provincials with a 7-4 topple of defending champ Scott Howard — of the Navan CC in Ottawa — in Sunday’s final. The decision means a maiden voyage to the Brier for Team Mooibroek.

Prince Edward Island

Champion — Tyler Smith (skip), Adam Cocks (third), Christopher Gallant (second), Ed White (lead)

The skinny — Smith, of Crapaud Curling Club, again won all three qualifiers to earn his fifth consecutive Brier trip. Team Smith blanked Crapeau CC’s Nick vanOuwerkerk 12-0 in the A event, beat Cornwall CC’s Dennis Watts 10-1 in the B side and topped Summerside CC’s Darren Higgins 8-6 in the C event.

Saskatchewan

Champions — Rylan Kleiter (skip), Joshua Mattern (third), Matthew Hall (second), Trevor Johnston (lead), Dean Kleiter (coach)

The skinny — Kleiter, of Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club, topped Swift Current CC’s Steve Laycock 8-5 in the SaskTel Tankard late Sunday. The victors won three straight playoff games — the 3-v-4 game 8-6 over Highland CC’s Kelly Knapp, the 7-5 semifinal over Nutana’s Dustin Kalthoff and the finale over 10-time Brier participant Laycock — to earn a first-ever trip to the Brier.

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

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