 Back-to-back Scotties Tournament of Hearts Champions Kerri Einarson (Anil Mungal, Grand Slam of Curling) lead stacked field at this year's Tim Hortons Olympic Curling Trials. By: Dylan Chenier The road to Beijing runs through Saskatoon next week, as the 2021 Tim Hortons Curling Trials take place at the SaskTel Centre from November 20 to 28. Nine of the top women's rinks in the country will descend on the "Paris of the Prairies" in the hopes of representing Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. Manitoba's Kerri Einarson has to be an early favourite heading into this year's Trials. With back-to-back Scotties wins under their belt, her rink has been one of the most consistent throughout the past quadrennial. In the last four years, Team Einarson with third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard, and Brianne Meilleur have won two national titles and a pair of Players' Championships. While Einarson has been one of the most dominant skips in recent seasons, she will be making her Olympic Trials debut this year. Her lack of experience could prove to be a challenge at one of the hardest events in curling. Unlike at a Scotties or World Championship, the Olympic Trials features a round-robin of just eight draws, leaving very little room for losses. At the 2017 Trials in Ottawa, no teams made the playoffs with more than three losses. Einarson will likely draw on the experience of third Val Sweeting, who has two previous trials appearances under her belt. In 2013 and 2017 Sweeting skipped her own rink at what was then called the "Roar of the Rings." Her best finish came in 2017 when she placed fourth in the round-robin, just missing the playoffs. This year's trials field features a pair of previous event winners, including 2014 Olympic Gold medalists Team Jennifer Jones. The Manitoba-based rink has made a few lineup changes since they last competed at an Olympic Trials. After longtime second Jill Officer retired in 2018, the team added Jocelyn Peterman to the position. This year in Saskatoon, Team Jones will be competing with a five-player roster, after picking up Lisa Weagle who departed Team Homan following the 2019-20 season. It is expected that Weagle and longtime Jones lead Dawn McEwen will alternate the position throughout the week. A 2021 Trials win for Team Jones would be one for the history books. Not only has no Canadian female skip ever competed in multiple Olympics, but at 47 Jones would also become the oldest woman to skip a Canadian Olympic team. So far this season Team Jones has competed in a total of six events, making the playoffs in all but one. The team lost 9-7 in the finals of the 2021 GSOC Masters, their best finish of the season. Another rink with a chance at history in Saskatoon is Ontario's Team Homan. The 2017 Trials winners are looking to become the first team to ever win back-to-back Olympic Trials. After a disappointing run at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Homan's rink will certainly be looking for a shot at redemption. The team will be sporting an updated lineup at this year's Trials. In 2020 Homan and Lisa Weagle parted ways when the skip brought Sarah Wilkes onboard. Wilkes is now playing second, with Joanne Courtney moving to lead. Team Homan's new lineup has about a season-and-a-half under their belts. In a pandemic-shortened 2020-2021 season the rink made the finals at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, losing 9-7 to Kerri Einarson. So far in 2021, Homan has yet to make a championship final through five events. The team's best results have been a pair of Grand Slam quarter-final appearances, both of which they lost. Rounding out the top rinks heading into this year's Trials is Manitoba's Team Fleury, who has won three events so far this season, including the GSOC Masters. Team Fleury will be making their Trials debut in Saskatoon, joining four other teams who are competing in the event for the first time. A pair of teams earned their spot in this year's Trials after winning the 2021 Pre-Trails in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Northern Ontario's Team McCarville advanced through the A-Final, with Team Harrison from Ontario winning the B-Final. 2021 marks the third Trails appearance for McCarville, who finished third in 2009 and fifth at the 2017 event in Ottawa. Rounding out this year's Trials field are three Alberta-based rinks, Team Rocque, Team Scheidegger, and Team Walker. Team Scheidegger will be looking to improve on their 3-5 finish at the 2017 Roar of the Rings, while Teams Rocque and Walker are making their trials debut. The 2021 Tim Hortons Curling Trials begin Saturday with the first draw set for 2:00 PM CT. Teams will compete in an eight draw round-robin throughout the week, with the top three teams qualifying for the playoffs. A semi-final will be played between the second and third-placed teams, with the winner advancing to the final where they will face the top-ranked team. The Women's final is set for Sunday, November 28 at 11:00 AM CT. Fans can watch the action live all week on TSN. For SCORES and STANDINGS visit www.curlingzone.com. |
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Brendan Bottcher (photo: Stan Fong) is moving on from now former teammates Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert, announced Tuesday.
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