A capsule look at the 18 teams entered in the Jan. 28 to Feb. 6 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championships at the Fort Williams Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ont. (team members listed skip to lead with home club location).
POOL A
TEAM WILD CARD 1
Tracy Fleury, Selena Njegovan, Liz Fyfe, Kristin MacCuish, East St. Paul, Man.
Leads both the World and Canadian Team Ranking Systems (CTRS). Lost in the final of the Olympic Trials and Manitoba playoffs.
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TEAM WILD CARD 2
Chelsea Carey, Jolene Campbell, Stephanie Schmidt, Jennifer Armstrong, Regina.
Carey, a two-time Scotties champion who was born in Manitoba, returns with a new rink from Saskatchewan. Ranked fifth in the CTRS.
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TEAM WILD CARD 3
Emma Miskew, Sarah Wilkes, Alli Flaxey, Joanne Courtney, Ottawa.
With Rachel Homan competing in the mixed doubles at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Miskew takes over the skipping duties. Team is ranked sixth in Canada and 11th in the world.
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SASKATCHEWAN
Penny Barker, Christie Gamble, Jenna Enge, Danielle Sicinski, Moose Jaw.
Barker, making her second appearance as a skip at the Scotties, defeated Carey in the final of the Saskatchewan playoffs.
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NORTHERN ONTARIO
Krista McCarville, Kendra Lilly, Ashley Sippala, Sarah Potts, Thunder Bay.
Making her ninth appearance at the Scotties, McCarville finished second in 2016 and third in 2010.
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NEW BRUNSWICK
Andrea Crawford, Sylvie Quillian, Jill Babin, Katie Forward, Fredericton.
Crawford, a bronze medallist at the 2005 world juniors, is making her 10th Scotties appearance and ninth as a skip.
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PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Suzanne Birt, Marie Christianson, Meaghan Hughes, Michelle McQuaid, Charlottetown.
Birt is making her 13th appearance as a skip at the Scotties. Finished third in 2003.
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NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Sarah Hill, Kelli Sharpe, Beth Hamilton, Adrienne Mercer, St. John’s.
When the provincial playoffs were cancelled due to COVID-19, the Newfoundland and Labrador Curling Association selected 2021 champion Hill to represent the province.
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NUNAVUT
Brigitte MacPhail, Sadie Pinksen, Kaitlin MacDonald, Alison Taylor, Iqaluit.
MacPhail’s team had its first practice on Jan. 20. Taylor is the only player who currently lives in Nunavut. Pinksen attends Dalhousie University while MacPhail is a chiropractor in Halifax. MacDonald is a student at the University of Prince Edward Island.
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POOL B
ALBERTA
Laura Walker, Kate Cameron, Taylor McDonald, Nadine Scotland, Edmonton.
Walker advanced to her third straight Scotties with a last-rock win over Casey Scheidegger in the Alberta playoffs. Ranked third in the CTRS.
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TEAM CANADA
Kerri Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard, Briane Meilleur, Gimli, Man.
Einarson’s Manitoba rink beat Ontario’s Rachel Homan in the final of the last two Scotties and lost to Jennifer Jones in the 2018 final. Ranked fourth in the CTRS and sixth in the world.
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MANITOBA
Mackenzie Zacharias, Karlee Burgess, Emily Zacharias, Lauren Lenentine, Altona.
Zacharias, the 2020 world junior champion, makes her second Scotties appearance after finishing 3-5 in 2021 in Calgary.
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ONTARIO
Hollie Duncan, Megan Balsdon, Rachelle Strybosch, Tess Bobbie, Woodstock.
Duncan followed a twisting path two her second Scotties. When the provincial playoffs were cancelled the Ontario Curling Association first nominated Rachel Homan’s rink for the Scotties. When Homan was selected for the Olympic mixed doubles, Duncan, who was a few points behind her in the CTRS, was given the nod.
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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Kerry Galusha, Jo-Ann Rizzo, Sarah Koltun, Margot Flemming, Yellowknife.
When the N.W.T. playoffs were cancelled due to COVID, Galusha’s team, the defending territorial champions, earned the chance to play at this year’s Scotties. Galusha will be playing in her 15th Scotties while Rizzo is the event’s oldest competitor at 58 years, seven months and 27 days.
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NOVA SCOTIA
Christina Black, Jenn Baxter, Karlee Everist, Shelley Barker, Dartmouth
Black will compete in her fourth Scotties but first as a skip. She played in three Canadian championships as a third on Mary-Anne Arsenault’s rink, finishing third in 2018.
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BRITISH COLUMBIA
Mary-Anne Arsenault, Jeanna Schraeder, Sasha Carter, Renee Simons, Kelowna
Arsenault will appear in her 15th Scotties but first as a B.C. skip. The former Nova Scotia skip moved to B.C. after the 2020 Scotties then announced she would skip Kelly Scott's former team. Arsenault won five Scotties and two world championships as a member of Colleen Jones rink
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QUEBEC:
Laurie St-Georges, Hailey Armstrong, Emily Riley, Cynthia St-Georges, Laval.
St-Georges had a 6-6 record in her first Scotties appearance in 2021. Her sister and lead Cynthia St-Georges is the competition’s youngest curler at 19 years, six months and three days.
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YUKON
Hailey Birnie, Patty Wallingham, Kerry Campbell, Kim Tuor, Whitehorse
Birnie is making her third appearance at the Scotties. Her first appearance as a skip was in 2020. She was third on Nicole Baldwin’s rink in 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2022.
By Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
