Einarson ‘gets hot at right time’, tops Pool B at Scotties

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/02/2025 (218 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kerri Einarson is in. Kate Cameron and Kaitlyn Lawes are out.

All three Manitoba teams were in the hunt for a playoff spot entering the final draw of round-robin play at the national women’s curling championship in Thunder Bay, Ont., Thursday evening.

In the end, it was the skip from Gimli — along with third Val Sweeting, second Karlee Burgess and lead Krysten Karwacki — who clawed her way in after defeating provincial counterpart Lawes 9-6 at Fort William Gardens.

Einarson finished 6-2 at the top of a muddy Pool B. Christina Black of Nova Scotia and Danielle Inglis of Ontario also qualified for the playoffs with 6-2 records. In Pool A, Rachel Homan, representing Team Canada, led the group at 8-0. Kayla Skrlik of Alberta and Corryn Brown of British Columbia also qualified for playoffs at 6-2.

Einarson will face Skrlik in the first playoff round at noon today. Homan will play Black at the same time.

“I think so,” Einarson said of whether her experience will be an asset in the playoffs. “We know that feeling of being the only sheet out there, and the ice conditions change sometimes and we will be prepared for that. We’re definitely excited to be in this position because it wasn’t looking like that early on in the week.”

Einarson controlled her fate entering the final draw after besting Inglis 8-6 in an extra end earlier in the day. Being in the driver’s seat seemed like an unlikely outcome for her earlier in the tournament.

The four-time champion had an uncharacteristically shaky start, falling to 2-2 Tuesday morning. Her team’s collective back was against the wall as they stared at a daunting finishing schedule that included both of their Manitoban counterparts, Black and Inglis.

Einarson had consecutive gritty comeback victories over Cameron and Black before scratching out victories against Inglis and Lawes. Now, Einarson, who shot 88 per cent and 86 per cent in her respective games on Thursday, has struck a groove at the perfect time.

“Facing challenges definitely makes you stronger as an individual and a team. You just don’t want a cakewalk… we were tested, and when we were tested we came out and made the most clutch shots when we needed,” Einarson said.

“It definitely hasn’t been easy. We haven’t made it easy on ourselves. We put our backs against the wall and when that happens, that brings out the best in us. I think we’re trending in the right direction and I think we’re getting hot at the right time.”

Cameron gave herself an outside shot at the playoffs entering the final game after defeating Yukon’s Bayly Scoffin 9-5 earlier on Thursday, needing a win and a loss from Lawes and Inglis to qualify.

She never gave herself a chance, losing an 8-6 decision to Black in the final draw. An early exit for Cameron is sure to leave her wondering what might have been.

The Winnipeg skip, who finished 4-4, started 3-1 and was well on her way to another victory on Tuesday as she held a five-score lead over Einarson before squandering it. Cameron lost three of her last four games.

Lawes nearly pulled off what Einarson did, starting the tournament 1-3 before rattling off three consecutive wins. She needed a win and a couple of losses to sneak into the playoffs but ran into the wrong team at the wrong time.

“I just keep getting goose bumps,” Einarson said about being in the same building where she won her third championship in 2022. “The feeling is unbelievable. We still have big games to come so we’re gonna just focus on that.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca