Category Archives: Canadian Curling Championships

ANDERSON 3W-3L, STRAND 1W-3L AT GRANITE CANADIAN CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIP

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With two games to play today in the first round, Manitoba’s teams face an uphill challenge at the Canadian Clubs Championships at Granite

On the men’s side, Manitoba’s Anderson team has split the first four games after yesterday’s 5-1 win over Quebec and 8-7 extra end loss to PEI. Their 2W-2L record has them tied with Nova Scotia and Northern Ontario. They trail British Columbia and PEI, both with 4W-1L records. A pair of wins Friday would probably assure them of advancing to the double knockout round. Those games are against BC and Nova Scotia.

On the women’s side, Manitoba’s Strand team has a 1W-3L record following a split Thursday. They beat Northwest Territories 11-1 but lost 6-5 to Quebec. They will need to win two Friday to have a chance to advance.They will play New Brunswick (2W-2L) and Nfld/Labrador (3W-2L) in their Friday games.

The Curling Canada draw site shows four teams advancing from each pool to a double knockout round qualifying into a final-four medal round.

Ontario (4W-0L) and BC (4W-1L) lead the way on the women’s side. Alberta (4W-0L) and BC & PEIC (both 4W-1L) lead the way on the men’s side. 

(November 18/25) CANADIAN CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIP UNDERWAY AT GRANITE: Twenty-eight teams, 14 men – 14 women have assembled at Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club to contest the 2025 Canadian Curling Clubs Championships.

Manitoba’s men’s champions, from Gimli Curling Club (Derrick Anderson, Justin Hoplock, Mitch Einarson, Chris Sigurdson) are making a second run at the title which has bnever yet bee won by a Manitoba team.

The Manitoba women are skipped by Carlene Strand (who throws lead stones).The team includes Lindsay Warkentin, Sasan Baleja, Tricia McLeod, Ashleigh Gusberti and Coach Craig Strand. Manitoba women have won on four previous occasions. In 2011, Meghan Armit’s Granite team won for Manitoba’s first. Tracey Andries and her Fort Rouge team won it in 2017. Stacey Fordyce and her Brandon team are two-time champions, winners in 2013 and 2017

Canadian Curling Clubs Championship – Manitoba Men: Canadian Curling Clubs Championship – Manitoba Men: Gimli – Derrick Anderson, Justin Hoplock, Mitch Einarson, Chris Sigurdson (Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte) (Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte)
Canadian Curling Clubs Championship – Manitoba Women: Fort Garry – Lindsay Warkentin, Susan Baleja, Tricia McLeod, Carlene Strand, Coach Craig Strand (Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte)

STONEWALL DUO WINS CANADIAN OPEN STICK CHAMPIONSHIP

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With an undefeated run through the Canadian 2-Person Open Stick Championship in Grande Prairie, AB, the Stonewall duo of Ralph Nespor and Rob LaCombe have won Manitoba’s third national Open championship in the last four years.

Stonewall’s Nespor & LaCombe – Gold Medalists.

Nespor & Lacombe went unbeaten through the 5-game round-robin and won four games on the final Sunday.

Their opening playoff game was a 4-3 win,, followed by a quarterfinal 3-1 victory, and a semi-final 3-2 win  – all over Alberta foursomes.

The final saw Nespor & Lacome matched against Paul Landry and Keith Bennett, the 2023 Canadian Open Champions.  An opening three gave the Manitobans a near-insurmountable lead in the 6-end game. They led 4-2 after three ends and blanked the fourth. A single on the fifth end gave the Stonewall duo a three point lead coming home and they simply ran their opponents out of stones on the last end.

Nespor & Lacombe join 2024 champions Warren Johnson & Dan McDonald – St. Vital (2024) and Norm Magnusson & Resby Coutts – Fort Rouge (2022) as recent champions. Earlier in the past decade, Tom & Rae Campbell – Killarney (2018) and Jim Rouse & Ross MacMillan-Warren (2015) also won the championship.

In the Women’s division Bronze Medal game, Gwen Smith & Lynne Rehbein (St. Vital) won their second bronze medal in three years, scoring three coming home for a 5-4 win over a New Brunswick duo.

Of the nine Manitoba teams in the two championship divisions, Magnusson & Coutts and Britta & Fred Spiring both advanced to the playoffs before losing in the quarter-finals.

Canadian Open Stick Champions Ralph Nespor (l) and Rob LaCombe (r) with Women’s Bronze Medalists Gwen Smith (l) and Lynne Rehbein (r)

BRONZE FOR FREEMAN TEAM AT CANADIAN JUNIORS

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An extra end win to end the week at the Canadian Juniors gave Jace Freeman and his Virden team the bronze medal as Manitoba teams continue to fall short of the gold medals last accomplished by Manitobans Mackenzie Zacharias and Jacques Gauthier in 2020.

(l-r) Jace Freeman, Ryan Ostrowsky, Nick Senff, Luke Robins, Coach Graham Freeman Curling Canada/Brodie Evans photo

Three of four Manitoba teams reached the playoffs at the 2024 Canadian Juniors. Shaela Hayward, attempting to win a second championship to match the U-18 title won earlier, dropped out in the first round of playoffs. Jordon McDonald was beaten by Freeman – also in the first round of the playoffs.

In pool play, McDonald finished 7-1, in second place. while Freeman finished 6-2 in third place in the other pool. That put the two teams into the 2-3 crossover game which Freeman won 6-5.

In the semi-final, Team Freeman lost 7-5 to eventual; champion Kenan Wipf (Alberta) who they had beaten 8-3 in round-robin play. In an extra end, the Manitobans beat Dylan Derksen (Saskatchewan) 7-5.

In the Junior Women’s, Team Hayward’s 5-3 round-robin record earned them third place in the pool. They lost the 2-3 crossover 9-3 to former Manitoban Grace Beaudry, who skipped and threw second stones for the team shown as Alberta’s Claire Booth entry on the Curling Canada scores website. Tessa Terrick’s second Manitoba team finished with a 2-6 record.

Nova Scotia’s Allyson MacNutt team won the Junior women’s gold medal undefeated.

MANITOBA’S LOTTS WIN CANADIAN MIXED DOUBLES

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(Curling Canada Release) It couldn’t have been much closer.  When two undefeated teams meet in a championship final, and that game is decided by a measurement following the last shot in the eighth end – and even that measurement was close enough to do twice – it’s obvious that there wasn’t much separating gold from silver.  

Such was the case at the 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship at Fredericton, N.B., where Gimli, Manitoba’s Kadriana and Colton Lott defeated Edmonton’s Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres 7-5 to claim the national title for the first time.  

Kadriana & Colton Lott (Curling Canada/Rob Blanchard Photo)

After Walker’s last shot, an attempt at a triple takeout, just missed the mark, the remaining stones were measured twice, giving the Lotts the win, if only by a millimeter.  

“Before he put the stick to it, I was pretty confident,” said Colton Lott. “But then he put the stick to it, and it was really close. I thought it was us, but just barely… by less than a tick. I looked at Kadriana and gave her the ‘I think it’s us’ look – and then he went around again.”  

“I couldn’t even look,” said Kadriana. “I was standing back trying to keep myself busy. I didn’t even want to look at his expression. You’re either playing another end, or you’re winning.”  

As it turned out, they were winning.  

Walker and Muyres opened the game with two steals, jumping to a 3-0 lead. The Manitoba champs came back with a three-point end in the third, and then put together a great chance to steal in the fourth.  

“Being down three is okay in mixed doubles,” said Kadriana. “It’s mixed doubles, anything can happen. You’re always still in it. You can steal, you can score a bundle, you can tally up five. I knew we just had to stay in it and focus on making the shots.”  

After looking at what could have been a steal of two in the fourth end, Walker made an incredible runback double takeout to score a single. After trading singles in the fifth and sixth, Team Manitoba put the power play to good use in the seventh end and scored two, giving them a 6-5 lead.  

After Walker’s last triple attempt just missed in the eighth end, the measurement confirmed the victory for the Lotts; their first championship in their third trip to the national championship final.  

“This is an unbelievable feeling,” said Colton “To do it with Kadriana is just really special. Having falling short a couple times in the finals… It’s just special.”  

The win comes with a $35,000 payday and a trip to the World Championship in Ostersund, Sweden next month as Team Canada. The last time the Lott duo wore the Maple Leaf, they won the World Cup of Curling event, which was also held in Sweden.  

Walker and Muyres, who beat the Lotts in the final of the 2018 championship, took home $20,000 for their silver medal finish. Both teams, and bronze medalists Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, will qualify for the Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials, which will crown Canada’s 2026 Olympic team. 

TEAM HAYWARD CONTINUES TO ROLL AT U-18 NATIONALS

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Shaela Hayward’s Carman team, the U-18 Manitoba champions, will play at 7:30PM Friday evening with a chance to advance to the U-18 Nationals gold medal game.

The Manitoban’s concluded the round-robin portion of the event with a 4W-2L record abd have won a pair of playoff games since.

The Friday evening game will be against the Nova Scotia team which finished undefeated in the same pool as Team Manitoba. The winner advances to the gold medal game with the loser going to the bronze medal game.

Shaela Hayward’s Carman team – the Manitoba champions – had a national U-18 women’s championship round robin of 4W-2L record to advance to the playoffs. (l-r Shaela Hayward, Keira Krahn, India Young, Rylie Cox, Coach Diane Hayward) Photo: Curling Canada/Jack Gustafson
Rylan Campbell’s Altona team – the Manitoba champions – finished the national U-18 men’s championship round robin with a 4W-2L record and advanced to the playoffs but lost their first playoff game. (l-r Rylan Campbell, Logan Zacharias, Nick Senff, Rylan Graham) Photo: Curling Canada/Jack Gustafson
Nash Sugden’s Morden team – the Manitoba second entry at the national U-18 men’s championship finished the round robin with a 2W-4L record and out of the playoffs. (l-r Nash Sugden, Tyler Fehr, Tanner Treichel, Ryan Thiessen) Photo: Curling Canada/Jack Gustafson

NUNAVUT WITHDRAWAL CREATES SCOTTIES BERTH OPPORTUNITY

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(Curling Canada Release) The Nunavut Curling Association has informed Curling Canada that it will not be sending a team to Calgary for the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The 18-team event, set for Feb. 16-25 at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary, will be filled out instead by a fourth Canadian Team Ranking System-qualified team.

Two teams — skipped by Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg) and Rachel Homan (Ottawa) — have already been declared based on CTRS standings, alongside defending champions Team Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man.

One more was to be declared at the conclusion of provincial and territorial championships — the highest team in the standings that didn’t qualify through its provincial or territorial championship.

Now, the highest two teams in the standings that didn’t qualify will earn trips to Calgary for the Canadian women’s curling championship.

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(Editor note) If the decision was made based on standings as of January 8 – that extra spot would be awarded to Kaitlyn Lawes; who sits at CTRS #4 behind Rachel Homan (#1), Jennifer Jones (#2) and Kerri Einarson (#3) – all pre-qualified for the Scotties.

It is important to note, however, that results of the provincial/territorial championships will also be taken into account.

Objective #1 for Team Lawes must be, of course, to win the Manitoba entry and avoid the discussion. Objective #2 must be to finish well enough that teams immediately behind don’t overtake them. Those teams are Selena Sturmay-AB (#5), Corryn Brown-BC (#6), and Danielle Inglis-ON (#7).

Immediately behind are Manitoba teams skipped by Kate Cameron (#8) and Jolene Campbell (#9). Those two teams could win the Manitoba championship berth but they could also earn that newly-available wildcard entry if Lawes, Sturmay, Brown and Inglis all won their respective provincials.

(FINAL) BRONZE MEDAL FOR MANITOBA!!

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Dave Boehmer and his Team Manitoba scored an 8-5 win over Mike Kennedy (NB) to win the bronze medal game Saturday afternoon in Vernon. The gold medal was won by Paul Flemming and his Nova Scotians with a 4-3 win over Saskatchewan’s Bruce Korte.

Dave Boehmer, Dale Lott, Sean Bracken, George Hacking, Scott Szydlik with their Everest Seniors Bronze medals. Photo: Curling Canada/Wayne Emde

The Women’s gold medal game was won by Ontario (10-4 over Saskatchewan) while the bronze medal went to BC (7-3 over Alberta).

(Saturday AM) TEAM BOEHMER’S TO PLAY FOR BRONZE MEDAL: Team Manitoba lost 7-1 in 6 ends Saturday morning to Saskatchewan’s Bruce Korte, dropping Dave Boehmer’s Petersfield team into the afternoon Bronze medal game against New Brunswick. Mike Kennedy’s NB team lost to first place Paul Flemming (Nova Scotia).

In the Women’s Everest Seniors, Saskatchewan will also play for the Gold medal, against Ontario. Alberta and BC will play in the Bronze medal game.

Team Boehmer photo: Curling Canada/Wayne Emde

(Friday late) TEAM BOEHMER’S 8TH WIN PUTS THEM IN THE MEDAL ROUND: An extra end steal for a 5-4 win over Prince Edward Island has given Dave Boehmer’s Manitoba team an 8W-2L record and a berth in the Canadian Seniors medal round Saturday.

At the same time, Nova Scotia’s Paul Flemming was beating Bruce Korte (SK), meaning the two also finished with 8W-2L records. Flemming beat both Manitoba and Saskatchewan so Nova Scotia was assigned first place. Manitoba beat Saskatchewan so the Petersfield team was assigned second place in the standings.

Manitoba will play Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia will play New Brunswick in the semifinals Saturday morning. The winners play for the gold medal and the losers for the bronze Saturday afternoon.

Boehmer’s Manitobans were the only team in the men’s event to won all four of their championship round games. Flemming and New Brunswick’s Mike Kennedy both won three of four games while Korte had a split in his four games.

In the Senior women’s championship, Joelle Brown’s Manitobans finished with a record of 5W-5L after a final game loss to Northwest Territories.

Saskatchewan (9W-1L) plays BC (7W-3L) while Alberta (7W-3L) plays Ontario (also 7W-3L).

(Friday Afternoon) TEAM BOEHMER WINS 3 IN A ROW, POISED TO ADVANCE: Manitoba’s Dave Boehmer team has won three in a row to improve their record to 7W-2L at the Everest Seniors in Vernon.

After finishing the preliminary round with a 4W-2L record, the Petersfield foursome has improved to 7W-2L and now sits tied for second with a game to play this evening.

Bruce Korte’s Saskatchewan team leads the way with an 8W-1L record; their only loss came at the hands of Manitoba Thursday evening. They have also beaten British Columbia and Newfoundland-Labrador in the championship round. Their final game in this round will be Friday evening against Prince Edward Island, whose record currently sits at 4W-5L.

Behind Saskatchewan in first place, Manitoba is tied with Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

A win over PEI will assure Manitoba of advancing to the Saturday medal round. Even with a loss, they very well could advance – depending, of course, on the results by the other &W-2L teams.

In the Women’s division, Joelle Brown’s Charleswood team has a 5W-4L record after winning two of three games so far in the championship round. Their final game this evening is against Northwest Territories who are also at 5W-4L.

Only Saskatchewan at 8W-1L and Ontario at 7W-2L are assured of advancing to the medal rounds. They play each other this evening.

Among the other six teams, who play each other this evening, there is a possible five-way tie for third place with a 6W-4L record. Team Brown must win to be a part of that and then hope that the tiebreaker system works to their advantage.

MANITOBANS ADVANCE IN VERNON

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Manitoba’s Senior champion teams have both advanced to the championship round of the Everest Seniors in Vernon, BC. They’ll each play two games today and two tomorrow – striving to reach the Saturday playoff round

In the Men’s, Dave Boehmer’s Petersfield team finished the preliminary round with 4W-2L record – behind Paul Flemming’s Nova Scotia team (5W-1L) and tied with Quebec and New Brunswick. Saskatchewan’s Bruce Korte was the only unbeaten Men’s team. They topped the other pool at 6W-0L, followed by BC (5W-1L), PEI (4W-2L), and Newfoundland-Labrador (3W-3L).

In the Women’s, Joelle Brown’s Charleswood team finished at 3W-3L, in fourth place behind Ontario and Quebec (both 5W-1L) and Nova Scotia (4W-2L). Saskatchewan’s champions are also undefeated on the Women’s side, followed by BC (5W-1L), Alberta (4W-2L), and NWT (3W-3L).

Team Brown photo: Curling Canada/Wayne Emde

The teams carry forward their records and add to it in games against the four teams from the other pool. The objective for both teams is to finish at least fourth to qualify for the playoff round: # 1 plays #4 and #2 plays #3 in the semifinals with the winners playing for the gold medal and the losers playing for the bronze.

BOEHMER 2-0, BROWN 1-2 AFTER TWO DAYS IN VERNON

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(l-r) Dave Boehmer, Dale Lott, Sean Bracken, George Hacking Photo: Curling Canada/Wayne Emde

Dave Boehmer and his Manitoba champions form Petersfield won their only game of the day Monday to improve to 2W-0L at the Everest Seniors in Vernon, BC. The Monday win was a close 6-5 victory over New Brunswick.

In the Women’s Division, Joelle Brown’s Charleswood team split their two game son the day. An afternoon 6-5 win over PEI followed by a 6-3 loss to Ontario has the Brown team at 1W-2L at the mid-point of their round robin preliminary round.

(Sunday 11PM) AN OPENING WIN AND AN OPENING LOSS FOR MANITOBA’S SENIORS: Dave Boehmer and his Petersfield team (Dale Lott, Sean Bracken, George Hacking) have opened their Everest Senior Men’s Championship in Vernon, BC with an 8-3 win over Ontario. Boehmer and Hacking are playing their fourth national together, having won Manitoba in 2018, 2019, and 2020. They are chasing their first national title.

On the Women’s side, Joelle Brown and her Charleswood team (Maureen Bonar, Allyson Bell, Natalie Claude-Harding) opened with a loss, 6-3 to Nova Scotia. It is Brown & Claude-Harding’s first provincial title and national quest. Bell is a once Manitoba Senior champion and Bonar is a Manitoba junior champion, three-time Manitoba Scotties champion and Manitoba-Canada-World Champion with Lois Fowler in 2014-15.

(l-r) Joelle Brown, Maureen Bonar, Allyson Bell, Natalie Claude-Harding and alternate Deb McCreanor Photo: Curling Canada/Wayne Emde

THE DREAM ENDS FOR MANITOBA’S TEAMS

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Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte

The dream of a Canadian championship has ended at the Everest Curling Club Championships for the Manitoba a skipped by Derrick Anderson and Kara Balshaw.

Entering the day, both could qualify for the medal round by winning one of two games.

Both lost both games on the day. Team Anderson lost 7-3 to Alberta while Balshaw was beaten 6-2 by New Brunswick in the A-Qualifier games. Both lost to Nova Scotia in the B-Qualifiers: Anderson 5-4, Bashaw 6-4.

Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte

The first medal round games, at 10AM Saturday, on the Women’s side are New Brunswick vs Nova Scotia and Ontario vs BC. On the Men’s side, Alberta plays Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan plays Quebec.

The winners play for the gold medal at 2:30pm. The losers play for the bronze medal.

(Thursday) BALSHAW & ANDERSON’S MANITOBA TEAMS A WIN AWAY FROM THE MEDAL ROUND: Important first game wins as both of Manitoba’s teams advance at the Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships. The first playoff round wins are significant as Kara Balshaw & Derrick Anderson and their teams now have two chances to qualify for the medal round.

Both teams had to win their final round robin games against Nunavut in order to reach the double knock-out round. Balshaw’s 11-3 win gave the Thistle/Fort Rouge team a 3W-3L record while Andersons’ 10-3 win gave the Gimli team a 4W-2L record.

The Manitoba Women handed the previously undefeated BC team their first losses of the event, blasting them 9-1 in six ends. The Manitoba Men were 7-3 winners over Ontario.

At 10AM Manitoba’s men will play previously unbeaten Alberta with the winner advancing to the medal round. The other A-qualifier has BC playing Saskatchewan.

At 1:30PM Manitoba’s women will play New Brunswick in their A-side qualifying game. The other A-qualifying game has Ontario playing Quebec.

The losers will drop into B-side qualifying games.