Einarson tops Fleury for spot in Manitoba Scotties final

Kerri Einarson is through to the final of the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Einarson advanced with an 8-6 victory Saturday night over Tracy Fleury to hand the defending champion her first loss of the women’s provincial curling tournament in Rivers, Man.

Fleury will have another opportunity to reach the final taking on Jennifer Jones in the semifinal. The six-time Canadian champion Jones eliminated Kristy Watling 8-5 to advance.

The winner will represent Manitoba later this month the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts while the other two teams are also expected to head to Moose Jaw, Sask., to face off for the wild-card entry. Fleury, Einarson and Jones are ranked 1-2-3 on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) women’s standings and no other teams will be able to catch them.

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Meanwhile, Rachel Homan successfully defended the Ontario women’s title with a 7-6 victory over Hollie Duncan in Saturday night’s final. Homan posted an undefeated 9-0 record through the tournament. John Epping and Glenn Howard will face off in the Ontario Tankard men’s final Sunday.

Also on tap for Sunday are the semifinal and championship games for British Columbia (men’s and women’s), New Brunswick (men’s), Newfoundland and Labrador (men’s), Northern Ontario (men’s and women’s), Saskatchewan (men’s) and Northwest Territories (men’s).