The quest for Canada’s women’s curling championship gets underway at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in St. Catharines, Ont.
New Brunswick, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon hit the ice Thursday night in the pre-qualifier round with the winner moving on to join the rest of the field in the main event Saturday.
Here’s our primer covering all 15 teams on their way to St. Catharines.
CANADA
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea Carey | Amy Nixon | Jocelyn Peterman | Laine Peters |
| Hometown: Calgary | Club: The Glencoe Club | Alternate: Susan O’Connor | Coach: Charley Thomas |
The defending champs from Calgary return in the Team Canada auto-berth slot. Carey finished off the podium at the world championship losing to Russia’s Anna Sidorova in the bronze-medal match, which meant her team just missed qualifying for the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. They have had their struggles their season, but wearing the Maple Leaf should motivate them in their quest to repeat last year’s performance.
ALBERTA
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon Kleibrink | Lisa Eyamie | Sarah Wilkes | Alison Thiessen |
| Hometown: Okotoks, Alta. | Club: Okotoks Curling Club | Alternate: Heather Nedohin | Coach: Richard Kleibrink |
Kleibrink, the 2006 Olympic bronze medallist, dealt with a back issue during provincial playdowns and two-time Canadian champ Heather Nedohin stepped in to skip for a couple games. Nedohin will be on-call as the team’s alternate at the Tournament of Hearts. Wilkes and Thiessen also won the Canadian mixed curling championship together on Team Alberta during the 2015-16 season.
B.C.
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marla Mallett | Shannon Aleksic | Brette Richards | Blaine de Jager |
| Hometown: Maple Ridge, B.C. | Club: Golden Ears Winter Club | Alternate: Kristen Recksiedler | Coach: Gerry Richard |
After a hiatus from competitive curling, Mallett made a stunning return to the tour this season scoring a big win at the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic in Vernon, B.C. Mallett earned silver in her most recent Tournament of Hearts appearance finishing runner-up to Jennifer Jones in 2009. They could be a dark horse pick to contend.
MANITOBA
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Englot | Kate Cameron | Leslie Wilson | Raunora Westcott |
| Hometown: Winnipeg | Club: Granite Curling Club | Alternate: Krysten Karwacki | Coach: Ron Westcott |
Englot makes her ninth appearance at the Tournament of Hearts, but her first wearing the Manitoba colours. The Regina native joined the Winnipeg-based team after their skip Kristy McDonald stepped back from curling at the end of last season. They clicked together quickly and made it to the final of their first Pinty’s Grand Slam of curling event together, the Tour Challenge, in November.
NEW BRUNSWICK
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa Adams | Jennifer Armstrong | Cathlia Ward | Katie Forward |
| Hometown: Fredericton | Club: Capital Winter Club | Alternate: Jillian Keough | Coach: Mark Ward |
Adams won the world junior curling championship in 1998 and captured her first provincial title this season. Sylvie Robichaud skipped New Brunswick to a last-place finish a year ago, so Adams will have to play in the pre-qualifying round this time to make it back into the main event.
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stacie Curtis | Erin Porter | Julie Devereaux | Erica Trickett |
| Hometown: St. John’s, N.L. | Club: St. John’s Curling Club | Alternate: Shelly Hardy | Coach: Eugene Trickett |
Curtis, the 2007 world junior silver medallist, makes her fourth appearance at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in seven years. Provincial finalist Shelley Hardy joins the team as their alternate. Hardy won the 2005 Canadian mixed curling championship playing third for her brother Mark Nichols.
NORTHERN ONTARIO
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krista McCarville | Kendra Lilly | Ashley Sippala | Sarah Potts |
| Hometown: Thunder Bay, Ont. | Club: Fort William Curling Club | Alternate: Oye-Sem Won Briand | Coach: Lorraine Lang |
McCarville repeats as the Northern Ontario rep defeating Tracy Fleury during a rubber match provincial final. The team settled for silver a year ago losing to Carey in the championship game. They should be contenders again especially with a solid semifinal finish earlier this season at the Boost National with wins over the likes of Carey and Homan.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry Galusha | Megan Koehler | Danielle Derry | Sharon Cormier |
| Hometown: Yellowknife | Club: Yellowknife Curling Centre | Alternate: Shona Barbour | Coach: John Epping |
Galusha heads to nationals for the 14th time, but for the third straight year will have to try and make it out of the pre-qualifying round. Three-time Grand Slam champion John Epping coaches the team.
NOVA SCOTIA
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Mattatall | Margaret Cutcliffe | Jill Alcoe-Holland | Andrea Saulnier |
| Hometown: Windsor, N.S. | Club: Windsor Curling Club | Alternate: Julie McEvoy | Coach: Bruce Lohnes |
Mattatall appears in her ninth Scotties Tournament of Hearts and first since 2007. The team also captured their province’s senior women’s championship this past weekend.
NUNAVUT
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Chislett | Denise Hutchings | Robyn Mackey | Jenine Bodner |
| Hometown: Iqaluit | Club: Iqaluit Curling Club | Alternate: Sadie Pinksen | Coach: Donalda Mattie |
Nunavut makes just its second appearance ever in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and plays in the pre-qualifying round again. Alternate Sadie Pinksen scored Nunavut’s first win ever at the Canadian juniors last year.
ONTARIO
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Homan | Emma Miskew | Joanne Courtney | Lisa Weagle |
| Hometown: Ottawa | Club: Ottawa Curling Club | Alternate: Cheryl Kreviazuk | Coach: Adam Kingsbury |
Homan represents the host province in her fifth national appearance. After falling short in last year’s provincial final to Jenn Hanna, Homan came out strong with a victory over Jacqueline Harrison to clinch the Ontario championship. The two-time Scotties winner Homan is ranked No. 1 in the world and will be a heavy favourite to win.
P.E.I.
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robyn MacPhee | Sarah Fullerton | Meaghan Hughes | Michelle McQuaid |
| Hometown: Charlottetown | Club: Charlottetown Curling Complex | Alternate: Rebecca Jean MacDonald | Coach: Les Rogers |
MacPhee will compete in her eighth Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Her best result so far has been a bronze-medal finish in her debut in 2003 playing for Suzanne Birt.
QUEBEC
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eve Bélisle | Lauren Mann | Trish Hill | Brittany O’Rourke |
| Hometown: Mount Royal, Que. | Club: Town of Mount Royal Curling Clubs | Alternate: Pam Nugent | Coach: Jeff Wilson |
Belisle represents Quebec for a third time at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and first since 2010. Mann, originally from Sudbury, Ont., won the Quebec crown skipping her own squad in 2015.
SASKATCHEWAN
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penny Barker | Deanna Doig | Lorraine Schneider | Danielle Sicinski |
| Hometown: Moose Jaw, Sask. | Club: Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre | Alternate: Amber Holland | Coach: Merv Fonger |
Barker, a silver medallist at the 2006 world juniors, makes her Scotties Tournament of Hearts debut after winning her first Saskatchewan provincial title. Amber Holland, winner of the 2011 Canadian title and world silver medal, joins the team as their alternate.
YUKON
| SKIP | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Koltun | Chelsea Duncan | Patty Wallingham | Jenna Duncan |
| Hometown: Whitehorse | Club: Whitehorse Curling Club | Alternate: Helen Strong | Coach: Bill Tschirhart |
Koltun is an athletic therapist student at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. She was the third-youngest skip ever to compete in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts when she made her debut at age 20 in 2014.
