PointsBet Invitational first-round pairings, seedings confirmed

Fall Madness will kick off Sept. 21 as 32 teams, some with giant-killer aspirations, open the inaugural PointsBet Invitational at Willie O’Ree Place in Fredericton, N.B.

The PointsBet Invitational will bring Canada’s best men’s and women’s curling teams to Fredericton, chasing a massive purse in excess of $350,000, and knowing they have to be at their very best to avoid an early exit in the single-knockout competition.

The event also will feature some of Canada’s up-and-coming young teams, as well as teams from Canada’s grassroots club competitions, who will get their first taste of major championship, high-stakes competition and could make national headlines with a well-timed upset.

The first rounds in the 16-team men’s and women’s brackets are ripe for upsets as most of the teams will be playing in their first major event of the season.

The 16 teams in each gender comprise the top 12 ranked teams on the revamped World Curling Team Ranking System; along with the the reigning women’s (Nova Scotia’s Team Emily Deschenes) and men’s (Ontario’s Team Landan Rooney) champions at the New Holland Canadian Juniors; the reigning women’s (Team Tracy Larocque) and men’s (Nova Scotia’s Team Nick Deagle) champions at the Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships; a host committee-selected women’s (Team Andrea Kelly) and men’s (Team Jack Smeltzer) team from Fredericton; and a men’s and women’s sponsor’s exemption entry.

Those sponsor’s exemption teams will be decided through a fan vote that will get underway later this month; watch for details on Curling Canada’s social media channels. They will be seeded 14th in the draw.

Here’s a look at the first-round pairings and seedings in Fredericton:

Women

#1 Team Kerri Einarson (Gimli, Man.) vs. #16 Team Tracy Larocque (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
#2 Team Kaitlyn Lawes (Winnipeg) vs. #15 Team Emily Deschenes (Halifax)
#3 Team Tracy Fleury (Ottawa) vs. #14 Fan Vote Winner
#4 Team Chelsea Carey (Winnipeg) vs. #13 Team Selena Sturmay (Edmonton)
#5 Team Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg) vs. #12 Team Andrea Kelly (Fredericton)
#6 Team Casey Scheidegger (Lethbridge, Alta.) vs. #11 Team Kerry Galusha (Yellowknife)
#7 Team Hollie Duncan (Toronto) vs. #10 Team Penny Barker (Regina)
#8 Team Kelsey Rocque (Edmonton) vs. #9 Team Christina Black (Halifax)

Men

#1 Team Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) vs. #16 Team Nick Deagle (Bridgewater, N.S.)
#2 Team Brendan Bottcher (Calgary) vs. #15 Team Landan Rooney (Whitby, Ont.)
#3 Team Matt Dunstone (Winnipeg) vs. #14 Fan Vote Winner
#4 Team Kevin Koe (Calgary) vs. #13 Team Jack Smeltzer (Fredericton)
#5 Team Reid Carruthers (Winnipeg) vs. #12 Team Braden Calvert (Winnipeg)
#6 Team Glenn Howard (Penetanguishene, Ont.) vs.#11  Team Félix Asselin (Montreal)
#7 Team Colton Flasch (Saskatoon) vs. #10 Team Karsten Sturmay (Edmonton)
#8 Team Team John Epping (Toronto) vs. #9 Team Mike McEwen (Toronto)

All 32 competing teams will receive $5,000 to cover travel and accommodation costs, and teams will earn more money for each successive win in the single-knockout tournament — $3,000 for a first-round win, $6,000 for a quarterfinal win, $12,000 for a semifinal win and $24,000 to the victorious women’s and men’s teams, meaning the two winning teams will each collect a total of $50,000.

In addition to watching Canada’s best teams compete in a high-stakes championship, fans will have many other ways to enjoy the inaugural PointsBet Invitational.

The Patch will be set up at Willie O’Ree Place, with live entertainment throughout the event.

Additionally, on the Friday night, following the “Elite Eight” rounds in both genders, there will be a Celebrity Invitational event featuring numerous Canadian celebrities participating with elite curlers in exhibition games.

Full-event ticket packages are available for $249 and will guarantee a single ticket and seat selection for all 10 draws of the 2022 PointsBet Invitational. The package will also include a bonus ticket for admission to the Friday night Celebrity Invitational and party in the Patch.  

A limited number of individual day packages and single draw tickets will go on sale Thursday, Sept. 8.

All ticket purchases are subject to standard ticket service fees.

Customers are encouraged to sign up for Curling Canada’s e-newsletter at curling.ca to receive ongoing ticket information.

Watch for upcoming announcements on TSN/RDS2 broadcast plans.