Coming in hot!

Manitoba’s Team Einarson rides five-game win streak to Page 1-2 playoff at 2025 Scotties

If there’s one thing with which Manitoba’s Team Kerri Einarson is familiar, it’s a hot streak.

After all, Einarson is the holder of one of curling’s most impressive records with four-straight Scotties championships from 2020 through 2023 inclusive, matched only by Nova Scotia’s Team Colleen Jones’s historic mark from 2001-2004.

But after back-to-back pool play losses that saw Team Einarson fall to 2-2 just a few short days ago, the team has managed to start a new streak at the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, posting five-straight wins; none more important than a Page 1-2 qualifying round 7-4 win Friday afternoon over Alberta’s Team Kayla Skrlik (6-3; Calgary).

The win surges the Gimli, Man., squadron – made up of vice-skip Val Sweeting, second Karlee Burgess, lead Krysten Karwacki, alternate Lauren Lenentine and coach Reid Carruthers – through to the Page 1-2 playoff Saturday at 7 p.m., (all times Eastern).

It’s the shorter road to the final, in what could be a fifth Canadian women’s crown for Einarson, at Fort William Gardens at Thunder Bay, Ont.; the same building where she won in 2022.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster, and we get a little more rest between games,” said Einarson. “We went out there firing today and we played really well. We took advantage of our opportunities, and we’ll carry that going forward.”

It did take a little extra time for Team Einarson to heat up, but the second-ranked Canadian Team Ranking System squad is now on the burner and rolling-boil hot.

“I think we’re in a really great spot,” said Einarson. “A really great mindset. We’re just calm out there and maybe not getting too many rocks in play, not going too hard for it.”

Team Einarson did carry a 3-2 lead after the fifth-end break after the opening portions of the game saw more posturing and peacocking than feather-ruffling. A rare nosed-blank attempt from Einarson did see Team Alberta-Skrlik get within two points of the Manitobans in the sixth, but Einarson deployed the Bob Ross approach of writing the miss off as a happy little accident.

“We weren’t upset with it,” said Einarson. “It’s like ‘OK, well whatever, we’re up two’. Just hold them to a single and that’s what we did. Definitely wanted to blank, but it happens”

The patient approach paid dividends for Einarson since Team Alberta-Skrlik was happy to play the same risk-adverse style for the majority of the match. It wouldn’t be until the ninth end that both teams opened things up, seeing Einarson cash a huge score of three to all but seal the win.

The switch from defence to offence in the ninth was entirely deliberate, said Einarson, and in stark contrast from the rest of the otherwise tidy affair.

“They guarded and I said ‘Well, we might as well go for it,’” said Einarson of the ninth end. “We left them with a really difficult shot on (Kayla’s) first and last, so just decided it was time to change gears.”

The vibes are high on the team, and Einarson doesn’t foresee any changes to shake up the chemistry as the team progresses through the playoffs.

“We’re flying out there,” said Einarson. “We’re just putting the broom down and going and playing with pace. I think that really helps the flow of things.”

In the other Page 1-2 qualifier match, Canada’s Team Rachel Homan (9-0; Ottawa) doubled up Nova Scotia’s Christina Black (6-3; Halifax) in a 10-5 win.

Team Alberta-Skrlik will now face Ontario’s Team Danielle Inglis (Ottawa) in an elimination Page 3-4 qualifier, while Team Black is pitted against British Columbia’s Team Corryn Brown (Kamloops) in the same setup Friday at 7 p.m.

Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts are available at www.curling.ca/scoreboard/.

TSN and RDS2 will provide complete coverage of the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule.

For ticket information for the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, go to www.curling.ca/2025scotties/tickets/.

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/2025scotties/nouvelles/?lang=fr