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On to the final!
Manitoba’s Team Einarson shades Nova Scotia’s Team Black en route to 2025 Scotties final
Manitoba’s Team Kerri Einarson (Gimli) and Nova Scotia’s Team Christina Black (Halifax) have substantial head-to-head history with one and other.
It’s a tale that extends well beyond just the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, where Team Einarson added another chapter to that saga with a 9-8 semifinal win on Sunday at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Team Einarson has bested Team Black in every contest they’ve matched up in dating back to 2022, marking a now 6-0 record against the Bluenosers between the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and cash events.
“I actually didn’t know the stats on that,” laughed Einarson after the match. “But yeah, I was confident that if we could put some pressure on them early, that we could get a few mistakes. We did give them a couple deuces and we just kind of exchanged back and forth, but we controlled most of the game.”
It’s the second time that Team Einarson has ended one of Team Black’s Scotties campaigns, bouncing the Halifax crew 9-6 in the 2023 Page 3-4 playoff match at Kamloops, B.C., and also serving Nova Scotia its first loss of the 2025 Scotties 9-6 in pool play on Wednesday.
But marking that sixth win for the Manitobans to maintain its unblemished head-to-head record did not come easy.
The drama-laden semifinal saw Nova Scotia’s Team Black claw its way back from a 7-4 deficit after six ends to force Einarson to throw her final stone in the 10th for the win.
The shot in question — a board-weight hit needed to navigate a long guard then cross the target stone low to avoid a jam — ran straighter than anticipated out of Einarson’s hand. The hit did jam, forcing a tense measure for the win that went Einarson’s way.
Despite the measure for the win, the ever-confident Einarson felt the situation was always in hand.
“If we hit what we can see of it, I knew it was going to dead-stuff there and wouldn’t roll out for shot rock,” said Einarson, whose team is rounded out by vice-skip Val Sweeting, second Karlee Burgess, lead Krysten Karwacki, alternate Lauren Lenentine and coach Reid Carruthers. “Just a dramatic finish, as always.”
A dramatic finish, sure, but the early ends were no slouches either. Team Einarson and Team Black immediately began throwing haymakers from the first end, seeing both teams rely on its front ends players to establish a freeze and counter-freeze style of aggression.
It was a tactical choice for Einarson, not just about winning the semifinal, but also winning the battle for information heading into Sunday night’s final.
“We definitely want to learn the ice and figure it out,” said Einarson. “We just don’t want to rip ’em up and down the sheet. I think we have a really good sense of what the ice is doing and we can take that going forward.”
Black was valiant despite the loss and credits her team for its deep run in the semifinal.
“We didn’t quit,” said Black. “We just kept grinding, you know? Taking our twos when we had the chance. We knew we could keep it close and get it tied into the 10th and hopefully make (Einarson) throw her last shot and we did.
With a berth into Sunday’s 7 p.m. Scotties final (all times Eastern) now firmly in hand, Manitoba’s Team Kerri Einarson will face an uphill battle against Canada’s Team Rachel Homan in front of an already sold-out crowd at Fort William Gardens.
The Ottawa Curling Club collective of Homan, vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes, Alternate Rachelle Brown and coach Jennifer Jones, are undefeated thus far at Thunder Bay and riding a Scotties exclusive 21-win streak.
Additionally, Einarson is 17-29 lifetime versus Homan and dropped six of her last seven head-to-head matches, including an 8-4 loss in the Page 1-2 game Saturday.
“Definitely have to come out a little sharper in the final,” said Einarson. “I know Rachel’s team is going to be playing really well, and I know we can too. We’re saving our best game for last.”
Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts are available at www.curling.ca/scoreboard/.
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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