Kerri Einarson maintained her flawless streak in the Canadian Olympic curling trials as she secured a 6-5 victory over Kayla Skrlik in Halifax on Tuesday evening. Einarson, hailing from Gimli, Manitoba, already had a playoff berth secured but added another win to her record, making it six wins in total. The four-time Canadian women’s champion managed to score a single point in the final frame against Kayla Skrlik from Calgary, who now stands at 2-4 in the trials.
Reflecting on her team’s performance, Einarson remarked, “Given the challenges we’ve faced this season, it’s satisfying to come together as a cohesive unit and secure wins.” In another match, Rachel Homan from Ottawa defeated Kaitlyn Lawes with a score of 8-7, improving her record to 5-1.
Despite giving up a steal of three points in the seventh end, Homan, a two-time reigning Canadian and world champion, rallied back with two points in the eighth end and stole a single point in the ninth, ultimately securing a two-point lead. Lawes had an opportunity to extend the game but fell short with a heavy draw, settling for a single point.
Both Einarson and Homan have secured spots in the three-team playoffs, setting the stage for a pivotal matchup to determine first place and a bye into the best-of-three finals on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET. The top team from the round-robin phase will advance directly to the final, while the second and third seeds will face off in a semifinal match.
In the men’s matches, Brad Gushue and Brad Jacobs, both former Olympic champions, clinched victories to join Matt Dunstone in a three-way tie for first place. Gushue, from St. John’s, secured an 8-6 win over Jordon McDonald from Winnipeg, scoring two points in an extra end. Jacobs and his Calgary team also emerged victorious with a 6-4 win over John Epping from Toronto.
Dunstone, who suffered his first defeat in the afternoon session, fell 5-4 to Kevin Koe from Calgary. The trio of Gushue, Jacobs, and Dunstone each hold a 4-1 record heading into the final two round-robin matches on Wednesday.
Mike McEwen triumphed over Ryan Kleiter with a 9-7 score in a match of Saskatoon skips. McEwen and Koe closely trail the leaders with 3-2 records, while Kleiter, Epping, and McDonald stand at 1-4 and 0-5, respectively.
The victors of the men’s and women’s trials will earn the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, Italy.