Canada splits matches at women's curling worlds

SANDVIKEN, Sweden - It was mixed results for Canada on Tuesday at the world women's curling championship with a narrow loss to undefeated Switzerland and a comfortable victory over winless New Zealand.

Kerri Einarson's squad from Gimli, Man., opened its day with a 7-6 defeat at the hands of three-time defending champion Silvana Tirinzoni before rebounding with a 10-4 win over New Zealand's Bridget Becker.

The results left Canada tied for second place at 5-2 through 11 draws heading into games Wednesday against Germany and South Korea.

"It’s a little challenging out there and it’s taking a little longer to buy into and adapt to the changes in the game," Canada lead Brianne Harris said. "We had a better day yesterday and then today was just a little off again. Hopefully we can build tomorrow and have our best day yet."

Peterman/Gallant among mixed doubles headliners

When Kirk Muyres decided to shift from men's team curling to mixed doubles, the upcoming Canadian championship was one of the top events circled on his calendar.

Muyres and Laura Walker are striving to qualify for the Olympic trials, and a national title would serve as a key building block in their quest to represent Canada at the 2026 Milan Games.

"It shows you where you're at," Muyres said of this week's competition. "Whether you win or lose, it shows you what you need to do to become better."

The Muyres-Walker pairing is one of the headline duos in the 32-team event starting Tuesday at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont.

Canada tops Italy, Scotland at women's worlds

SANDVIKEN, Sweden - Canada's Kerri Einarson improved to 4-1 in round-robin play with a sweep of her matches Monday at the world women's curling championship.

Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard and Briane Harris downed Italy's Stefania Constantini 7-2 in the morning draw before holding on for a 9-8 win over Scotland's Rebecca Morrison in the late session. The wins moved Canada into sole possession of second place behind Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni (5-0).

"We’ve had a few really tight battles and a few where we’re very grateful to win," Birchard said. "It feels similar to last year when I know we dropped one or two early but then powered through the rest of the week.

"We need to keep the momentum going. We’re feeling strong and feeling good out there on the ice. All we can do is keep getting better."

Mixed results for Canada's Einarson at worlds

SANDVIKEN, Sweden - Canada's Kerri Einarson stole three points in the final end of a 9-6 win over Norway's Marianne Roervik to salvage a split of her round-robin games Sunday at the world women's curling championship.

Einarson made a tapback to the edge of the button and Norwegian fourth Kristin Skaslien missed a double runback to leave both teams at 2-1 after five draws.

"I thought we got off to a better start and had a good handle on the ice," said Canada third Val Sweeting. "We just coughed up a couple of steals, but that’s going to happen because they were tough shots.

"Overall it was a better game and Kerri made a pistol on the last one to line it up like that. We never gave up and we kept plugging away."

Einarson opens women's world curling with a win

SANDVIKEN, Sweden - Canada's Kerri Einarson stole her way to victory to open the women's world curling championship.

Einarson defeated the host Swedes 9-4 on Saturday.

Trailing 4-3 heading into the ninth end, Canada stole two to take the lead. Einarson executed a tricky double takeout in the 10th to force Swedish skip Anna Hasselborg to draw against multiple Canadian stones.

Hasselborg was light to give up a steal of four and Canada secured the win.

Einarson seeks medal upgrade in world curling

SANDVIKEN, Sweden - Kerri Einarson's quest to complete unfinished business at the women's world curling championship starts Saturday against a familiar opponent.

Canada opens against the host Swedes skipped by Anna Hasselborg.

Einarson edged Hasselborg 8-7 in an extra end for the bronze medal in 2022.

Einarson, vice-skip Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard, lead Briane Harris out of the Gimli Curling Club in Manitoba won a fourth straight Canadian women's championship last month in Kamloops, B.C., to match the record held by Colleen Jones.

Change is coming as Murdoch settles into role

Ryan Fry's decision to step back from the competitive game could be the first domino to fall in what's shaping up to be an intriguing spring on the domestic curling scene.

Changes are coming on the high-performance front as new Curling Canada director David Murdoch aims to strengthen the elite program for this quadrennial and provide a next-gen boost for the ones that follow.

With the recent provincial and national playdowns essentially ending the campaign for all but a handful of top rinks, some player and lineup announcements have already been made and there will be more to come.

Teams will also soon learn about qualification steps for the Olympic Trials. It's all part of a long process as curlers strive for the ultimate goal of representing Canada at the 2026 Milan Games.

Canada's Einarson falls to Japan at curling worlds

SANDVIKEN, Sweden - Canada's Kerri Einarson dropped a 6-5 decision to Japan's Satsuki Fujisawa at the women's world curling championship on Thursday.

The Manitoba-based team of Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard and Briane Harris gave up a steal of two in the eighth end, but responded with a deuce in the ninth to tie the game.

Japan earned the game-winning single when Einarson rubbed a guard on a tap attempt in the 10th end.

“It ended up being just fine for weight so it was just mismanaged," Einarson said of the missed shot.

Ryan Fry says he's stepping back from curling

TORONTO - Decorated Canadian curler Ryan Fry has indicated on his social media accounts he's stepping back from competitive curling.

The 44-year-old from Winnipeg played third for the Brad Jacobs team that won an Olympic gold medal in 2014, a Canadian championship in 2013 and a world championship silver that same year.

"An athlete never fully knows when it's time to quit because the true meaning of being an athlete is to never give up," Fry wrote Tuesday in a Twitter post.

"I love curling with all my heart; it saved me so many times.

Gushue defeats Dunstone to repeat as Brier champ

LONDON, Ont. - Championship on the line and a chance to draw for the win. This was Brad Gushue's wheelhouse and he delivered again Sunday when it counted most.

With Manitoba sitting two in the 10th end, Gushue drew the four-foot ring with his final shot to win his fifth Tim Hortons Brier title in seven years.

"I trusted it. We made it. It's awesome," Gushue said.

Manitoba's Matt Dunstone gave up three points in the eighth end — the first multiple-point end of the game — but responded with a deuce in the ninth.

Bottcher, Gushue and Dunstone remain at Brier

LONDON, Ont. - The final rock thrown and handshakes complete, Brent Laing stood with his hands on his hips and took a slow look around Budweiser Gardens.

He did the same thing five years ago at the Gangneung Curling Centre in South Korea, thinking the Pyeongchang Games would probably be his last Olympics.

When his Ontario side was eliminated Saturday after a 6-3 loss to Brendan Bottcher, Laing took a moment to savour the moment just in case it's his last Tim Hortons Brier.

"At this stage of my career, I'm a little more appreciative of all the things I used to take for granted," Laing said. "So make sure you make a memory."

Bottcher, McEwen advance to final four at Brier

LONDON, Ont. - Mike McEwen's first lead of the game came at the perfect time.

The Ontario skip made a big-weight hit to score a pair in the 10th end for a thrilling 9-8 victory over Alberta's Kevin Koe in a crossover elimination game Friday afternoon at the Tim Hortons Brier.

"That was one for the ages," McEwen said. "I haven't been in a game quite like that in some time."

The victory moved the home side into the four-team Page playoffs on the weekend at Budweiser Gardens. Wild Card 1's Brendan Bottcher also advanced with an 8-5 win over Northern Ontario's Tanner Horgan.

Einarson seeking world title in Sweden

CALGARY - Kerri Einarson looked at Facebook on Friday and saw a memory flash on the screen from March 2020, before life as she knew it came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There she was standing in Winnipeg’s Fort Rouge Curling Club, preparing for her first women’s world curling championship.

Einarson's team travelled to Prince George, B.C., and "all of a sudden it was cancelled," Einarson said Friday at the Fort Rouge while preparing for the 2023 women’s world curling championship in Sandviken, Sweden.

“When we got the phone call, we were pretty upset. I had quite a few tears and felt very angry. But now, having this opportunity, It's an absolutely amazing feeling.”

Murdoch starts job as Curling Canada HPD

LONDON, Ont. - David Murdoch is starting his position as Curling Canada high-performance director a couple months earlier than originally planned.

The two-time world champion, who served as national and Olympic coach for British Curling over the last quadrennial, officially started work with the Canadian sport organization on Wednesday.

Murdoch, who was named to the post on Feb. 2, originally planned to begin his new duties at the end of the curling season.

"It's an amazing opportunity with this job and the athletes that we have and the systems that we have here to achieve great things," Murdoch said Friday during a media availability at the Tim Hortons Brier.

Northern Ontario books playoff ticket at Brier

LONDON, Ont. - Northern Ontario coach Mike Harris didn't say a word when Tanner Horgan vented some frustration by smacking the top of a water bottle a few times after giving up a mid-game steal on Thursday.

Lead Colin Hodgson, with a grin on his face, later grabbed a napkin and helped soak up some of the spilled liquid on the coach's bench.

Some intensity can often be a good thing for a Northern Ontario foursome that's now playoff-bound at the Tim Hortons Brier.

"When he gets angry, he plays better," said Darren Moulding, who skips but throws third stones. "I don't know if I encourage it, but I don't get worried when I see it.

HOG LINE: Freeman grew at national events

After a busy month, Virden’s Jace Freeman has had a chance to breathe a little bit.

Dunstone tops Koe to remain unbeaten at Brier

LONDON, Ont. - The favourites are in great shape at the Canadian men's curling championship. The real battles were building around the playoff cutlines as the last few round-robin draws approached.

Manitoba's Matt Dunstone (7-0) moved into sole possession of first place in Pool A at the Tim Hortons Brier with a 9-5 win over Alberta's Kevin Koe (6-1) in a Wednesday night showdown at Budweiser Gardens.

"After the second end, I thought we dominated the entire game," Dunstone said. "We just had a really good handle on the ice and put the rock in great spots."

Koe gave up an opening steal of two but rebounded with a four-ender. However, he struggled from there and shot a team-low 65 per cent.

Gushue dealing with nagging lower-body soreness

LONDON, Ont. - Canada skip Brad Gushue has been dealing with some lower-body discomfort over the first few days at the Tim Hortons Brier.

He admits he "probably overdid it" at a team training camp ahead of this week's Canadian men's curling championship.

"We'll manage it throughout the week and hopefully it gets better and better," Gushue said.

This is the first competitive event for the St. John's, N.L.-based team since mid-January. Gushue didn't need to play in the recent provincial championship since he had an automatic Brier berth as defending champion.

Dunstone appears primed for Brier breakthrough

LONDON, Ont. - Matt Dunstone is skipping the top-ranked men's curling team in Canada. His squad has displayed strong form all season. Everything seems to be in place for a Brier breakout.

Now it's a matter of getting results when it really matters.

"On paper we have a really good chance to win it," Dunstone said. "We take confidence in that."

The two-time national men's bronze medallist is anchoring a new team out of Manitoba this season that includes vice B.J.Neufeld, second Colton Lott and lead Ryan Harnden. They have rolled through the first half of round-robin play at the Tim Hortons Brier.

Father-son duo helps Ontario entry at Brier

LONDON, Ont. - With a lineup vacancy ahead of the recent Ontario curling playdowns, Brent Laing checked in on some former teammates before firming up a replacement.

He texted Richard Hart and Wayne Middaugh — both now in their mid-50's — to see if they could "still slide."

"Both Wayne and I went, 'Ha ha, sorry Brent, we'd love to help but we can't,'" Hart recalled Monday with a laugh.

The recruitment process was firmed up later that day. Laing reached out to Hart again while he was travelling on the highway.

Wettig part of historic Brier win for Nunavut

It was a moment that Brandon’s Sheldon Wettig won’t soon forget.

Busy skip Carruthers hopes to go for gold again

LONDON, Ont. - The memories came rushing back for Reid Carruthers upon his return to Budweiser Gardens.

The Wild Card 2 skip made a point of stepping on Sheet C, the same strip of ice where he won his first Canadian men's curling title as second for Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton in 2011.

"The building is beautiful, it's just how I remembered it," Carruthers said Sunday after an 11-7 win over Jamie Koe and the Northwest Territories. "It's neat to come back here. Even doing the walk to and from the hotel is the same."

That memorable season was capped by a world championship. Carruthers will get a chance to go for world gold again later this month.