Tournament favorites Rachel Homan and Kerri Einarson kicked off the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax with dominant wins in the first round on Saturday.
Homan, the reigning Canadian and world women’s champion, led her Ottawa team to a 16-5 victory over Kate Cameron of St. Adolphe, Manitoba. Homan’s team, including vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes, alternate Rachelle Brown, and coach Heather Nedohin, capitalized on early opportunities with precise shots and solid strategy.
Einarson, a four-time Canadian champion from Gimli, Manitoba, secured a 12-5 win against local favorite Christina Black with early steals in the first and second ends. Einarson expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance and highlighted the importance of starting strong against a tough opponent.
In other matchups, Kaitlyn Lawes of Winnipeg triumphed 7-4 over Corryn Brown of Kamloops, British Columbia, and Selena Sturmay of Edmonton claimed an 8-2 victory over Kayla Skrlik of Calgary.
The men’s division saw Mike McEwen’s Saskatoon rink narrowly defeat Jordon McDonald from Winnipeg 6-5. McEwen, despite some missed opportunities, managed a game-winning deuce in the final end to secure the win. Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Newfoundland, also started strong with an 11-5 win over Rylan Kleiter from Saskatoon, while Matt Dunstone of Winnipeg and Kevin Koe of Calgary emerged victorious in their opening matches.
The winners of the men’s and women’s competitions will earn the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.