Homan and Einarson Secure Advantage in Scotties Tournament of Hearts
The road to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final just got a little shorter for two of Canada’s most dominant curlers. Rachel Homan and Kerri Einarson both secured crucial victories on Friday, setting up a high-stakes Page playoff matchup between the tournament’s top two seeds. The winner of Saturday’s showdown in Thunder Bay, Ontario, will earn a direct ticket to Sunday’s championship final, while the loser will have to fight their way through a semifinal for a second chance.
For Homan, the reigning Canadian champion, this is another step in a remarkable run of success. Alongside her Ottawa Curling Club teammates—Tracy Fleury, Emma Miskew, and Sarah Wilkes—Homan has been nearly unstoppable, maintaining an incredible 121-11 record over the past two seasons. Her team continued that dominance Friday, cruising to a 10-5 victory over Nova Scotia’s Christina Black.
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Einarson, however, is no stranger to the pressure of the Scotties. As the former four-time national champion from 2020 to 2023, she has both experience and history on her side—having defeated Homan in the 2020 and 2021 finals. Her team from Gimli, Manitoba, which includes Val Sweeting, Karlee Burgess, and Krysten Karwacki, delivered a strong performance in a 7-4 win against Alberta’s Kayla Skrlik.
This Page playoff format is crucial, as history shows that the team winning this game goes on to win the final 62% of the time. It’s not an elimination match, but it does offer a much smoother road to the championship. Homan acknowledged the advantage, saying, “It's nice to have that second life. We've got to win two more games. However that happens, that’s our focus—staying in the moment, trying to learn and get better every end.”
Meanwhile, the competition remains fierce in the lower bracket. Ontario’s Danielle Inglis and Nova Scotia’s Black will face off for a semifinal spot, while Skrlik’s impressive run continues after she led her Alberta team to the final four in only her second Scotties appearance. “Oh, my God, it's so exciting,” Skrlik said. “This has been a goal of ours from the beginning, to make the playoffs. Now we’re here, and we’re super, super excited.”
With the stakes getting higher, both Homan and Einarson are preparing for what promises to be an intense battle. Einarson sees an opportunity, especially after her team’s previous win over Homan’s in the Grand Slam HearingLife Tour Challenge final. “Put some pressure on them,” she said. “It looks like they’re struggling a little bit tonight, so maybe we can take advantage of that going forward.”
As the tournament heads into its final days, all eyes will be on this crucial matchup. Will Homan’s dominance continue, or will Einarson reclaim her spot at the top? One thing is certain—this Scotties is shaping up to be one for the ages.
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