MEET THE TEAMS
CANADA Skip Chelsea Carey, third Amy Nixon, second Jocelyn Peterman, lead Laine Peters, alternate Susan O’Connor, coach Charley Thomas Club: The Glencoe Club, Calgary Hearts Appearances: Carey 3rd, Nixon 6th, Peterman 2nd, Peters 11th Hearts Championships: Carey 1, Nixon 2, Peterman 1, Peters 6 CTRS Ranking: 13 The skinny: One of only two teams in the field to have won a Canadian championship and it came last year. Carey, 32, is a veteran skip who played out of Winnipeg for many years, while Nixon and Peters have vast experience, having played and won with Heather Nedohin.
BRITISH COLUMBIA Skip Marla Mallett, third Shannon Aleksic, second Brette Richards, lead Blaine de Jager, alternate Kristen Recksiedler, coach Gerry Richard Club: Golden Ears WC, Maple Ridge Hearts Appearances: Mallett 4th, Aleksic 5th, Richards 2nd, DeJaeger 2nd Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 28 The Skinny: Mallett, 46, has been playing in the Scotties since 1995 and before that she won three Canadian and world junior titles as the third for Julie Sutton. Her front end doesn’t have the same kind of experience, though Aleksic has played in four previous Scotties and competed at the provincial level in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta and B.C.
ALBERTA Skip Shannon Kleibrink, third Lisa Eyamie, second Sarah Wilkes, lead Alison Thiessen, alternate Heather Nedohin, coach Richard Kleibrink Club: Okotoks Curling Club Hearts Appearances: Kleibrink 5th, Eyamie 1st, Wilkes 1st, Thiessen 1st Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 15 The Skinny: Kleibrink, 48, is an Olympic bronze medallist (Turin, 2006) whose biggest win came in the 2005 Olympic Trials in Halifax. She also finished second at the 1997 and 2009 Olympic Trials and lost the final of the 2008 Scotties. Her experience makes up for the lack of it among her teammates.
SASKATCHEWAN Skip Penny Barker, third Deanna Doig, second Lorraine Schneider, lead Danielle Sicinski, alternate Amber Holland, coach Merv Fonger Club: Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre Hearts Appearances: Barker 1st, Doig 1st, Schneider 1st, Sicinski 1st. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 44 The Skinny: Barker, 31, has a team that lacks experience at the national level and hasn’t made much noise on the bonspiel tour. But winning Saskatchewan is not easy and that alone suggests they can win some games at the Tournament of Hearts.
MANITOBA Skip Michelle Englot, third Kate Cameron, second Leslie Wilson, lead Raunora Westcott, alternate Krysten Karwacki, coach Ron Westcott Club: Granite Curling Club, Winnipeg Hearts Appearances: Englot 9th, Cameron 1st, Wilson 3rd, Westcott 3rd Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 6 The Skinny: Englot, 53, is representing Manitoba for the first time after doing so for Saskatchewan eight times. The Regina resident beat out Olympic champion Jennifer Jones, among others, to win Manitoba and her team has had plenty of success this season. Although none of her team has won a Scotties title, they have the experience and tools to be successful.
NORTHERN ONTARIO Skip Krista McCarville, third Kendra Lilly, second Ashley Sippala, lead Sarah Potts, alternate Oye-Sem Won Briand, coach Lorraine Lang Club: Fort William Curling Club, Thunder Bay Hearts Appearances: McCarville 6th, Lilly 2nd, Sippala 4th, Potts 3rd. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 17 The Skinny: Lost the final to Chelsea Carey a year ago and will be looking to take the next step this time around.
ONTARIO Skip Rachel Homan, third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney, lead Lisa Weagle, alternate Cheryl Kreviazuk, coach Adam Kingsbury. Club: Ottawa Curling Club Hearts Appearances: Homan 5th, Miskew 5th Courtney 3rd, Weagle 5th Hearts Championships: Homan 2, Miskew 2, Courtney 0, Weagle 2 CTRS Ranking: 2 The Skinny: This team has history and current performance on its side, with two previous Scotties championships and the No. 2 ranking in the country. Chelsea Carey goes in as Team Canada, but Homan is the favourite heading into this one.
QUEBEC Skip Eve Belisle, third Lauren Mann, second Trish Hill, lead Brittany O’Rourke, alternate Pamela Nugent, coach Jeff Wilson Club: Mount Royal Curling Club, Montreal Hearts Appearances: Belisle 3rd, Mann 2nd, Hill 1st, O’Rourke 4th Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 52 The Skinny: They have some experience, but have done very little on tour this year and will be hard-pressed to keep up with the front-runners.
NOVA SCOTIA Skip Mary Mattatall, third Margaret Sutcliffe, second Jill AlcoeHolland, lead Andrea Saulnier, alternate Julie McEvoy, coach Bruce Lohnes Club: Windsor Curling Club Hearts Appearances: Mattatall 9th, Sutcliffe 3rd, Alcoe-Holland 1st, Saulnier 1st. Hearts Championships: None The Skinny: This is a senior women’s team as Mattatall is 56, Sutcliffe 61, Alcoe-Holland 57 and Saulnier 60. Mattatall is a veteran of the Scotties, but this is all new for her front end.
NEW BRUNSWICK Skip Melissa Adams, third Jennifer Armstrong, second Cathlia Ward, lead Katie Forward, alternate Jillian Keough, coach Mark Ward. Club: Capital Winter Club, Fredericton Hearts Appearances: Adams 2nd, Armstrong 1st, Ward 1st, Forward 1st. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 85th The Skinny: Adams, 39, won gold at the 1998 world junior championship, but her team had to play in the prequalifying tournament that started on Thursday.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Skip Robyn MacPhee, third Sarah Fullerton, second Meaghan Hughes, lead Michelle McQuaid, alternate Rebecca Jean MacDonald, coach Les Rogers. Club: Charlottetown Curling Complex Hearts Appearances: MacPhee 8th, Fullerton 2nd, Hughes 2nd, McQuaid 2nd. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 29 The Skinny: MacPhee won two Canadian junior titles and a world title (in 2001) and has a bronze medal from the 2003 Scotties (as second for skip Suzanne Gaudet). There’s some potential here.
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR Skip Stacie Curtis, third Erin Porter, second Julie Devereaux, lead Erica Trickett, alternate Shelley Hardy, coach Eugene Trickett. Club: St. John’s Curling Club Hearts Appearances: Curtis 4th, Porter 3rd, Devereaux 4th, Trickett 4th. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 123rd The Skinny: Some Hearts experience, but their CTRS ranking suggests they haven’t curled much at a high level this year.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Skip Kerry Galusha, third Megan Koehler, second Danielle Derry, lead Sharon Cormier, alternate Shona Barbour, coach John Epping. Club: Yellowknife Curling Club. Hearts Appearances: Galusha 12th, Koehler 4th, Derry 1st, Cormier 11th. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 129 The Skinny: Lots of experience, but will need to get through the prequalifying tournament just to reach the round robin.
YUKON Skip Sarah Koltun, third Chelsea Duncan, second Patty Wallingham, lead Jenna Duncan, alternate Helen Strong, coach Bill Tschirhart. Club: Whitehorse Curling Club Hearts Appearances: Koltun 2nd, C. Duncan 2nd, Willingham 2nd, J. Duncan 1st. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: 77 The Skinny: Playing in the prequalifying tournament. Failed to get through that tournament in 2015. Decent CTRS ranking considering their location.
NUNAVUT Skip Geneva Chislett, third Denise Hutchings, second Robyn Mackey, lead Jenine Bodner, alternate Sadie Pinksen, coach Donalda Mattie. Club: Iqaluit Curling Club Hearts Appearances: Chislett 1st, Hutchings 1st, Mackey 1st, Bodner 1st. Hearts Championships: None CTRS Ranking: No ranking The Skinny: All four team members played in pre-qualifying tournament a year ago and did not advance. Will try again this year.