Selena Sturmay and her Edmonton rink picked up a win at this weekend’s Asham Icebreaker in Morris, Man., with a 6-5 victory over Alberta rival Team Serena Gray-Withers in the championship game.
Team Sturmay and Team Gray-Withers were tied 2-2 through five ends before Sturmay recorded singles in the sixth and eighth ends for the slim one point victory.
It should be an interesting and very competitive season of women’s curling in Alberta in 2026-27 with three frontrunners vying for provincial title and a berth into the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Sturmay is bringing back the same squad - third Danielle Schmiemann, second Dezaray Hawes and lead Paige Papley - that won the 2026 and 2024 Alberta playdowns as they look to reach the Scotties for a fourth consecutive year.
Sturmay finished a career-best third at last year’s Tournament of Hearts in Mississauga, Ont.
Gray-Withers, 25, will look to qualify for her first Canadian women’s curling championship after adding veteran Laura Walker to play second this off-season.
Walker, 35, has been to five Scotties and earned the silver medal at last year’s event as a fill-in on Kaitlyn Lawes’ rink. Third Catherine Clifford and lead Zoe Cinnamon are still with the team.
Kayla Skrlik, who won Alberta in 2025 and 2023, completely changed her rink for the 2026-27 season and now plays with third Myla Plett, second Sarah Koltun and lead Samantha Fisher.
The 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts runs from Feb. 12-21 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
On the men’s side of the draw at the Asham Icebreaker, Team Caden Hebert of Eau Claire, Wisconsin topped Philadelphia’s Team Scott Dunnam in the final, 6-2.
Wrana Wins in Norway
Sweden’s Team Isabella Wrana outlasted the field to win the Oslo Cup this weekend.
Team Wrana, who won bronze at the 2026 World Women’s Curling Championship in Calgary, won all five of their preliminary round games before defeating Latvia’s Team Evelina Barone in the quarter-final and Norway Torild Bjornstad, 6-1, in Sunday’s championship game.
The 29-year-old Wrana brought back third Almida de Val and lead Maria Larsson this season, also replacing former lead Linda Stenlund with alternate Moa Dryburgh, who plays second with this lineup.
Stenlund is still with Team Wrana as their alternate.
Wrana won gold in mixed doubles at last year’s Winter Olympics in Italy.
The men’s Oslo Cup is scheduled from Sept. 3-6.
