Team Einarson strive to reach world curling glory after record-tying Scotties win

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – With a record-tying win now in the books, Team Kerri Einarson can turn their sights to what’s truly been driving them for the past few seasons.

With Sunday’s 10-4 win over the great Jennifer Jones and her youthful rink from Manitoba in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final, Team Einarson became the first rink since Colleen Jones’ famed Halifax crew to capture four consecutive Canadian women’s curling championships, which they did from 2001 to 2004.

“It means the world to us to have tied the record with Colleen Jones. It’s insane,” Shannon Birchard told TSN.ca after the win. “I don’t think any of us ever thought that was going to be a possibility, especially considering the other teams in this field. We had a belief and knew that if we played well we could put ourselves in the final and give ourselves a shot.”

However, this major domestic accomplishment is also a stepping stone to their next curling goal – a victory at the World Women’s Curling Championship next month.

“We expect to play well,” Einarson said after the win. “And hopefully bring home gold for Canada. We’re going to give it our all.”

The rink out of the Gimli Curling Club in Manitoba – featuring Einarson, third Val Sweeting, second Birchard, lead Briane Harris, alternate Krysten Karwacki and coach Reid Carruthers – have said all week they have “unfinished business” at the annual international bonspiel.

Team Einarson won bronze at the World Women’s Curling Championship last year in Prince George, B.C., after missing the podium the season prior in the Calgary bubble. The women’s worlds in 2020 were cancelled because of COVID-19.

“We were happy with the bronze last year, but we really want that gold. We want to be on the top of the podium, and I think if we can put together a great week then we have a really good chance at it,” said Birchard.

Einarson and Team Canada are the last of the 13-team field to qualify for the event, taking place at Göransson Arena in Sandviken, Sweden from March 18-26.

The field for this week’s Tournament of Hearts in Kamloops was the best in years, but the talent level will only increase next month in Sweden.

Satsuki Fujisawa of Japan, who won silver at the most recent Winter Olympics, and Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg, an Olympic gold-medallist from 2018, will be there, as well as the three-time defending champions from Switzerland led by Silvana Tirinzoni.

They’ll all be front-runners for the podium.

Not to be forgotten are Italy’s Stefania Constantini, Germany’s Daniela Jentsch, Scotland’s Rebecca Morrison, Seung-youn Ha of South Korea of and Tabitha Peterson of the United States.

A major turning point in Sunday’s final came in the fifth end when Jones was light on her draw, giving up a steal of two to Einarson and a 4-2 lead for Canada going into the break.

The game wrapped up in the ninth end when Canada put up a five-spot which led to early handshakes.

The victory over Manitoba prevented Jones, who was playing in her 10th Hearts final, from passing Colleen Jones and former teammate Jill Officer for the most Scotties titles of all-time with seven.

“She has beaten me numerous times,” said Einarson of Jones, who beat her in the 2018 Scotties final. “She’s a great competitor.”

Birchard, 28, has now won five career Hearts titles, with her first coming at the 2018 Scotties in Penticton, B.C., as a fill-in for Kaitlyn Lawes on Team Jones.

“I keep being in the final and keep winning, it’s insane,” said an ecstatic Birchard. “I don’t know what kind of streak this is, but I’ll take it and keep riding it.”

Canada hasn’t won gold at the women’s worlds since 2018 when Jones accomplished the feat.