Four teams secured playoff berths on moving day at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Mississauga, Ontario. Canada's Kerri Einarson, Manitoba's Beth Peterson, Nova Scotia's Christina Black and Alberta's Selena Sturmay all won their respective games to advance. One spot in Pool A remains open as round-robin play continues.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Canada's national women's curling championship, saw significant movement on January 28, 2026, at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Four of the five available playoff spots were clinched during Wednesday's draws, transforming what is typically 'moving day' into a decisive cut-down for several teams.
In Pool A, four-time national champion Kerri Einarson improved to 6-1 with a dominant 13-2 victory over Nicky Kaufman of the Northwest Territories. Einarson scored four points in the second end and never trailed, joining unbeaten Manitoba skip Kaitlyn Lawes (6-0) in the playoff picture. "I've been feeling really good," Einarson said. "We only had one game where we were on the wrong side of the inch and we couldn't buy a shot. But that happens sometimes and our last two games we've really come back and been playing well."
Pool B saw all three playoff positions locked in during the afternoon session. Beth Peterson's Manitoba team remained perfect at 6-0 after an 8-4 win over Alberta's Kayla Skrlik. Nova Scotia's Christina Black moved to 6-1 with a 6-3 defeat of Prince Edward Island's Amanda Power, while Alberta's Selena Sturmay reached 5-1 by topping Newfoundland and Labrador's Mackenzie Mitchell 11-6. "The last few years [our last round-robin game] has been a must-win, need-some-help type situation," Black noted. "So it's nice to know it's not that."
Peterson expressed excitement for the playoffs ahead: "We've got some work to do but I'm looking forward to just the playoff atmosphere."
The battle for the final Pool A spot intensifies between Ontario's Hailey Armstrong and Nova Scotia's Taylour Stevens, both at 4-2, with their head-to-head matchup set for Thursday afternoon. Armstrong secured her record with an 8-5 extra-end win over Quebec's Jolianne Fortin, hitting a crucial shot despite a 63 percent shooting percentage. "A lot of pressure, the heartbeat is going," she said. "I'm just happy that I had a hit, to be honest, and just picked it out. We're a drawing team as well but we're a really good hitting team."
Other notable results included Taylour Stevens' 11-10 extra-end triumph over British Columbia's Taylor Reese-Hansen, Saskatchewan's Jolene Campbell's 10-4 win against Yukon's Bayly Scoffin, and New Brunswick's Melodie Forsythe's 10-5 doubling of Nunavut's Julia Weagle.
Round-robin play wraps up Thursday, with playoffs beginning Friday. The champion will represent Canada at the world women's curling championship in Calgary in March 2026.
