Manitoba's Kaitlyn Lawes defeated Canada's Kerri Einarson 9-4 on Monday evening to improve to 5-0 and take sole possession of first place in Pool A at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Mississauga, Ontario. Manitoba's Beth Peterson also stayed undefeated at 4-0 in Pool B with a 9-2 win over Northern Ontario's Krista Scharf. The national women's curling championship continues with round-robin play through Thursday.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women's curling championship, is underway at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. On Monday, several key matches shaped the early standings in the 18-team field.
In the morning draw, Einarson, a four-time national champion representing Canada, beat Quebec's Jolianne Fortin 8-2, while Lawes topped Nova Scotia's Taylour Stevens 8-2, both improving to 4-0 and sharing the top spot in Pool A ahead of their evening matchup.
The afternoon session saw Peterson's Manitoba team, skipped by Kelsey Calvert with Beth Peterson at third, dominate Northern Ontario's Krista Scharf 9-2. Peterson made a crucial double-takeout in the sixth end to score three for a 5-2 lead, followed by another three in the eighth to seal the win. The team, which kept the Peterson name after a position switch last fall following a poor showing at the Canadian Pre-Trials, has outscored opponents 36-16 over four games. "I think they make the big shots when it matters," said coach Jill Officer. "That's a sign of a great team."
Peterson, who moved to third, threw at 88 percent, while Calvert hit 95 percent on her skips. "We're feeling really comfortable with the positions we're in now," Peterson said of the change.
In the evening, Lawes pulled ahead with a highlight-reel angle-raise double-takeout in the second end to score three against Einarson, winning 9-4 and moving to 5-0. Einarson dropped to 4-1. "They're such a great team, so we knew that any opportunity that we had, we'd have to take advantage," Lawes said.
Other results included Nova Scotia's Christina Black's 9-1 win over Newfoundland and Labrador's Mackenzie Mitchell, Alberta's Kayla Skrlik's 9-2 victory over Nunavut's Julia Weagle, and Prince Edward Island's Amanda Power's 7-6 triumph over New Brunswick's Melodie Forsythe. In the evening, Ontario's Hailey Armstrong beat Yukon's Bayly Scoffin 6-3, British Columbia's Taylor Reese-Hansen topped Northwest Territories' Nicky Kaufman 9-3, and Quebec's Fortin defeated Saskatchewan's Jolene Campbell 7-2.
Lawes earned her spot as a pre-qualified Manitoba entry after Einarson replaced Rachel Homan, who is preparing for the Milan Cortina Olympics. The top three from each pool advance to playoffs after round-robin play ends Thursday, with the final on Sunday. The winner represents Canada at the world championship in Calgary in March.
Notably, the three leading undefeated teams entering the day—Einarson, Lawes, and Peterson—are all from Manitoba.
