Kerri Einarson claimed her fifth Scotties Tournament of Hearts title on Sunday, defeating fellow Manitoban Kaitlyn Lawes 4-3 in an 11-end final at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Einarson's Team Canada stole the decisive point in the extra end after a tense battle that saw multiple lead changes. The victory earns her rink a spot to represent Canada at the World Women's Curling Championship in Calgary next month.
The 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts concluded with an all-Manitoba final, pitting Einarson's Gimli-based team against Lawes's Winnipeg rink. Einarson, who previously won four straight titles from 2020 to 2023, entered the match after rebounding from two earlier losses to Lawes: a 9-4 round-robin defeat and a 10-2 rout in the Page 1-2 playoff on Saturday.
Einarson took control early without the hammer, stealing one in the second end after Lawes's light draw and another in the fourth when Lawes's runback failed to reach the house, building a 2-0 lead. Lawes, who threw last rocks while third Selena Njegovan skipped, responded in the sixth end, capitalizing on Einarson's missed takeout to draw for two and tie the score at 2-2. In the seventh, Einarson's double takeout left one of Lawes's stones clinging to the edge, allowing Manitoba a steal for a 3-2 advantage.
The eighth and ninth ends ended in blanks, setting up a critical 10th. Trailing 3-2 with the hammer, Einarson executed a precise angle raise off her own guard to score one and force extras. In the 11th, Lawes attempted a double to remove Einarson's button stone but failed to displace it fully, handing Canada the steal and the 4-3 win.
"We definitely don't do things the easy way on this team," Einarson said afterward, noting her team's frequent semifinal path. Earlier Sunday, Einarson defeated Alberta's Selena Sturmay 12-5 in the semifinal, while Lawes had gone 8-0 in round-robin play. Absent was reigning champion Rachel Homan, competing for Canada at the Milan-Cortina Olympics starting February 12.
This marks Manitoba's 17th Scotties title, the most nationally. Einarson's teammates—third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard (now tied for most titles with six), lead Karlee Burgess, alternate Krysten Karwacki, and coach Reid Carruthers—will head to Calgary for the worlds March 14-22. Sturmay earned bronze in her first podium finish, praising her team's week despite being seven months pregnant.
