THUNDER BAY, Ont. — After her team clawed their way into the Scotties playoffs with a fourth straight win, the newest member of Kerri Einarson’s Manitoba rink, Karlee Burgess, did four straight double fist-pumps and then hustled over to her teammates for a fired-up group hug.
“That was just so much relief and so much excitement,” Burgess says, grinning. “It’s been such a rollercoaster.”
Yes, this week has been quite the journey for Team Manitoba, down 2-2 in the round robin before going on a winning streak — including coming back from a five-point deficit — to stay alive at this national championship.
And now, after a fifth straight win on Friday afternoon in front of an appreciative crowd at Fort William Gardens, Team Manitoba is just one win away from the Scotties final.
“We are gritty,” Burgess says, with a laugh, of the team she joined just last month as an injury replacement. “It’s been nuts. All week we’ve been battling and battling, and hoping for things to go our way. I’m just so proud of the girls.”
A night ago, Einarson, third Val Sweeting, Burgess and lead Krysten Karwacki were all very aware of how big their final round-robin game was: Win and they’d finish first in their pool, lose and they’d go home.
“But we never talked about it,” Burgess says. “After the game, I was like, ‘Yeah, I knew that,’ and Kerri was like, ‘Yeah, I knew that the whole time.’ But the relief of, we made it through, let’s start fresh — that was huge.”
Team Manitoba’s latest win, 7-4 over Team Alberta, was set up by a ninth end that saw Einarson force Kayla Skrlik to go for a couple of near-impossible takeouts, leaving Manitoba with a pair in the house before Einarson floated in her final stone to score three.
The win sets up a battle between the top two teams in Canada, with Manitoba set to take on the world No. 1 rink skipped by Rachel Homan, who are a perfect 9-0 here so far.
Einarson’s is the only Canadian team to beat Homan this season, back in October.
“They’ve had a really great couple of seasons. We’re a new team, but we’re excited for it,” Einarson says, adding the keys to that game are simple: “Play well, put some pressure on them.”
In their latest victory over Team Nova Scotia, Homan got off to her worst start and curled just 65 per cent in the first half, but her teammates remained in the 80s and 90s, and the skipper rebounded to finish at 80 per cent, picking up a 10-5 victory.
“Looks like they’re struggling a little bit… maybe we can take advantage of that going forward,” Einarson says.
The winner of that Canada-Manitoba Saturday night matchup goes straight to the final, while the loser will play in the semifinal on Saturday night against either Alberta's Kayla Skrlik or Nova Scotia's Christina Black, who play in the afternoon for that other semifinal berth.
Burgess, 26, is looking to make her third straight Scotties final, after back-to-back silver medal finishes on this stage with Jennifer Jones at the helm. Once Jones retired, Chelsea Carey took over the team. Burgess made the decision to leave Team Carey last month.
“It was extremely hard,” Burgess says of parting ways with Carey and her long-time teammates. “But ultimately, I was given an opportunity that I felt like for my curling career was something I just couldn’t pass up. To play with Kerri Einarson and Val and Krysten, but Kerri’s always been on my radar for my future that I’d want to play with. Given the opportunity now, I was like, okay, maybe this the opportunity I need to take.”
And now the opportunity is in front of this new Team Manitoba to score an upset over the defending champions and earn a trip straight to Sunday’s final.
Einarson is looking for a fifth Scotties title, and to get back in that title game after missing out last year, when her team went through a lot of turmoil just ahead of this national championship. On the eve of the 2024 Scotties, Team Einarson found out that lead Briane Harris was ineligible to play. Harris was later provisionally suspended due to a positive test for a banned substance, and was recently cleared of any wrongdoing. Then, just last month, the team announced that second Shannon Birchard would miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
“The last couple of years have been tough for numerous reasons for the team, but I’m really excited about what I’m seeing,” says coach Reid Carruthers. “We’re gelling really well chemistry-wise, and the results are starting to come on the ice. The last couple of games are two of the best games we’ve played so far this week, so I’d say we’re peaking at a good time.”
And with their newly installed second, who’s been playing with this team for fewer than two months, but has made her mark.
“I call her a spark plug — she’s been really helping,” Carruthers says of Burgess’ impact on a veteran-filled lineup. “I feel like you can’t even really tell if she makes or misses her shots, she’s just bringing energy in a positive way.”
Burgess’ eyebrows shoot way up as she thinks of all the game-saving shots and comebacks her team has orchestrated this week. “But it’s good — we’re staying together as a unit, and we’ll keep on truckin’,” she says.
Next up, Team Manitoba not only faces the favourites here, but for Burgess, it’s a chance to play against her former skip, Jennifer Jones, who’s now coaching Team Homan.
“Jen always has my back, I know she’ll be cheering for my shots as well,” Burgess says, grinning. “I’m looking forward to it. We’re going to have to go out firing.”
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