Kaitlyn Lawes’ team based in Winnipeg has secured the last slot in the 18-team lineup for the upcoming Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Curling Canada announced that Lawes, along with Selena Njegovan, Jocelyn Peterman, and Kristin Gordon, earned the final pre-qualification spot as the top-ranked team not qualified through provincial or territorial playoffs. This opportunity arose when Kerri Einarson’s team, previously pre-qualified, replaced Rachel Homan’s rink as the Canadian representative due to Homan’s focus on the Milan-Cortina Olympics next month.
Lawes, ranked fourth in the latest Canadian standings with 151.450 points, narrowly surpassed Alberta’s Serena Gray-Withers, who holds the fifth position with 151.225 points. Peterman will miss the Jan. 23-Feb. 1 competition at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, as she prepares to compete with mixed doubles partner Brett Gallant at the Winter Games.
Laura Walker will step in for Peterman as the second, with Erin Pincott serving as the team’s alternate. Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik and Halifax’s Christina Black also secured pre-qualification spots in the tournament. The roster of qualified teams includes Selena Sturmay from Alberta, Taylor Reese-Hansen from British Columbia, Melodie Forsythe from New Brunswick, Mackenzie Mitchell from Newfoundland and Labrador, Krista Scharf from Northern Ontario, Nicky Kaufman from the Northwest Territories, Taylour Stevens from Nova Scotia, Julia Weagle from Nunavut, Hailey Armstrong from Ontario, Amanda Power from Prince Edward Island, Jolianne Fortin from Quebec, Jolene Campbell from Saskatchewan, and Bayly Scoffin from Yukon.
The victorious team at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts will represent Canada at the world women’s curling championship in Calgary from March 14 to 22.