Kaitlyn Lawes’ Team Earns Final Spot in Scotties Tournament

The team led by Kaitlyn Lawes from Winnipeg has secured the last spot in the 18-team lineup for the upcoming Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Lawes, along with Selena Njegovan, Jocelyn Peterman, and Kristin Gordon, clinched the final pre-qualification position as the highest-ranked team that did not qualify through provincial/territorial competitions, according to Curling Canada. The opportunity arose when Kerri Einarson’s team took over as the Canadian entry, replacing Rachel Homan, who will not be defending her title due to her preparations for the Milan-Cortina Olympics next month. Lawes, ranking fourth in the latest Canadian standings with 151.450 points, narrowly outperformed Alberta’s Serena Gray-Withers, who held the fifth spot with 151.225 points. Peterman will not be part of the roster for the tournament scheduled from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ont., as she prepares to compete at the Winter Games in mixed doubles with Brett Gallant. Laura Walker will step in for Peterman as the second, and Erin Pincott will serve as the alternate for the team. Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik and Halifax’s Christina Black also secured pre-qualification spots in the competition. The other qualified teams include 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 will go on to represent Canada at the world women’s curling championship in Calgary from March 14 to 22.