How sweep it is Scotties champions get heroes’ welcome at airport By: Taylor Allen Posted: 5:46 PM CST Monday, Feb. 2, 2026

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This article was published 02/02/2026 (223 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Catching an early morning flight on minimal sleep doesn’t feel so bad when you have a gold medal hanging from your neck.

Thirteen hours after winning the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Mississauga, Ont., Team Kerri Einarson was all smiles coming down the escalator at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport early Monday.

“I think I fell asleep at five (a.m.) and was up at six to come home,” Einarson told the Free Press.

“I went to bed around 2 a.m. but I couldn’t settle. I was tossing and turning from the excitement and the adrenaline.”

Einarson, third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Karlee Burgess outlasted fellow Manitoban Kaitlyn Lawes 4-3 in extra ends in a game that won’t be forgotten anytime soon around these parts.

It was Einarson’s fifth national women’s curling title and her first since 2023. They missed out on the podium in 2024 and lost last year’s final to Rachel Homan, who is currently in Italy gearing up for the Olympics.

“I had like 180 text messages. I finally got to go through them on the plane and thank everyone and it’s a pretty awesome feeling to feel all that love and support,” said Einarson.

“This one feels like the best one.”

“I want to say this one feels like the best one. This team has been through so much adversity over the last couple years.”

It should feel extra sweet for Einarson considering she hit one of the best shots in Scotties history in the 10th end to keep her team alive. The skip from Gimli connected on a difficult short-angle raise on her own rock to tie the score at 3-3.

“Sometimes as a skip, you have to come in clutch,” said Einarson. “I was seeing that shot the whole entire end with how it was unfolding and I was like, ‘I’m gonna have to play this.’ So, I was prepared for it, I put the broom down, and I had a really good feeling.”

Burgess, a runner-up at the last three nationals, raised her broom in the air, looked back at Einarson, and let out a mighty cheer after the make.

“It was kind of going through my head like, ‘Uh oh, here we go again.’ But when Kerri made that, I had a pretty big reaction because after that I felt like we were going to win the Scotties and that it was meant to be,” said Burgess.

Lawes — who was undefeated heading into the final and had already beaten Einarson twice during the event — held the hammer going into the 11th but was forced to attempt a near-impossible takeout with her last stone. She misfired, giving Einarson the game-winning steal.

Lawes, vice-skip/third Selena Njegovan and lead Kristin Gordon were on a different flight home that landed in the late afternoon. Second Laura Walker lives in Edmonton.

Lawes hasn’t won the Scotties since 2015 when she played third for Jennifer Jones. Njegovan and Gordon are still searching for their first Canadian crown as they also lost the 2018 national final with Einarson to Jones. Lawes was at the Olympics for mixed doubles and Birchard took her spot on Team Jones that week.

Walker’s previous best result was bronze in 2021 when she was skipping a team out of Alberta.

“They had an unbelievable run at the Scotties. I’ve curled with a couple of them for many years and Laura spared for us last year,” said Einarson.

“They’re great players and teammates, and I feel for them. We’ve been in that situation in 2018 with Selena and Kristin and it’s not easy.”

Birchard finds herself in elite company alongside Jennifer Jones, Colleen Jones and Jill Officer as the only six-time Scotties champions.

“It was the dream to just get to the Scotties, then it was a dream to win a Scotties and, you know, you’ve got to keep resetting (your goals) every single time and it’s just been amazing,” said Birchard.

“They’re great players and teammates, and I feel for them.”

“I’m so fortunate to have been on the teams that I’ve been on in order to achieve these dreams. And I mean, if Kerri doesn’t make that shot in the 10th, we wouldn’t be standing here talking. Sometimes that’s the way games go, you need one big shot and that changes the whole trajectory.”

It was an incredible showing by all three Manitoba rinks in Mississauga. Provincial champion Beth Peterson was in the hunt after going 8-0 during round-robin play before dropping back-to-back playoff games.

“It was pretty cool to see all the Manitoba teams coming up and perform at the Scotties. Jennifer Jones set the tone for that,” said Einarson.

“She definitely made me a better player and pushed myself to be the best. I’m still even doing that today. I’m probably going to hit the ice in a couple of days and try to figure out how to be even better.”

Einarson and company have earned the right to keep wearing Team Canada colours. They will now head to Calgary to represent the country at the World Women’s Curling Championship (March 14-22) inside the Markin MacPhail Centre. Einarson, Sweeting and Birchard have two bronze medals from their first three trips to worlds.

“It was pretty cool to see all the Manitoba teams coming up and perform at the Scotties.”

“Usually, it’s quite a rush going from the Scotties straight to the worlds in two weeks’ time and you’re just trying to get your uniforms sorted, and travel arrangement sorted out so your family can come and that kind of thing,” said Birchard.

“We’ve actually got time to recover a bit here so I think we’re feeling pretty confident we’re going to be all in really great physical and mental shape heading into the worlds.”

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