Confident and prepared Team Canada going for gold in Sweden
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Canadian skip Kerri Einarson and her teammates have no time to ease into things at this week’s World Women’s Curling Championship in Sandviken, Sweden.
The four-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champions open the 12-game round-robin Saturday against the hosts, skipped by Anna Hasselborg. Game time is 1 p.m. CT (TSN).
It’s a rematch of last year’s bronze-medal match in Prince George, B.C., in which the Gimli squad outlasted Hasselborg by an 8-7 count.
DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Kerri Einarson’s Team Canada faces some tough competition from Sweden and the U.S. in its first two matches at the World Women’s Curling Championship.
Hasselborg won gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is a two-time world championship finalist.
“They’re great shooters and love to play a lot of hits. We just have to make sure we’re getting our rocks in some really great spots so they can’t get rid of them,” Einarson said Thursday, in a phone call with the Free Press.
“We’ve got to put some pressure on them. They’re a great team.”
2023 World Women’s Curling Championship
Sandviken, Sweden – March 18-26
Team Canada schedule:
Saturday, March 18 – vs. Sweden @ 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 19 – vs. United States @ 3 a.m.
Sunday, March 19 – vs. Norway @ 1 p.m.
Team Canada schedule:
Saturday, March 18 – vs. Sweden @ 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 19 – vs. United States @ 3 a.m.
Sunday, March 19 – vs. Norway @ 1 p.m.
Monday, March 20 – vs. Italy @ 3 a.m.
Monday, March 20 – vs. Scotland @ 1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 21 – vs. Switzerland @ 8 a.m.
Tuesday, March 21 – vs. New Zealand @ 1 p.m.
Wednesday, March 22 – vs. Germany @ 8 a.m.
Wednesday, March 22 – vs. South Korea @ 1 p.m.
Thursday, March 23 – vs. Japan @ 8 a.m.
Friday, March 24 – vs. Turkey @ 3 a.m.
Friday, March 24 – vs. Denmark @ 8 a.m.
Saturday, March 25 – Qualifying round @ 4 a.m.*
Saturday, March 25 – Semifinals @ 10 a.m.*
Sunday, March 26 – Bronze-medal game @ 3 a.m.*
Sunday, March 26 – Gold-medal game @ 8 a.m.*
*if qualified
Meet the teams:
Canada: Kerri Einarson
Denmark: Madeleine Dupont
Germany: Daniela Jentsch,
Italy: Stefania Constantini
Japan: Fujisawa Satsuki
Korea: Ha Seungyoun
New Zealand: Jessica Smith
Norway: Marianne Roervik
Scotland: Rebecca Morrison
Sweden: Anna Hasselborg,
Switzerland: Silvana Tirinzoni
Türkiye: Dilsat Yildiz
United States: Tabitha Peterson
Things don’t get any easier for Team Canada, which faces Tabitha Peterson of the United States on Sunday (3 a.m.). Peterson won bronze at the event in 2021 and has represented the red, white and blue at two Olympics.
Einarson, third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard, lead Briane Harris and alternate Krysten Karwacki have to wait until Tuesday morning to meet Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni, the defending three-time world champion.
“It is pretty gruelling. We definitely want to make sure we’re getting our rest and fuelling our bodies for those big games,” said Einarson. “Those doubleheaders you don’t get much time in between to rest but we prepare all season for this so it’s nothing new to us.”
Einarson started the 2021 worlds in Calgary with a 1-5 record but rallied to finish at 7-6, ultimately losing to Hasselborg in a playoff qualification game. Last year, the Manitobans split its first four games before finding their groove en route to a 9-3 record.
This time around, Einarson is hopeful her group can have a stronger start. And more importantly, a better finish.
The top six teams qualify for the playoff round. The two teams with the best records receive byes while the other four play the first round.
Canada hasn’t won gold since Jennifer Jones of St. Vital accomplished the feat in 2018. Switzerland has won seven of the last 11.
“We’ve had a really great season and I think we’re pretty confident going into this. We’ve been pretty consistent and that was one of our goals coming into this year,” said Einarson.
DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Kerri Einarson (right) hopes to be the first Canadian to win the World Women’s Curling Championship since Jennifer Jones accomplished the feat in 2018.
“Everyone’s throwing really well so if we can catch on to that ice before other teams do I think we can have a really good shot.”
Team Einarson arrived in Sweden on Sunday to have some time to adjust to the time difference and its new surroundings. Each of their parents are planning on making the trip overseas as well.
The tournament is being held at Göransson Arena, the site of the Bandy World Cup for over a decade. Bandy is a sport similar to hockey that’s predominantly played in Scandinavian countries. Instead of a puck, they use a ball and the game is played on an extremely large ice rink with 11 players on each team.
“Everyone’s throwing really well so if we can catch on to that ice before other teams do I think we can have a really good shot.”–Kerri Einarson
“We’ve never played in an arena this big,” said Einarson. “At one point they had a huge bonspiel in there and it fit 24 sheets.”
The five-sheeter in Gimli is hosting a viewing party Saturday.
“I know they have a huge projector up there and a big-screen TV, so I’m sure they’re going to try to get some people down there. It’d be pretty cool to see all that. It’s very special.”
taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @TaylorAllen31
Taylor Allen
Reporter
Eighteen years old and still in high school, Taylor got his start with the Free Press on June 1, 2011. Well, sort of...
