Winnipeg team advances to Olympic-qualifier final by prevailing in rematch with McEwen

HALIFAX — Twenty-four hours earlier a dejected Matt Dunstone thought he blew it.

He had just lost his third consecutive game — a 9-5 loss to fellow Winnipegger Mike McEwen — which ripped his playoff hopes at the 2025 Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax out of his hands. It looked so dire he packed up his curling gear and took it back to the hotel to get it ready for the trip home.

Fortunately for Dunstone, he had to unpack.

Brad Gushue and Kevin Koe also closed out the round-robin on Wednesday with losses, which meant the 30-year-old from Winnipeg was able to squeak into Thursday night’s semifinal as the No. 3 seed in a rematch with McEwen. It was a second life and Dunstone made the most of it by bouncing back with a clutch 9-5 victory.

Dunstone sneaks into men’s semifinal at Olympic curling trials

Matt Dunstone missing the playoffs seemed unfathomable on Monday.

World champion curler, veteran broadcaster Colleen Jones dies at 65

Colleen Jones, a world champion curler whose effervescent personality made her a popular presence on the CBC over nearly four decades with the national broadcaster, has died. She was 65.

Jones was diagnosed with cancer in early 2023. Her son Luke Saunders announced she died Tuesday morning in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Mom had been fighting and trying to beat back cancer over the last three years or so," Saunders said. "Late this morning, while looking out on the ocean from her favourite spot in Maders Cove, with my Dad, brother and myself beside her, Mom passed away.

"Please think of your favourite Colleen Jones moment, cherish it. Hurry and love hard."

Einarson still perfect at Canadian Olympic curling trials, Homan in striking distance

HALIFAX - Kerri Einarson remained undefeated at the 2025 Montana's Canadian Curling Trials with a 9-7 win over Selena Sturmay on Tuesday morning.

Einarson's squad from Gimli, Man., improved to 5-0 after scoring four in the ninth end to take a 9-5 lead.

Edmonton's Sturmay fell to 2-3.

Ottawa's Rachel Homan kept the heat on Einarson with a 4-1 record after a 10-3 win over Corryn Brown of Kamloops, B.C. Brown fell to 1-4.

Homan bounces back at Canadian curling trials, unbeaten Dunstone tops Gushue

HALIFAX - Rachel Homan rebounded from a rare setback with a 12-5 victory over Selena Sturmay in Monday's afternoon draw at the 2025 Montana's Canadian Curling Trials.

Homan improved to 3-1 in Halifax, returning to her winning ways after an extra-end loss to Kayla Skrlik on Sunday ended her 32-game winning streak against Canadian opponents.

The Ottawa-based team took control of the match against Edmonton's Sturmay with a five-point third end that gave it an 8-2 lead.

"It’s a short round robin so you have to come out strong every game, and anything in the past, nothing can be changed about that," Homan said. "You just have to move forward and come with your best game the next day."

Five Manitoba curling teams vying to represent Canada at Winter Olympics

Matt Dunstone remembers when he decided to dedicate his life to curling.

It was at the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials in Winnipeg when an up-and-coming Brad Jacobs burst onto the scene by punching his ticket to Sochi.

“I went to as many draws as my parents would allow me to. And then that final weekend getting to watch Team Jacobs go on their run, I’ll never forget that runback Brad made against Kevin Martin to lock up their spot in the final. I was sitting front row for that,” said Dunstone, who was 17 at the time.

“And you know, as soon as I saw that, I just kind of said to myself, ‘This is a sport and an opportunity that I need to pursue.’”

A look at the 16 teams set to compete at the Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials

The Montana's Canadian Curling Trials begin Saturday and run through Nov. 30 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.

The winning teams will represent Canada at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

Here’s a look at the eight women's and eight men's teams in the field (teams in alphabetical order with athletes from skip to lead, followed by home club location):

WOMEN

Gushue aims for Trials win to set up potential storybook Olympic capper to career

Brad Gushue reached the pinnacle of his sport almost 20 years ago when he stood on the top step of the Olympic podium at the Turin Games.

The last hurdle in his quest to return to Italy for the Winter Olympics starts Saturday in Halifax.

Gushue will skip one of eight men's team entries at the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials. An eight-team women's field will also play down at Scotiabank Centre for the right to represent Canada at the Milan Cortina Games.

The nine-day playdowns will be held at the same venue where Gushue stunned the field to win the 2005 Trials before taking Olympic gold in 2006.

Rock League walks back travel plans for pro curling startup, won’t go overseas

The Curling Group is walking back some of its initial travel plans for the professional Rock League that's set to debut this spring. 

TCG, which also owns the Grand Slam of Curling circuit, has decided it will not hold events in Europe as originally planned when its six-week debut season begins in April. 

"We're going to keep it in North America this year," said Nic Sulsky, chief executive officer of The Curling Group. 

The multi-format competition will feature six global franchises. Ottawa's Rachel Homan is captain of Canada 1, and Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is captain of Canada 2. 

Saint John, N.B., to host world men’s curling championship in 2027

PERTH - The 2027 BKT World Men's Curling Championship will be held in Saint John, N.B., World Curling and Curling Canada said Wednesday in a joint announcement.

The 18-team competition is set for March 27-April 4, 2027, at TD Station, the federations said. 

“The bid from Saint John was superb, and based on that community’s support of major events in the past, and support of the city of Saint John and province of New Brunswick, we’re confident that the 2027 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship will be a major success on and off the ice," Curling Canada chief executive officer Nolan Thiessen said in a statement.

Saint John previously hosted the world women's playdowns in 2014. The city also served as host in 1999 when the men's and women's championships were a combined event. 

Saskatoon to host 100th anniversary of Canadian men’s curling championship in 2027

SASKATOON - Saskatoon will host the 100th anniversary of the Canadian men's curling championship.

Curling Canada announced today that the 2027 Montana's Brier will be held at SaskTel Centre from Feb. 26 to March 7 of that year.

Saskatoon also hosted another milestone Canadian men’s championship in 2004, with the 75th edition of the event. The city last hosted in 2012, while the last Brier played in Saskatchewan was 2024 in Regina.

The first Brier was held in 1927 in Toronto. It has been played every year since except for 1943-45 due to the Second World War.

Craig’s crew rock solid on opening day in mixed curling championship

ASSINIBOIA - Miles Craig of Victoria had a successful opening day at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship with a pair of hard-fought wins at the Assiniboia Curling Club.

Craig, with vice-skip Steph Jackson-Baier, second Chris Baier and lead Sara Loken beat Jessie Hunkin of Edmonton 5-3 in Sunday's first draw, then edged Brent MacDougall of Halifax, N.S., 6-5 in the evening draw.

"Biggest key so far has been the team having a lot of experience playing together," said Jackson-Baier of her Victoria Curling Club foursome. "And knowing how to have fun out there."

The Craig crew leads the seven-team Pool B with a 2-0 record, with MacDougall at 1-1. Rene Comeau of Fredericton, N.B., is third at 1-0 after knocking off Eddie MacKenzie of Cornwall, P.E.I., 6-4. Sean Grassie of Winnipeg, Man., Hunkin and MacKenzie are all 0-1. Scott Williamson of Whitehorse, Yukon did not play Sunday.

Canada’s Brad Jacobs downs U.S. to take men’s Pan Continental curling title

VIRGINIA - Canada's Brad Jacobs won the men's Pan Continental Curling Championship with a 7-3 win over John Schuster of the United States on Sunday.

The Pan Continental is a regional qualifier for countries for the 2026 men's and women's world championships.

Jacobs, whose team took the bronze medal at the 2025 world championship in April, needed to place among the top four teams to secure a berth for Canada next year in Ogden City, Utah.

Jacobs, third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert out of Calgary's Glencoe Club did more than that with a steal of two in the 10th end to secure the victory over Schuster, who skipped the U.S. to gold in the 2018 Olympic Games.

Local team earns spot at Olympic curling trials

WOLFVILLE - Teams skipped by Jordon McDonald and Selena Sturmay advanced to Canada's Olympic trials with victories Sunday in the Home Hardware Canadian Curling Pre-Trials.

McDonald and Sturmay complete the fields of eight men's teams and eight women's teams vying Nov. 22-30 in Halifax for the right to represent Canada in February's Winter Olympics.

The pre-trials finals were best-of-three affairs. McDonald and Sturmay each won their third games Sunday in Wolfville, N.S., to keep their Olympic hopes alive.

McDonald, Jacques Gauthier, Elias Huminicki and Cam Olafson out of Winnipeg's Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club were 8-5 winners over Braden Calvert's team.

Canada’s Brad Jacobs into men’s final at Pan Continental Curling Championships

VIRGINIA - Canada's Brad Jacobs is through to the men's gold-medal game at the Pan Continental Curling Championships after posting a narrow 5-4 semifinal win over China on Saturday.

Vice-skip Marc Kennedy, who curled a perfect game, hit a triple-takeout to blank the ninth end with the score tied 4-4.

Then, with the hammer in the final end, the Calgary-based rink was able to control the four-foot ring and score the winning point.

Sunday's final will be a rematch of Canada and the United States, who advanced with a 9-3 win over Japan.