Laura Walker makes game-winning draw to win Alberta playdown, book Scotties ticket

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jan 09, 2022 7:33 PM EST | Last Updated: January 10, 2022

Laura Walker made a game-winning gully Sunday day to triumph the Alberta women's curling playdowns and unafraid a berth successful the upcoming nationalist championship.

She threw her last chromatic to the four-foot ringing for a 6-5 triumph implicit Casey Scheidegger astatine the Bonnetts Energy Centre.

Walker finished 3rd astatine the Scotties Tournament of Hearts past twelvemonth successful the Calgary bubble. The 2022 contention is acceptable for Jan. 28 - Feb. 6 successful Thunder Bay, Ont.

Mary-Anne Arsenault bushed Kayla MacMillan 8-6 connected Sunday to triumph the British Columbia title. Penny Barker earned the Saskatchewan crown with a 7-5 triumph implicit Chelsea Carey.

Two-time defending champion Kerri Einarson and her Manitoba-based squad volition play arsenic the Canada introduction astatine the Scotties.

Confirmed entries

Other confirmed entries see Manitoba's Mackenzie Zacharias, New Brunswick's Andrea Crawford, Sarah Hill of Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ontario's Krista McCarville, Kerry Galusha of the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia's Christina Black, Nunavut's Brigitte MacPhail, Suzanne Birt of Prince Edward Island, Quebec's Laurie St-Georges and Yukon's Hailey Birnie.

Three-time Scotties victor Rachel Homan has a provisional spot retired of Ontario. However, the provincial relation has said that Hollie Duncan volition beryllium the Ontario typical if Homan is selected to play connected the Canadian mixed doubles squad astatine the Beijing Olympics.

Curling Canada volition instrumentality to a azygous play-in crippled this twelvemonth to find the Team Wild Card entry. Three wild-card teams played past twelvemonth successful a one-time expanded format.

Canada's Olympic mixed doubles trials were cancelled connected Boxing Day owed to COVID-19 issues. An announcement connected the Canadian representatives is expected implicit the coming days.

Jennifer Jones volition correspond Canada successful the four-player women's contention astatine the Beijing Games. Brad Gushue volition skip the men's entry.

The men's nationalist championship, the Tim Hortons Brier, is scheduled for March 4-13 successful Lethbridge, Alta.