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A capsule look at teams entered in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts

Feb 14, 2019 | 8:01 AM

SYDNEY, N.S. — A team-by-team look at the field for the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts field, including skip, teammates, home club, background information and ranking:

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Team Canada

Skip: Jennifer Jones

Teammates: Kaitlyn Lawes (third), Jocelyn Peterman (second) and Dawn McEwen (lead).

Home Club: St. Vital Curling Club (Winnipeg).

Background: Jones is looking for a record seventh national title. Peterman replaced longtime second Jill Officer this season.

CTRS Ranking: No. 3

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Team Alberta

Skip: Chelsea Carey

Teammates: Sarah Wilkes (third), Dana Ferguson (second), Rachel Brown (lead).

Home Club: The Glencoe Club (Calgary).

Background: Carey won in 2016 with a different team. Father Dan Carey serves as coach.

CTRS Ranking: No. 4

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Team British Columbia

Skip: Sarah Wark

Teammates: Kristen Pilote (third), Carley Sandwith (second), Jen Rusnell (lead).

Home Club: Abbotsford Curling Club.

Background: Wark is making her Scotties debut. She has B.C. junior women’s, mixed and mixed doubles championships on her resume.

CTRS Ranking: No. 24

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Team Manitoba

Skip: Tracy Fleury

Teammates: Selena Njegovan (third), Liz Fyfe (second), Kristin MacCuish (lead).

Home Club: East St. Paul Curling Club.

Background: Fleury is representing Manitoba for the first time. She previously played at the Scotties for Ontario and Northern Ontario. 

CTRS Ranking: No. 5

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Team New Brunswick

Skip: Andrea Crawford

Teammates: Jillian Babin (third), Jennifer Armstrong (second), Katie Forward (lead).

Home Club: Thistle St. Andrews Curling Club (Saint John).

Background: Crawford returns to the Scotties for first time since 2014. She won a Canadian junior title in 2005.

CTRS Ranking: No. 45

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Team Newfoundland and Labrador

Skip: Kelli Sharpe

Teammates: Stephanie Guzzwell (third), Beth Hamilton (second), Carrie Vautour and Michelle Jewer (lead).

Home Club: Re/Max Centre and St. John’s Curling Club.

Background: A longtime third for Heather Strong, Sharpe is making her seventh career Scotties appearance and first as skip.

CTRS Ranking: Unranked

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Team Northern Ontario

Skip: Krista McCarville

Teammates: Kendra Lilly (third), Jen Gates (second), Sarah Potts (lead).

Home Club: Fort William Curling Club (Thunder Bay).

Background: McCarville won silver at the Scotties in 2016. Also a four-time Ontario representative.

CTRS Ranking: No. 32

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Team Northwest Territories

Skip: Kerry Galusha

Teammates: Sarah Koltun (third), Brittany Tran (second), Shona Barbour (lead).

Home Club: Yellowknife Curling Centre.

Background: Galusha is making her fifth straight Scotties appearance and 16th overall.

CTRS Ranking: No. 34

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Team Nova Scotia

Skip: Jill Brothers

Teammates: Erin Carmody (third), Sarah Murphy (second), Jenn Brine (lead).

Home Club: Mayflower Curling Club (Halifax).

Background: Brothers stole two points in the 10th end for 6-5 win over Mary-Anne Arsenault in provincial final.

CTRS Ranking: No. 36

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Team Nunavut

Skip: Jenine Bodner (throws second)

Teammates: Jennifer Blaney (third but throws fourth), Alison Griffin (second but throws third), Megan Ingram (lead).

Home Club: Iqaluit Curling Club.

Background: Qualified with wins over Robyn Mackey and Sadie Pinksen in double round-robin territorial playdown.

CTRS Ranking: Unranked

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Team Ontario

Skip: Rachel Homan

Teammates: Emma Miskew (third), Joanne Courtney (second), Lisa Weagle (lead).

Home Club: Ottawa Curling Club

Background: Homan is a three-time champion. The team represented Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

CTRS Ranking: No. 1

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Team Prince Edward Island

Skip: Suzanne Birt

Teammates: Marie Christianson (third), Meaghan Hughes (second), Michelle McQuaid (lead).

Home Club: Charlottetown Curling Club.

Background: A 10-time provincial champion, Birt won a world junior title in 2001.

CTRS Ranking: No. 25

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Team Quebec

Skip: Gabrielle Lavoie

Teammates: Patricia Boudreault (third), Anna Munroe (second), Julie Daigle (lead).

Home Club: Club de Curling Victoria (Quebec City).

Background: Junior team represents Quebec again after Emilia Gagne skipped entry last year. Lavoie won U18 bronze in 2017.

CTRS Ranking: Unranked

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Team Saskatchewan

Skip: Robyn Silvernagle

Teammates: Stefanie Lawton (third), Jessie Hunkin (second), Kara Thevenot (lead).

Home Club: Twin Rivers Curling Club, North Battleford.

Background: Silvernagle making Scotties debut but she can lean on Lawton, who made playoffs in each of her four appearances.

CTRS Ranking: No. 7

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Team Yukon

Skip: Nicole Baldwin

Teammates: Hailey Birnie (third), Ladene Shaw (second), Helen Strong (lead).

Home Club: Whitehorse Curling Club.

Background: Baldwin returns to Scotties for first time since 2016, when she did not make it out of the qualifying round.

CTRS Ranking: Unranked

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Team Wild Card # 1

Skip: Kerri Einarson

Teammates: Val Sweeting (third), Shannon Birchard (second), Briane Meilleur (lead).

Home Club: Gimli Curling Club (Gimli, Man.).

Background: New rink stormed out of gate with four titles. Finished second at Canada Cup and Manitoba Scotties.

CTRS Ranking: No. 2

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Team Wild Card # 2

Skip: Casey Scheidegger

Teammates: Cary-Anne McTaggart (third), Jessie Haughian (second), Kristie Moore (lead).

Home Club: Lethbridge Curling Club (Lethbridge, Alta).

Background: Scheidegger opened season with a victory but has been mediocre since, missing Alberta playoffs after dropping all three qualifiers.

CTRS Ranking: No. 6

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Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

 

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press