Team Dunstone clinches spot in Canadian Curling Trials in Saskatoon

Saskatchewan curling fans have even more reason to cheer on the next Olympic curling hopefuls.

Regina’s Team Matt Dunstone has qualified for the 2021 Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials scheduled for Nov. 20 to 28 at SaskTel Centre.

The competition decides who will represent Canada’s curling teams for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Dunstone’s rink qualified after last week’s Direct Entry Event in Ottawa.

With the schedule for the Canadian trials now available, fans can prepare for a must-watch first draw against Team Mike McEwen of Winnipeg to open the competition on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Team Dunstone is the first Saskatchewan team to qualify for the Trials, but more could come out of the Home Hardware Curling Pre-Trials, scheduled for Oct. 26 to 31 in Liverpool, N.S., where the final two men’s and two women’s teams for the Tim Hortons Curling Trials will be decided. Three Saskatchewan teams — Team Sherry Anderson and Team Colton Flasch, both of Saskatoon, and Team Penny Barker of Moose Jaw — are in the field.

Beginning Friday at 10 a.m. ticket packages for the Canadian Curling Trials go on sale.

Tickets start at $20.21 for single-draw round-robin play. Prices increase to $579 for the full event package.

Nine men’s and nine women’s teams will be in Saskatoon and will play a single round-robin draw. The top three teams will reach the playoffs, with second and third-place teams meeting in the semifinals, and the first-place team going straight to the final — one win away from the Olympic Games.

Three women’s teams — Team Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge, Alta.; Team Kelsey Rocque of Edmonton; and Team Laura Walker of Edmonton — also clinched trips to Saskatoon.

On the men’s side, Team John Epping (Toronto), Team Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.), Team Kevin Koe (Calgary), Team Brad Jacobs (Sault Ste. Marie) and Team Brendan Bottcher (Edmonton) will be competing, while other women’s teams headed to Saskatoon are Team Rachel Homan (Ottawa), Team Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg), Team Kerri Einarson (Gimli, Man.) and Team Tracy Fleury (East St. Paul, Man.).