Manitoba’s Jason Gunnlaugson earned a trip to the 2021 Canadian Curling Trials through the pre-trials event in Liverpool, N.S., on the weekend.
Also booking his ticket to the trials, to be held in Saskatoon, Nov. 20-28, was Ontario’s Tanner Horgan.
They will join West St. Paul’s Mike McEwen, Northern Ontario’s gold medallist Brad Jacobs, Newfoundland’s Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue, Alberta’s former world champion Kevin Koe, Alberta’s reigning Brier champ Brendan Bottcher, Ontario’s John Epping and Saskatchewan’s transplanted Manitoban Matt Dunstone.
Other Manitobans in the field include BJ Neufeld, Koe’s third, Epping’s third Ryan Fry (another Olympic gold medallist) and Koe’s second John Morris, who was born in Winnipeg. Gushue’s third Mark Nichols also lived in Winnipeg for two years while curling with former world champion Jeff Stoughton. Horgan, by the way, is the brother to East St. Paul’s Tracy Fleury.
Fleury, who recently won the first Grand Slam of the season, will be one of three Manitoba teams on the women’s side. They include former Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Jones and reigning Canadian champion Kerri Einarson.
Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville and Ontario’s Jacqueline Harrison also won trials berths in Liverpool.
The rest of the women’s field includes Ontario’s former world champion Rachel Homan and Laura Walker, Casey Scheidegger and Kelsey Rocque, all of Alberta.
Allison Flaxey (nee Nimik), who plays third for Harrison, once won a Manitoba junior women’s title and paired with Sean Grassie to win Canada’s first medal (bronze) in the 2008 World Mixed Doubles Championship.
The men’s and women’s winners will represent Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China.
