News Champions Cup

CALGARY — Ottawa’s Rachel Homan successfully defended the Humpty’s Champions Cup women’s title defeating Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson 7-6 in Sunday’s final at WinSport Arena.

Team Homan collected $40,000 plus a spot back in next season’s Humpty’s Champions Cup.

Here’s how it all went down:

1ST END (10:26 a.m. MT): Einarson opened with the hammer but couldn’t capitalize completely. Homan used the force to sit two leading Einarson to draw and bump for a single. EINARSON 1, HOMAN 0

2ND END (10:43 a.m. MT): Rachel Homan for three! Homan draws (and stops just in time) for a trey count that would make Steph Curry proud. HOMAN 3, EINARSON 1

3RD END (10:59 a.m. MT): Phew. It looked light but sweepers Liz Fyfe and Kristin MacCuish were able to drag in Einarson’s final draw to get the equalizing deuce. HOMAN 3, EINARSON 3

4TH END (11:15 a.m. MT): You have to be good to be lucky and lucky to be good. Homan was aiming to hit for two but crashed on her own guard, however, there was no steal as the shooter just so happened to spill into the button for a single. HOMAN 4, EINARSON 3

5TH END (11:33 a.m. MT): Einarson kept them separated, splitting her rocks in the rings and finishing things off with a hit for a deuce to pull back ahead. EINARSON 5, HOMAN 4

6TH END (11:53 a.m. MT): It was tricky and Homan somehow made it through but grazed her own first before hitting Einarson’s rock and it’s only a single. EINARSON 5, HOMAN 5

7TH END (12:07 p.m. MT) The force awakened with Homan sitting a quad of counters. Einarson couldn’t navigate through though and collided on top of one to give up a critical steal of two and the lead. HOMAN 7, EINARSON 5

8TH END (12:28 p.m. MT): Einarson couldn’t pull off the double and only counted one. HOMAN 7, EINARSON 6

Homan, who represented Canada at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, won her sixth title in the series at WinSport Arena one year ago. The foursome of Homan, third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle announced earlier this month they’ll be back next season.

Team Einarson earned their second Tour Challenge Tier 2 championship at the start of the season to qualify for their final event together. Einarson has formed a new team for next year with third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Briane Meilleur. Third Selena Kaatz, second Liz Fyfe and lead Kristin MacCuish are sticking together adding skip Tracy Fleury, of Sudbury, Ont., and will continue to curl in Manitoba.

NOTES: The Humpty’s Champions Cup is the season finale Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tournament. … Teams had to win an event over the course of the season in order to receive an invitation. … Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., goes up against Glenn Howard of Tiny, Ont., in the men’s final at 2 p.m. MT (Sportsnet 360 & Sportsnet One). … The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling returns for 2018-19 with the Princess Auto Elite 10, Sept. 26-30, in Chatham, Ont.