Team Einarson
Hometown: Gimli, Manitoba | Home Club: Gimli Curling Club | Coach: Heather Nedohin
| Skip | Third | Second | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
| Kerri Einarson | Val Sweeting | Shannon Birchard | Briane Meilleur |
| Birthdate: Oct. 3, 1987 Birthplace: Selkirk, MB Resides: Camp Morton, MB | Birthdate: July 9, 1987 Birthplace: Redvers, SK Resides: Lottie Lake, AB | Birthdate: May 11, 1994 Birthplace: Winnipeg, MB Resides: Winnipeg, MB | Birthdate: March 11, 1992 Birthplace: Winnipeg, MB Resides: Petersfield, MB |
| GSOC title wins: 3 – National (2016) – Players’ Championship (2019, 2021) GSOC Tier 2 title wins: 2 – Tour Challenge (2015, 2017) | GSOC title wins: 5 – Masters (2014) – Tour Challenge (2016, 2017) – Players’ Championship (2019, 2021) | GSOC title wins: 2 – Players’ Championship (2019, 2021) | GSOC title wins: 2 – Players’ Championship (2019, 2021) |
| Pinty’s Cup wins: 1 – 2016-17 | |||
| – Two-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion (2020, 2021) – Scotties Tournament of Hearts silver medallist (2018) – Two-time Manitoba champion (2016, 2020) – Canadian mixed doubles champion (2021) | – Two-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion (2020, 2021) – Two-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts silver medallist (2014, 2015) – Three-time Alberta champion (2010, 2014, 2015) – Manitoba champion (2020) – Canada Cup champion (2014) | – World gold medallist (2018) – Three-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion (2018, 2020, 2021) – Two-time Canadian junior silver medallist (2012, 2013) | – Two-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion (2020, 2021) – Canadian junior bronze medallist (2011) |
Team Bio
Kerri Einarson had a breakout season in 2015-16 with third Selena Kaatz, second Liz Fyfe and lead Kristin MacCuish winning the inaugural Tour Challenge Tier 2 to earn their first title together. The victory vaulted them into the Masters where they proved they belonged among the elite by reaching the semifinals, defeating Tour Challenge Tier 1 victors Team Tirinzoni during the quarters no less.
The crew continued their banner year through provincials capturing the Manitoba Scotties title for the first time following runner-up finishes in the previous two years.
Einarson earned her first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling major championship at the Boost National in 2016. Although her team slipped outside of the top ranks, they captured the Tour Challenge Tier 2 title again in 2017 to receive another promotion and finished runner-up at the Masters. Team Einarson defeated Team Carey to become the first wild-card entry at the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts and picked up the silver medal.
The team split up following the conclusion of the Olympic cycle with Einarson forming a new squad for 2018-19 with former skips Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard, and Briane Meilleur. They won five events in their first season together including the prestigious Players’ Championship.
Sweeting is a three-time Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling champion and winner of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Cup as the overall season champion in the series. She skipped her squad to its first major championship at the 2014 Masters with lead Rachel Brown, second Dana Ferguson and super-spare third Cathy Overton-Clapham. Lori Olson-Johns joined the crew right after and helped them win the 2014 Canada Cup plus back-to-back Tour Challenge Tier 1 titles (2016 and 2017).
Birchard is a two-time runner-up at the Canadian junior championships. She filled in on Jennifer Jones’s team during the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts for third Kaitlyn Lawes, who was preparing to represent Canada in mixed doubles at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Birchard won the Canadian national women’s championship with Team Jones and also earned gold at the world championship as the club’s alternate with Lawes back in the lineup.
Meilleur represented Manitoba twice at the Canadian junior championships (2010 and 2011) playing third for Breanne Knapp (nee Meakin) and earning bronze in 2011. Their roles were reversed last season with Knapp playing third for Meilleur alongside second Janelle Vachon and lead Sarah Neufeld.
Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling results
| Season | Event | Wins | Losses | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | Players’ Championship | 2 | 3 | Missed Playoffs |
| 2015-16 | Tour Challenge (Tier 2) | 7 | 0 | Champions |
| Masters | 3 | 3 | Semifinalists | |
| National | 2 | 3 | Missed Playoffs | |
| Players’ Championship | 4 | 3 | Semifinalists | |
| Champions Cup | 4 | 2 | Semifinalists | |
| 2016-17 | Masters | 2 | 3 | Missed Playoffs |
| Tour Challenge (Tier 1) | 0 | 4 | Missed Playoffs | |
| National | 6 | 1 | Champions | |
| Canadian Open | 1 | 3 | Missed Playoffs | |
| Champions Cup | 2 | 3 | Missed Playoffs | |
| 2017-18 | Tour Challenge (Tier 2) | 6 | 1 | Champions |
| Masters | 6 | 1 | Finalists | |
| National | 1 | 3 | Missed Playoffs | |
| Canadian Open | 2 | 3 | Missed Playoffs | |
| Players’ Championship | 4 | 3 | Semifinalists | |
| Champions Cup | 5 | 2 | Finalists | |
| 2018-19 | Masters | 2 | 3 | Missed Playoffs |
| Tour Challenge (Tier 1) | 4 | 2 | Semifinalists | |
| National | 5 | 3 | Finalists | |
| Canadian Open | 1 | 3 | Missed Playoffs | |
| Players’ Championship | 5 | 3 | Champions | |
| Champions Cup | 5 | 2 | Finalists | |
| 2019-20 | Masters | 2 | 3 | Quarterfinalists |
| Tour Challenge (Tier 1) | 5 | 3 | Finalists | |
| National | 2 | 3 | Missed Playoffs | |
| Canadian Open | 3 | 1 | Quarterfinalists | |
| 2020-21 | Champions Cup | 4 | 1 | Semifinalists |
| Players’ Championship | 6 | 1 | Champions | |
| 2021-22 | Masters | 3 | 3 | Quarterfinalists |
| National | 1 | 3 | Missed Playoffs |