News Canadian Open

Get to know the women’s teams competing in the Meridian Canadian Open running Jan. 8-13 in North Battleford, Sask.

Team Carey

Calgary, AB | Carey is the reigning Meridian Canadian Open champion capturing her first title in the series a year ago in Camrose, Alta. Wilkes won the 2017 Humpty’s Champions Cup as a super spare on Team Homan. Ferguson and Brown earned three titles in the series during their tenure with Team Sweeting.

Team Einarson

Gimli, MB | Team Einarson have been on fire winning four World Curling Tour events. The all-new crew captured their first title together at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard shutting out Team Tirinzoni in the final and beat Team Jones in the championship game of the Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic. Einarson finished runner-up to Team Homan at the Boost National last month.

Team Fleury

East St. Paul, MB | Team Fleury won six consecutive games before falling to Team Homan in the Tour Challenge Tier 1 women’s final in November. Fleury still calls Sudbury, Ont., home but now skips a squad one province over. Njegovan, Fyfe and MacCuish won the 2016 Boost National plus the 2015 and 2017 Tour Challenge Tier 2 titles with Team Einarson.

Team Fujisawa

Kitami, JPN | Fujisawa is the 2018 Winter Olympics bronze medallist. They also earned the silver medal at the 2016 world championship. Team Fujisawa won the Curling World Cup event last month in Omaha, Neb.

Team Hasselborg

Sundbyberg, SWE | The reigning Olympic gold medallists turned things up a notch this season. They won their first couple Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles back-to-back at the Princess Auto Elite 10 and Canadian Beef Masters then claimed their first European championship. Team Hasselborg earned silver for Sweden at the world championship last year.

Team Homan

Ottawa, ON | Homan scored her record-tying ninth career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title last month at the Boost National to close out 2018. Team Homan finished runner-up at the inaugural Meridian Canadian Open women’s final in 2014 and captured the title the following year. Homan is a three-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion with a medal of every colour at the worlds including gold from 2017.

Team Jones

Winnipeg, MB | Team Jones are the reigning Canadian and world champions. Jones, who has won nine titles in the series, finished runner-up to Homan at the 2015 Meridian Canadian Open. Peterman, who took over for longtime second Jill Officer, won the Meridian Canadian Open last year with Team Carey.

Team Muirhead

Stirling, SCO | Muirhead is a four-time Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling champion including the inaugural Meridian Canadian Open title in 2014. She represented Great Britain for a third time at the Winter Olympics last season finishing just off of the podium in fourth place at the Pyeongchang Games. Dodds joined the team this season replacing Anna Sloan.

Team Robertson

Winnipeg, MB | Robertson is a three-time provincial champion. Her current squad has finished runner-up at the past two Manitoba Scotties tournaments. They won the Goldline Icebreaker at the Granite and Colonial Square Ladies Classic to start the season.

Team Roth

Chaska, USA | Team Roth beat out Team Sinclair to represent the U.S. at the 2018 Winter Olympics. It was double duty for Hamilton in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as she also played in the mixed doubles competition with her brother, Matt Hamilton. Roth is a two-time U.S. national champion.

Team Scheidegger

Lethbridge, AB | Casey Scheidegger made her Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling top-tier debut at the 2017 Meridian Canadian Open in North Battleford and what a debut it was. After starting 1-2, Scheidegger won five consecutive games to capture the title. Team Scheidegger are the reigning Alberta Scotties champions.

Team Silvernagle

North Battleford, SK | It’s a hometown Meridian Canadian Open for North Battleford’s own Silvernagle. Silvernagle has finished runner-up at the past two provincial playdowns and captured the Red Deer Curling Classic, Humboldt SWCT and Saskatoon Nutana WCT titles this season. Former skip Lawton is a four-time Saskatchewan Scotties champion and the winner of the 2012 Players’ Championship.

Team Stern

Oberwallis, SUI | Team Stern secured their spot by defeating Team Yoshimura for the Tour Challenge Tier 2 women’s title in November. Stern, who skips while throwing third stones, also won the Women’s Masters Basel on home ice in October. Hürlimann is the daughter of 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics gold medallist Patrick Hürlimann.

Team Tirinzoni

Aarau, SUI | Tirinzoni and Neuenschwander are the only holdovers from last year’s Swiss Olympic Team adding former skips Paetz and Barbezat to the lineup. Paetz skipped her former squad to the world championship in 2015. Tirinzoni finished runner-up to Team Scheidegger at the 2017 Meridian Canadian Open in North Battleford.

Team Walker

Edmonton, AB | Walker returned to her skip roots this season forming an all-new team. She is also the reigning Canadian mixed doubles champion and world mixed doubles bronze medallist with Saskatoon’s Kirk Muyres. Overton-Clapham and Peters won the Meridian Canadian Open last season with Team Carey.

Team Wrana

Stockholm, SWE | Wrana is the 2017 world junior champion and picked up her first World Curling Tour title in September at the Shorty Jenkins Classic. They earned silver at the world juniors last year. Wahlin has served as the alternate for Team Hasselborg capturing Olympic gold and world championship silver medals last year.