Kim Thorbourne-Whalen is the vice-chair of the Liverpool Championship Host Society. (Rick Conrad)

As fans rallied behind their favourite curlers in Liverpool last week, local businesses were also cheering for the post-holiday bump in sales.

Restaurants, bars and other food-based businesses in downtown Liverpool stayed open to try to capitalize on the influx of fans and curlers in town for the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials at Queens Place Emera Centre.

Some businesses traditionally close during the week between Christmas and New Year’s to give owners and staff a break after a busy holiday season.

FULL COVERAGE: More from the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials

At Main and Mersey Dining Room and Coffee Bar, co-owner Shani Beadle said the event helped perk up a slower time of year.

“I think when Christmas is winding down, it really helped bring more people into town and and lengthen the Christmas season, which is always helpful,” she said. “We had a lot of people from the curling here to lunch, for coffee, staying in our accommodation. So, everything’s helpful.”

Melanie Perron, co-owner of Hell Bay Brewing Company, said they saw more customers as soon as the curling event began on Monday.

“The week’s been great,” she said.

“We’ve definitely seen some new faces that we haven’t seen before come through the brewery and it’s just nice to see us in the bar as well at the Emera Centre, because it’s been a while since we’ve had our product for sale there directly through us. So the region has been definitely pushing local this time, which is great.

“It’s wonderful, especially this time of year because so many people are going into ‘Dry January’, so any beer sales that I can get any way is definitely a bonus for us.”

At Five Girls Baking, co-owner Leanne Arnott said they had planned to close from Dec. 25 until Jan. 2, but decided to reopen on Dec. 30. 

“We were going to be closed and and get a few more days of rest and when we found out about the curling event, we thought, oh no, we better open. And we’re really glad we did.”

They baked special cookies decorated like the red and blue curling rings to celebrate. And Canadian curling legend Colleen Jones even dropped in to sample them. She had also visited the bakery in 2019 when Liverpool hosted the World Junior Curling Championships.

“I was hoping she would show up. She showed up (Friday) and I was tickled pink.” 

Other businesses also stayed open or extended their hours, like Memories Cafe and Eatery and Route 3 Cellar Taproom and Grill.

Kim Thorbourne-Whalen of the local organizing committee said she believes the curling event helped inject $1.5 to $2 million in spinoff business for hotels, restaurants and bars in the Liverpool area. It’s also been a boon for the local Kiwanis Club, which provided canteen services at Queens Place for the whole week.

“The restaurants have been full, like the Cellar, Memories, they’ve had curling teams in there and curling families in there all week,” Thorbourne-Whalen said. “So it’s been felt throughout the community, not just with the hotels, it’s been all over.” 

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian said he’d like to see more big events like the curling trials come to Liverpool.

“I think everybody’s blown away by how many people have been out for it. Main Street’s been busy. … I think that it should generate some good momentum to try to attract events like this in the future. 

“I know this council has got big plans for Queens Place, doing some revitalization work and to make sure that we make best use of these facilities here. We’re looking at how can we make sure that we make use of this beautiful facility because you can see we can host top-notch events here.”

Main and Mersey’s Shani Beadle and other business owners say that bringing more events to town in the slower winter months would be a boost for businesses.

“I think that would be brilliant, because the summer is already quite busy, so having events like the Lobster Crawl, like curling, hockey, et cetera, is always really helpful.”

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Albie Randall with the curling broom he received from curlers Jaelyn and Jim Cotter at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

The 16 teams at the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials in Liverpool treated fans to a week of impressive curling.

The trials wrapped up on Saturday at Queens Place Emera Centre. 

And one young Queens County curler left his own impression on the father-daughter team of Jaelyn and Jim Cotter from Vernon, B.C.

Seven-year-old Albie Randall of Brooklyn led the Cotters on to the ice during the opening ceremonies last Sunday evening. He was one of the young curlers chosen to escort teams.

The Cotters remembered Albie later in the week after their last game, and gave him one of their curling brooms as a souvenir.

The Cotters with Albie Randall at the mixed doubles curling trials. (Liverpool Championship Host Society Facebook page)

Albie’s father Darren Randall explains.

“The moment from the week that stuck with me is the Cotters, when they went out of the tournament, my son walked down and they gave him their broom from the game, which is super emotional.

“Ironically, we used to live near Vernon and it’s where they’re from also, and then it just kept going and going further in the tournament. We did not know. It was just randomly that he was leading them out. We followed them every game they played, and yeah, it was wonderful.”

As for Albie, he summed it up in one word.

“Awesome.”

That was just one of the special moments from the week of curling at Queens Place Emera Centre, as some of Canada’s top curlers competed for a chance to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant capped their perfect record during the week by winning the final on Saturday over Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher.

After a year and a half of work bringing it all together, organizers were happy with how the week went.

Kim Thorbourne-Whalen is the vice-chair of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, which has brought four major curling events to Liverpool. She said it’s their biggest and most successful one yet.

“It surpassed our expectations. We had a budget for what we were looking for ticket sales and we more than doubled it. So for the final weekend, it’s been pretty well sold out and the final draw today has been sold out completely. So we’re pretty ecstatic about that. It’s been over 1,000 seats sold just for the final draw today.”

Some longtime curling fans, like Rose Anthony of Milton, took in every moment.

“I thought it was super. It was fantastic. I had the whole package and I never missed a draw.”

The curling trials also created some new fans in Liverpool, like Albie’s Dad Darren. 

“Learned so much. (I’m) still learning the rules, but it’s so skillful and I’m into it and I’m like a soccer football guy myself. And I love this.”

Winners Peterman and Gallant will next compete at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Fredericton in April. That event will determine the countries that qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

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Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant with their gold medals and Team Canada jackets after winning the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials on Saturday in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant will represent Canada at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Fredericton after winning the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials in Liverpool on Saturday.

Their next challenge will be at the world championships to try to secure qualification for Canada and themselves for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Peterman and Gallant continued their perfect record into the final on Saturday, beating Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher 8-7.

The game wasn’t as close as the final score suggested, with Peterman and Gallant taking control of the game early, going up 4-0 after the first two ends on the strength of some great shotmaking by Peterman. They were up 6-1 after four ends.

“We’ve dreamt of this for a long time,” Peterman said afterward. “In a sense, it feels like it’s kind of the first step. We know we stll have to earn that spot in a few months, but it’s amazing.”

Gallant said he had to “check himself a few times” during the game to make sure he didn’t lose focus on the end goal.

“You’re just never comfortable even with the lead that we had. We knew it was going to come down to the last shot either way. And just thankful we had a strong game and we battled all the way. Lots of different emotions and just proud of how we played.”

Peterman and Gallant, who are based in Calgary, went 10-0 for the whole tournament, including the final.

“We had some really, really close games early and we were really determined this week,” Peterman said. “It was a grind and we’re really proud of it.”

Gallant, who was born in Charlottetown and curled for many years with Brad Gushue’s championship team out of Newfoundland, said he

“The community was just really welcoming for us, the volunteers were amazing, I thought the venue was second to none and we just enjoyed every minute here. And we’re pleased that the world championships are going to be on the East Coast again in Fredericton so it’s great for us. And we had just an amazing time in Liverpool.”

Peterman said now that the trials are over, they’re excited to get home and see their son.

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Rachel Homan delivers a shot in the semi-final of the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials on Saturday in Liverpool. (Curling Canada YouTube)

The finals are set at the Canadian mixed doubles curling trials in Liverpool.

Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher won the semi-final Saturday morning, beating Lisa Weagle and John Epping 8-6 in a match that came down the last few shots.

Homan and Bottcher now go on to the final against undefeated team Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant. The winner will go on to represent Canada at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Fredericton in April. That serves as a qualifying event for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. As long as teams finish high enough at the world championships, their country is qualified to go to the Olympics.

Saturday’s semi-final was pretty close right up to the seventh end, when Homan and Bottcher scored four to go up 8-4.

Homan and Bottcher are curling veterans, but are a new mixed doubles curling this year.

They meet Peterman and Gallant in the 2 p.m. final at Queens Place Emera Centre.

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Sandra Porter-Lowe, Terri Longmire and Meredith Innes are three of the more than 100 volunteers at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool this week. (Rick Conrad)

To put on a big event like the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in a small community like Liverpool takes a lot of volunteers.

Organizers have recruited more than 100 people from Queens County and elsewhere to help put on the week-long event, which wrap up with the final draw on Saturday at 2 p.m. 

QCCR spoke to some of the people making sure the curling trials at Queens Place Emera Centre run smoothly.

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Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant during Page playoff 1vs2 qualifying against Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher. (Curling Canada/ Michael Burns Photo)

Two teams made a big step toward the finals of the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials on Thursday night.

Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant and Lisa Weagle and John Epping won their crucial qualifiers to advance to the next round of the playoffs at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool.

They’re fighting for a chance to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

It was a battle between the top teams in each pool.

Peterman and Gallant continued their unbeaten streak with a convincing 8-4 win in seven ends over Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher.

Weagle and Epping got past Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter 10-5 in their game.

Peterman and Gallant took control early with a score of three in the first and third ends. And they never looked back.

“It’s fun playing those shots where we know where to hit it and we just get to go for it and you’re all in on every shot,” Peterman said.

“We play a lot together. We know what our roles are on the ice,” Gallant said.

“Jocelyn needs to make those big last ones and she did a tremendous job of that tonight. She made a couple of pistols that kind of turned the game for us. We’ve played lots of games before. The communication is there, the trust is there, we’ve got a great team dynamic out on the ice. So just keep leaning into that and keep positive things going forward.”

Weagle and Epping had a closer contest with Tran and Kleiter over the first six ends before scoring two points in ends seven and eight to close it out.

Epping said he’s savouring the win.

“It’s pretty exciting,” he sad. “I’ve never been in this position. My trials record so far (over my career) hasn’t been very good. So it’s nice to have this opportunity especially with Lisa. We’re playing really well right now and looking forward to good things to come.”

Weagle said she loves the challenge of big games like Thursday night.

“I love these moments. This is why I curl. It’s for big games and big moments, and to test ourselves in competition. And to get to do it with John, … this is probably one of our best team games ever, in one of these big moments. but we’re really happy with how we played and how we supported each other.” 

Both teams will now get a bit of a rest. They’ll face each other Friday evening at 7 in the 1-2 playoff game. The winner of that game goes directly to the final on Saturday afternoon at 2. The loser will play in the semifinal on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Homan and Bottcher will play Jim and Jaelyn Cotter in Friday afternoon’s playoff qualifier. And Tran and Kleiter will take on Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing in the other afternoon qualifier.

The winners of those games will play in the 3-4 playoff on Friday at 7 p.m. for a spot in Saturday’s semifinal.

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Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher shake hands after their win over Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing on Thursday afternoon. (Curling Canada/ Michael Burns Photo)

The playoffs are set at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool.

Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant survived a close one on Thursday morning to hang on to their undefeated record and go 7-0 heading into the playoffs.

And Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter finished with a win to claim top spot in Pool A, just ahead of Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher.

Homan and Bottcher triumphed over Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing 6-4 Thursday afternoon.

Earlier Thursday, Lisa Weagle and John Epping snagged second place in Pool B with a 9-5 win over Jennifer Armstrong and Tyrel Griffith.

That sets up a 1-2 playoff with Homan and Bottcher meeting undefeated Peterman and Gallant, and Tran and Kleiter taking on Weagle and Epping. Those games begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at Queens Place Emera Centre.

Gallant said it’s nice to finish the round robin with a perfect record.

“You never know when it might be a benefit for hammer in the playoffs so it’s a big win and we just want to keep the momentum going.”

Bottcher said he and Homan played a good game against Jones and Laing and are looking forward to Thursday’s matchup with Peterman and Gallant.

“They’re playing well, I think we’re playing well. The way the format’s worked this week, I haven’t really seen them on the ice at all. So I’m anticipating a good game tonight. We’re going to have to play well.”

The winners of Thursday’s playoff games go directly to the 1 versus 2 game Friday evening. Then the winners of that game go directly to the final. 

The losers of each game play third-place finishers Jones and Laing and Jaelyn and Jim Cotter on Friday afternoon. The winners of those games will determine the 3 versus 4 game Friday evening.

Jones quickly shook off the loss to Homan and Bottcher. She said the important thing is making the playoffs.

“I don’t care how it ended as long as we got in. That’s how you started the week off, and we got in. So we just have to play a little bit better than we just did; we didn’t play our very best game. But we’re pretty happy to be in the playoffs.”

Jones said the fans in Liverpool have been great all week.

“The Nova Scotia crowd has been amazing. Atlantic Canada is an amazing place to curl and so we’re very grateful to be here and the fans have been awesome and the hospitality’s been great, so it was nice to see a packed arena so hopefully that will continue throughout the playoffs.”

Gallant, who was born in Charlottetown and curled on championship teams with Newfoundland skip Brad Gushue, said it’s nice to be back on the East Coast for the mixed doubles trials.

“I just love Liverpool. It’s got that East Coast feeling that I’ve grown up with and I kind of feel at home here. And it’s nice to see the fans in the stands cheering us on.”

Up-to-date standings and results are available on the Curling Canada website.

There are still some tickets left for the playoff rounds, but they’re selling fast. There are only a few seats available for the final on Saturday afternoon. Tickets are available at Queens Place or through Ticketpro.

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Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing during Draw 12 action Wednesday against Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres. (Curling Canada/ Michael Burns Photo)

The playoff picture at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool is a lot clearer after draws on New Year’s Day.

Three teams secured playoff spots on Wednesday: Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant clinched the top spot on Pool B with their undefeated record of 6-0, Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher and Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter are tied at the top of Pool A with records of 5-1.

MORE COVERAGE: 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials

Playoff action begins Thursday evening. The top two teams from each pool cross over to compete for a spot in  the Page 1 versus 2 game, in Curling Canada’s Page Playoff system. The winners of each of those games advance directly to the Page 1 versus 2 game. The losers of each of those first games then have a second chance to advance by playing a third-place team.

The winner of the Page 1 vs 2 game goes on to the final, while the loser has yet another chance in the semi-final as they go against the winner of the Page 3 vs 4 game. 

The team of Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing are still in the playoff picture, tied for third in Pool A. They have a must-win game at 1 p.m. Thursday against Homan and Bottcher.

Reigning Canadian champions Kadriana Lott and Colton Lott also have to win their game this morning against Peterman and Gallant to have a chance at the playoffs.

The semi-final is set for Saturday at 10 a.m., with the final getting underway at 2 p.m.

All games are at Queens Place Emera Centre. 

Full results and standings can be found on the Curling Canada website.

Curling Canada is also livestreaming some games on their YouTube channel here.

Brett Gallant raises his broom after a shot by partner Jocelyn Peterman in the sixth end of their game on Wednesday morning at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant rang in the new year with a convincing win on Wednesday morning at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool.

Peterman and Gallant improved their record to 5-0 with the 8-1 victory after six ends over Jim Cotter and Jaelyn Cotter.

Gallant said after the game that they’re happy with their start to the tournament.

“We’re where we want ot be and we’ve been tested most games so it’s been a really good start,” Gallant told QCCR.

“We’re just feeling more comfortable with the ice conditions and with how we’re playing, so just try to keep it going forward. Jocelyn made a really nice shot for two in the first end and it got us off to a really nice start and we made a lot of nice draws after that and we were able to take control.”

They’re at the top of their pool and are one of only two undefeated teams so far as the playoff picture starts to take shape.

Peterman said they haven’t let themselves think yet about the playoffs.

“I think our heads are still on the round robin. We have two big matchups still in our pool so we’re focused on that right now.”

MORE COVERAGE: 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials

Other winners in the morning draw were Lisa Weagle and John Epping, Kadriana Lott and Colton Lott, and Jennifer Armstrong and Tyrel Griffith.

Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher are the other undefeated team at the top of their pool, with a record of 4-0.

Homan and Bottcher’s perfect record will be challenged in the 1:30 draw on Wednesday as they take on Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter, who are right behind the leaders in second.

The top three teams in each of the two eight-team pools go on to the playoffs, which begin on Thursday evening.

All teams are on the ice on New Year’s Day for the last full slate of draws in the round robin.

Draws take place Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Queens Place Emera Centre.

Full results and standings are available on the Curling Canada website.

And live streaming for afternoon and evening games is on the Curling Canada YouTube channel.

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Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher are one of two undefeated teams at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool. (Curling Canada/ Michael Burns Photo)

Two teams remain undefeated going into Wednesday’s draws at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool.

Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher, and Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant are at the top of their respective pools with a record of 4-0.

MORE COVERAGE: 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials

Homan and Bottcher curled to two convincing wins on Tuesday, while Peterman and Gallant capitalized in an extra end over Melissa Adams and Alex Robichaud in an afternoon draw before beating Lisa Weagle and John Epping in the evening draw.

The top three teams in each of the two eight-team pools go on to the playoffs, which begin on Thursday evening.

All teams are on the ice on New Year’s Day for the last full slate of draws in the round robin.

Draws take place Wednesday at 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Queens Place.

Full results and standings are available on the Curling Canada website.

And live streaming for afternoon and evening games is on the Curling Canada YouTube channel.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Scott Pfeifer, a former world and Canadian curling champion, gives a rundown of what makes mixed doubles curling unique. (Rick Conrad)

As 32 curlers compete this week in Liverpool for a chance to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, how much do you know about mixed doubles curling?

The 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials began on Monday and finish up on Saturday at Queens Place Emera Centre.

While you may be familiar with the rules of traditional four-person-to-a-team curling, there are some differences in the mixed doubles game.

FULL COVERAGE: 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials

So we asked one of the people uniquely qualified to give us a primer on the basics of the mixed doubles game versus traditional curling.

Scott Pfeifer is in Liverpool this week for the trials. He is the national team coach and program manager for mixed doubles with Curling Canada. Pfeifer is also a four-time world champion and a five-time Brier champion.

First of all, some of the fundamentals are the same in both disciplines. Teams play on the same size ice surface, with the same rings and the same basic rules. 

“The real basic ones would be if you’re throwing a draw, that means you’re basically throwing the rock so that it’ll stop in the rings,” Pfeifer says.

“If you’re throwing a takeout, you’re actually taking out another stone. 
So you’re throwing it hard enough to remove the other stone from the rings. … The button is basically the centre, almost like the bull’s-eye, whoever is closest to the button at the end of the end scores points.

“Where someone’s aiming at the beginning, the shot is not where the rock ends up. So the rock, depending on whether you turn the handle left or right will travel in that direction.”

Unlike in the traditional game, in mixed doubles, there are two placement stones, one for each team, marked with an X.

“The biggest thing that you would notice is at the start of every end, there’s two placement stones. One is a guard right on the centre line and the other one is placed back four-foot. 
So the team that has a hammer, typically places their rock in the back four foot (ring), and basically those rocks are part of the the entire end and can be counted as scoring rocks as well.

“It adds a little bit more excitement. 
There’s already rocks in play. They can’t be removed. and there’s only five rocks per team every end, not including the placement stones. So the ends go really quick, but they’re also very action-packed because there’s a lot of rocks in play. “

Those placement stones can be knocked out only after there are five rocks in play.

“Until that point, no rocks can be removed, whether they’re in front, in the free-guard zone or in the rings.”

There’s also a rule unique to mixed doubles curling called a “power play”.

“A team each game has one time where they can exercise their power play option,” Pfeifer says, “which means moving those stones from the centre line over to the edge of the eight-foot (ring). 
And essentially what that does is it creates a little more offensive ability for the team to maybe score a few more points.

“So at the beginning of every end, those stones are placed and whether they’re placed on the centre line or on the edge of the eight-foot is the decision of the team with the hammer. But you can only use the power play once a game.” 

In mixed doubles, teams can consist of only two players — one male, one female. No alternates are allowed. The games are shorter too, eight ends versus the 10 ends of traditional curling.

“There’s five rocks in an end, so one person throws either the first and the fifth rock of the end, the other teammate throws two, three and four of the end. 
And that can actually be switched every end if they want to.”

Scoring in mixed doubles is basically the same too, with the team with the most rocks closest to the button counting points in each end. In a regular curling match, teams can hold on to their last-shot advantage, otherwise known as the hammer, by blanking an end. Not so in mixed doubles.

“The only thing with mixed doubles curling as well that’s a little different is if you blank an end, you actually lose the hammer,” Pfeifer says. “So not very often in mixed doubles curling, do you see a blank end because then it’s to the advantage of the other team.

“In mixed doubles curling it’s one of those ones where if you miss your first shot of the end, it can get you in loads of trouble and you don’t have a whole lot of time to basically recoup that missed shot. 
So it can lead to a lot of crazy linescores and very entertaining games.”

Pfeifer says it’s one the reasons mixed doubles curling can be a faster, exciting game.

“I think it’s very unique dynamics when you only have two athletes on the ice. It’s very fast-paced and there’s lots of rocks in play. 
So I would just encourage people to go and give it a chance and try to understand the rules and I think you’ll fall in love with it just like most people have with the four-person game.”

The round robin at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials are on at Queens Place Emera Centre continues until Thursday, with playoffs beginning Thursday evening.

Full results and standings can be found on the Curling Canada website.

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Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter during Draw 5 action on Tuesday at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool. (Curling Canada/Michael Burns)

Two teams are at 3-0 after the first five draws at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool.

Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres are on top of Pool A, along with Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher.

FULL COVERAGE: 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials

In Pool B, three teams are undefeated at 2-0: Lisa Weagle and John Epping, father-daughter team Jim Cotter and Jaelyn Cotter and Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant.

In Tuesday morning’s action, Walker and Muyres beat Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter 9-3 in six ends. Other morning winners were Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing, Paige Papley and Evan van Amsterdam and Homan and Bottcher.

A battle of the undefeateds is shaping up for the 4 p.m. draw, with Homan and Bottcher taking on Walker and Muyres. In the 12:30 draw, two of the top teams in Pool B will go head to head as the Cotters take on Weagle and Epping.

Tuesday’s final draw takes place at 7:30 p.m.

The round robin continues until Thursday, when the playoffs are set, with the top three teams from each pool competing for a spot in the final on Saturday.

All games are at Queens Place Emera Centre.

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Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing in first-draw action at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool on Monday. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED 3:45 p.m. MONDAY

Some of the favourites were early winners on Monday at the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool.

Sixteen teams are competing for a chance to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

The winning team here will represent Canada at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Championship in April in Fredericton. That event also serves as a qualifier for the Olympics. If Canada qualifies there, it will be the winning team from Liverpool who will go on to the Olympics in Italy.

FULL COVERAGE: 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials

Some of the biggest names in Canadian curling are at Queens Place Emera Centre this week. 

Teams are divided into two pools of eight during the round robin, which goes until Thursday. The top three teams from each pool then advance to a six-team playoff.

In the first draw Monday morning, Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher beat Paige Papley and Evan van Amsterdam 8-2 in six ends.

Bottcher and Homan said afterwards that they were happy with how they began the tournament.

“We played great,” Bottcher said. “I thought it was awesome to come out at the start of the week and have a real good game, but it’s going to be a long week so we’re going to have to keep playing well.”

“It was great to finally get on the ice and game mode,” Homan said, “just see how it felt for speeds and how the ice held up and it was great out there.”

Other winners on Monday morning were Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing, Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres, and Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter.

Local organizers were happy to get the first games under their belt. And they’re hoping curling fans will come out to some of the action.

“It’s coming along great,” said Kim Thorbourne-Whalen, vice-chair of the Liverpool Championship Host Society.

“It’s been a year, year and a half in the making and just to have to the opening cermeonies last night, it was a good crowd. It’s been great seeing all these big names … in Liverpool, on our ice, in our community, it’s amazing. For the final draw, there are only 60 seats available. We still have a lot of tickets (available) through the week.”

On Sunday evening, the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band kicked off the opening ceremonies at Queens Place. Mi’kmaw artist Melissa Labrador and her family performed a smudging ceremony. And Queens MLA Kim Masland, Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian and Thorbourne-Whalen welcomed athletes and fans. Curling Canada’s Scott Pfeifer officially opened the trials.

Draws continue at Queens Place Emera Centre on Monday at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday’s draws are set for 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Up-to-date results and full schedule are available at the Curling Canada website. 

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Greg Ewasko is the head ice technician for Curling Canada. (Rick Conrad)

The 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials are set to begin in Liverpool at Queens Place Emera Centre.

The competition runs from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4. It will see 16 teams vying to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Tickets are still available at Queens Place or through Ticketpro.

Practices, which are open to the public, began on Saturday. And the opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sunday at Queens Place.

But before all of that, specialized curling ice had to be installed at Queens Place, with help from some local volunteers. QCCR spoke to the man who made it happen, Curling Canada’s head ice technician Greg Ewasko.

Here’s part of that conversation below.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Greg Thorbourne is the chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society, which is organizing the 2025 Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Some of Canada’s top curlers will be ringing in the new year in Liverpool as they compete to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Local organizers are putting the final touches on the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials. It will be held at Queens Place Emera Centre from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4.

It’s the first of three major qualifying events in Nova Scotia for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Wolfville is hosting the full-team Canadian pre-trials in October 2025, and Halifax will host the Canadian curling trials in November 2025.

Canada won the first-ever mixed doubles curling Olympic gold medal in the sport’s debut at the 2018 games in South Korea.

Greg Thorbourne is the chairman of the Liverpool Championship Host Society. He says the 16 teams all have their plane tickets and hotel rooms booked, and they start arriving just after Christmas.

“There’s Olympic champions and there’s world champions coming,” Thorbourne told QCCR.

“The who’s who in curling will be here. Jennifer Jones, (Brent) Laing, Lisa Weagle, (Rachel) Homan. It boggles my mind to see this caliber coming to small-town Nova Scotia.”

In addition to Olympic gold medallist Jones, some of the other big-name Canadian curlers coming to Liverpool are reigning world curling champion Rachel Homan, former Canadian champ Brendan Bottcher, and a host of other Canadian, world and Olympic medallists.

“All the names that are on these big teams that play in the events, they’re all gonna be here. It’s super to see. Mixed doubles is probably the fastest curling game on ice.” 

Thorbourne said he expects the event to be a big boon to the local economy.

“This is worth probably over $1 million to the economy of Liverpool and area. You have 16 teams staying plus their coaches, every staff member from Curling Canada will be here and high-performance coaches and everybody else that I’ve talked to through Curling Canada in the last couple of weeks is going to be here in Liverpool. So the place will be humping with outside people between Christmas and New Year’s, a big boost to the economy.”

Four sheets of curling ice will be installed at Queens Place, with professional ice makers arriving on Dec. 22 and working through till the 27th. 

Practices begin on Dec. 28, with the opening ceremonies scheduled for Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.

Thorbourne says the practices and opening ceremony are all free. And that will be the best time to meet the players.

“Watch the teams practice, meet the teams, they’ll be floating around the facility those two days.

“And afterwards, the players will be hanging out, so if you want autographs or pictures with these players, most of them are very accommodating. They love to talk to people.”

Mixed doubles curling is a quicker game than traditional curling, usually taking less than an hour. Each team throws five stones per end. The scoring is the same as in traditional curling, but there are a few other differences which add to its appeal.

“(Fans) can’t see better curling anywhere, and it’s going to be live and you’re gonna be able to meet the players. Queens Place has good seating and there’s not a bad seat in the place.”

About 14 government and private sponsors are helping cover the costs of the $255,000 event, including Mersey Seafoods, ACOA, Province of Nova Scotia, Region of Queens, Best Western Plus, Source Atlantic/Len’s Plumbing & Heating, Belliveau/Veinotte, Liverpool Lions Club, Tim Hortons Liverpool, Sobeys, Culligan, Dixie Lee, Arby’s, and Home Hardware.

Organizers have also recruited more than 100 volunteers from the community.

Thorbourne says the host society is also selling tickets on a heat pump with installation. People can contact the organizers through the Liverpool Championship Host Society Facebook page to buy tickets.

Tickets for the event are available at Queens Place Emera Centre or through Ticketpro. The action will be livestreamed on the Curling Canada website. 

Here’s a full list of teams competing in Liverpool:

• Kadriana Lott/Colton Lott (Gimli, Man.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship gold medallists
• Laura Walker/Kirk Muyres (Edmonton/Humboldt, Sask.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship silver medallists
• Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant (Chestermere, Alta.) – 2024 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship bronze medallists
• Nancy Martin/Steve Laycock (Wakaw, Sask./Saskatoon) 
• Jennifer Jones/Brent Laing (Barrie, Ont.) 
• Brittany Tran/Rylan Kleiter (Calgary/Saskatoon) 
• Rachel Homan/Brendan Bottcher (Beaumont, Alta./Spruce Grove, Alta.) 
• Jennifer Armstrong/Tyrel Griffith (Rothesay, N.B./Kelowna, B.C.) 
• Riley Sandham/Brendan Craig (Guelph, Ont.)
• Lisa Weagle/John Epping (Ottawa/Toronto) 
• Taylor Reese-Hansen/Corey Chester (Kitimat, B.C./Victoria) 
• Anne-Sophie Gionest/Robert Desjardins (Alma, Que./Saguenay, Que.) 
• Melissa Adams/Alex Robichaud (Fredericton, N.B.)
• Jessica Zheng/Victor Pietrangelo (Niagara Falls, Ont.) 
• Paige Papley/Evan Van Amsterdam (Edmonton)
• Jaelyn Cotter/Jim Cotter (Vernon, B.C.) 

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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