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.

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