Team Nova Scotia third Jill Brothers in the Page 3 vs 4 game at the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts on the weekend. (Curling Canada/Andrew Klaver Photography)

It was an intense, emotional week of curling at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for Liverpool native Jill Brothers and Team Nova Scotia.

But they topped it off with a spot on the podium on Sunday.

Brothers is the third on the team skipped by Christina Black. They made it to the semi-final against Manitoba’s Kerri Einarson, losing 9-8, forcing Einarson to make her last shot for the win.

Brothers told QCCR from Thunder Bay on Monday that they were happy with how they battled back during the game. 

“We almost got the steal in the end, so we just kept believing in ourselves that we could make it a really close game and make her throw her last rock.”

It’s their first year together as a team, and Brothers says getting on the podium at the national championship was a big win for them.

“We were having a lot of fun and we just wanted to keep the game really exciting and close. … It’s a long, long week of a lot of focus and concentration and so we were just really happy with our performance.

“At the Scotties, you get a ring if you make it on the podium. So that’s always been a lifelong goal: I want to be on the podium, I want to get a ring.”

But the team also fought through some adversity to get there. Teammate Jenn Baxter’s father died suddenly on Saturday, the day before the semi-final.

“It was a mixture of letting out some tears in between the games and then parking the situation a little bit and just knowing that Jenn and her dad would want us to be out there giving our all. We found the energy to regruop and lean on each other a little bit.”

Rachel Homan’s team repeated as national champions, after their win over Einarson on Sunday.

“They were super kind to us. After they won, they came over to us and just acknowledged the situation we had been in the last couple of days. It was super special that they were so kind and congratulated us and just commended our play in the last couple of games knowing what we had been through.”

Team Nova Scotia entered the tournament in Thunder Bay ranked fourth in the country. And with the bronze medal win on Sunday, they believe they have a chance to be one of the seven teams with an automatic berth in the Olympic trials in Halifax in November.

All team members live in the Halifax area and train together at least four times a week. Some other elite Canadian teams have members scattered in different cities or provinces. Brothers said being in the same city has been a big part of their success so far. 

“There’s no way we’d be where we are without being together this much. … It’s invaluable. And we heard it a lot at the Scotties this year. I don’t know if we have any inspiration for teams to maybe get back to doing it (that way), I guess it feels like an old school way. Like Colleen Jones (and her team), they just all lived in the Halifax area and they were together all the time, just practise, practise practise and that’s how they got their results.”

The 41-year-old has been to the Scotties eight times in her career, as a skip and in other positions. But this is the first time the 2004 Canadian women’s junior champion made it to a senior semi-final.

“I had success at such a young age as skip and you do it for so long that the pressure can kind of wear on you after a while. I’ve skipped for a long time. It’s a position I’m comfortable in, but I like to chat, to communicate, I like to use my strength and sweep. I was so happy to play third for someone who loves to play skip.”

Brothers says she’s keen to get back to work as the technical director for the Nova Scotia Curling Association. But she’s really looking forward to getting home to Bedford and spending time with her husband Paul and their two kids.

Her family was in Thunder Bay for the Scotties, but the kids got sick early in the week, so they missed a lot of it.

“I just really want to spend some time with my kids. I just want to watch my kids plays soccer and go curling and go to dance. That’s my next goal is just to do some work and hang out with the kids.”

Brothers says she’s grateful for all the support from her family and friends and from her hometown of Liverpool.

“My sister lives there, my mom lives there. I’d choose to be there every second weekend if we could. It’s just great to have a special place that I still call home and they’re so supportive.

“A huge shoutout to my husband, Mom that lives in Brooklyn, my mother-in-law that lives in Cole Harbour. They all do so much.

“To have them supporting me to do this is incredible. They’ve always got my back. Even my neighbour, he had to take the kids to school when I flew out to the Scotties. We’ve got so many great people helping us out, so that’s super important.”

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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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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

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 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.) 

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