Birchard to sub for Lawes on Team Jones at Scotties
Shannon Birchard will fill in for third Kaitlyn Lawes on Team Jennifer Jones at the upcoming Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The Winnipeg club made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter two days after capturing the Manitoba title in Killarney to secure their spot at the Canadian women’s championship taking place Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 in Penticton, B.C.
It was a record eighth Manitoba title for Jones, who is also supported by second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen. The 2014 Olympic gold medallist Jones scored two points in the 10th end to defeat Darcy Robertson 7-6.
With our third @LKLawes going to the Olympics in Mixed Doubles, we’ve recruited @ShannonBirchard to fill in while we represent Team Manitoba at the #STOH2018. Welcome Shannon! We are happy to have you join us! pic.twitter.com/8nLPxTOUID
— Team Jennifer Jones (@TeamJJonesCurl) January 16, 2018
Lawes is unable to join them at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts as she prepares to represent Canada in the mixed doubles competition at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Team Jones will have Lawes in the lineup this week at the Meridian Canadian Open in Camrose, Alta., as they seek to hold all four of the major Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles at once. Jones took the Players’ Championship last season and the Masters and BOOST National in the fall.
Lawes and John Morris were victorious at the Canadian Olympic mixed doubles trials held earlier this month in Portage la Prairie, Man. Both have captured gold at the Olympics before with Morris winning with Kevin Martin’s men’s team at the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010 while Lawes claimed the medal four years later with Team Jones in Sochi, Russia.
The 23-year-old Birchard, who is a two-time Canadian junior finalist, skipped her own squad at the Manitoba Scotties and finished with a 3-4 round-robin record. Birchard defeated Jones to win the Colonial Square Ladies Classic title earlier this season on the World Curling Tour and made it to the tiebreaker stage at the Road to the Roar Canadian curling pre-trials.
Meanwhile, another Manitoba team will get another shot at a berth in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Kerri Einarson’s team from East St. Paul, who lost in the Manitoba semifinal to Darcy Robertson, will face off against Calgary’s Chelsea Carey for the wild-card entry. Curling Canada confirmed the news Monday. The wild-card game features the top two teams based on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) who did not already qualify and will take place on the eve of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Penticton.