Winnipeg’s Matt Dunstone maintained a flawless 4-0 record at the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax by defeating St. John’s Brad Gushue 9-7 in Monday’s evening match. Dunstone described the game as chaotic but felt that his team controlled most of it despite not having the hammer initially. They managed to secure the hammer early on, made a breakthrough in the seventh end, and faced strong pressure from Gushue in the latter part of the game.
In another match, 2014 Olympic champion Brad Jacobs and his Calgary team triumphed over Winnipeg’s Jordon McDonald 6-3, who is still in search of his first win. Saskatoon’s Mike McEwen also secured a victory, beating Calgary’s Kevin Koe 9-7, with both teams now standing at 2-2. Saskatoon’s Ryan Kleiter improved to 1-3 by defeating Toronto’s John Epping 10-7, who also holds a 1-3 record.
Brad Gushue started the day strong with a 5-3 win over Epping in the first draw by stealing points in the third and sixth ends. Gushue, the 2006 Olympic champion, aims to represent Canada once more at the Winter Games in his final competitive season after leading Canada to bronze at the 2022 Olympics.
Dunstone began the day with a 7-3 victory over Kleiter, quickly taking a lead and securing the win. In other early matches, Koe clinched an 8-7 win over McDonald by scoring three points in the ninth end, while Jacobs defeated McEwen 6-3.
On the women’s side, Rachel Homan bounced back with a 12-5 win over Selena Sturmay in the afternoon draw, improving her record to 3-1. Homan showcased dominance with a five-point third end, leading to an 8-2 advantage over Sturmay. The Ottawa-based team asserted their control over the match, emphasizing the importance of starting strong in the short round-robin format.
Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., remains unbeaten at 4-0 after defeating Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes 6-4. Christina Black of Halifax secured a 9-4 victory over Corryn Brown of Kamloops, B.C., and Kayla Skrlik scored two in the 10th end for a 7-6 win over Kate Cameron of St. Adolphe, Man. Lawes, Sturmay, Black, and Skrlik are tied at 2-2, while Brown stands at 1-3, and Cameron is still seeking her first win at 0-4.
The winners of the men’s and women’s competitions at the curling trials will earn the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.