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Meet the Teams: Team Nova Scotia & Team Northern Ontario
Meet the Teams: Team Nova Scotia & Team Northern Ontario
NS – Brothers
Nova Scotia is entering the Scotties Tournament of Hearts bubble in Calgary with a team backed up by numerous accolades: Scotties appearances, a Scotties silver medal, a national junior women’s championship and a Canadian mixed championship to name a few.
Halifax’s Jill Brothers returns to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the first time since the Canadian women’s curling championship was held in her home province in 2019 at Sydney.
Brothers, the 2004 Canadian junior gold-medallist and 2010 Canadian mixed gold-medallist, is backed by Erin Carmody at third (best known for her memorable run to a silver medal at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts with Prince Edward Island). Jennifer Brine is making her third appearance at the event as second, while Emma Logan makes her second-consecutive appearance at the event after playing lead with her aunt Mary-Anne Arsenault at the 2020 event in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Sarah Murphy is also part of the five-person team, but opted to stay home due to the length of time required for travel and quarantine. In her stead, five-time Scotties champion Kim Kelly joins the team as alternate and they’re backed by coach Daryell Nowlan. Nowlan resumes his role with the team, having coached Brothers at the 2016 Scotties.
The team accepted an invitation into the bubble after last year’s representative, Arsenault, was unable to accept the offer as she has moved west to British Columbia and the team did not have three of four players returning.
The good news for Team Nova Scotia is that they’ll be among the teams with the most practice. As COVID has shut down clubs across the country, Nova Scotia wasn’t hit as hard. After closing for a brief period in November-December, clubs have been open as usual. Brothers said she and her team have been throwing a lot of rocks, which is more than most teams can say.
NO – Burns
Sudbury’s Krysta Burns is no stranger to the national curling stage. Aside from skipping Northern Ontario to a bronze medal at the Canadian Juniors in 2017, Burns is also a U-Sport champion, skipping Laurentian University to a national title later that year.
This year in Calgary, however, Burns will get her first crack at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. After Krista McCarville (Thunder Bay, Ont.) declined the invitation to appear in her ninth Scotties, the honour was offered to Team Burns, the 2020 Northern Ontario runner-up.
With Burns, will be Megan Smith, Sara Guy, and Amanda Gates. While Gates has played in the Scotties three times before with Tracy Fleury, the experience will be a first for the rest of the squad. Smith and Guy (and also alternate Kira Brunton) have extensive experience at the junior and U-Sport level.
The team will be coached by Rodney Guy.