Kerri Einarson says recent Slam win the confidence boost she and her team needed

Kerri Einarson says she's found her confidence again after a challenging year of lineup changes and team injuries for the Gimli, Man. skip and her rink.

"It's definitely been challenging, that's for sure. After last season, we were all pretty down. So we throughout the summer took the time off away from curling," Einarson said in an interview with CBC Sports.

So when Einarson, third Val Sweeting and replacement players Dawn McEwen and Krysten Karwacki found a way to win the Tour Challenge Slam title with a victory over Rachel Homan this past weekend in Charlottetown, P.E.I., there was a sense of relief and a much-needed boost of confidence.

 "It was extremely important for my confidence and everyone else's to know that even though we're missing 50 per cent of our team and all the things that we are going through, that we can still persevere and push through all of these hurdles that have been thrown at us," she said.

Last February, on the eve of the Scotties with the team looking for its fifth  straight titles, team lead Briane Harris was informed she had tested positive for trace amounts of the prohibited substance Ligandrol and banned from competition.

Harris has appealed the decision, but has been out of the line up since then. Einarson said the team hasn't been given any updates at this point. 

WATCH | Kerri Einarson still on top of her game despite team changes:

"I can't really touch too much on that subject, but yes, it's just a waiting game. That's all I know. I'm really, really hoping that we hear something soon," Einarson said. 

Then just days before the PointsBet Invitational event last month in Calgary, the team announced second Shannon Birchard would be taking time off because of a knee injury. It's been