Two powerhouse curling teams emerged from a tweaked playdowns format designed to send Canada's best possible representatives to the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Call it mission accomplished for Curling Canada.
Rachel Homan skipped her Ottawa team to the women's title and Brad Jacobs guided his Calgary rink to the men's crown at the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials over the weekend.
"At the end of the day, I think that's our two hardest-working, most dedicated teams," Curling Canada CEO Nolan Thiessen said Sunday. "And it showed."
Both finals were 2-0 sweeps in the new best-of-three final format.
Homan, vice Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes edged hometown favourite Christina Black 5-4 in Game 1 before rolling to a 12-3 rout on Saturday.
Brad Jacobs on 'mind-blowing' opportunity to go back to Olympics
In a matchup of the top two teams in the Canadian men's rankings, Jacobs and vice Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert posted two close victories over Matt Dunstone's Winnipeg side. Jacobs earned a 9-8 win in Game 1 and a 6-5 victory in Game 2.
"I think it accomplished what we wanted it to accomplish," Thiessen said. "It was a really good change for us."
The setup used for previous Trials finals had more tension given the unpredictable nature of a single-game elimination matchup, particularly if ice conditions — as they were at times over the week at Scotiabank Centre — were inconsistent.
Black was the surprise of the competition, needing other results to swing her way on cut-down day before squeaking into the three-team women's playoffs. Once there, the 21st-ranked side upset second-ranked Kerri Einarson in the semifinal and was a few inches away from stunning Homan in Game 1.
Homan's
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