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 during Monday’s evening draw. Dunstone expressed his thoughts on the intense game, mentioning that they took control for the most part, despite not having the hammer initially. He highlighted their strategic move to gain the hammer early on and acknowledged Gushue’s strong performance late in the game, applying relentless pressure.
Brad Jacobs, the 2014 Olympic champion, and his Calgary team secured a 6-3 victory over Winnipeg’s Jordon McDonald, who is still in search of his first win. Meanwhile, Saskatoon’s Mike McEwen triumphed over Calgary’s Kevin Koe with a score of 9-7, placing both teams at a 2-2 record. Additionally, Saskatoon’s Ryan Kleiter improved to 1-3 by defeating Toronto’s John Epping at 10-7.
In the early draw, Gushue triumphed over Epping with a score of 5-3, clinching the win by stealing points in the third and sixth ends. Gushue, the 2006 Olympic champion, aims to represent Canada at the Winter Games once more in his final competitive season, following his bronze medal win at the 2022 Olympics.
Conversely, Dunstone kicked off the day with a solid 7-3 victory over Kleiter, establishing a lead of 5-1 after five ends. In other early results, Koe secured an 8-7 win over McDonald by scoring three in the ninth end, while Jacobs defeated McEwen 6-3.
On the women’s side, Rachel Homan bounced back from a recent loss with a dominant 12-5 win over Selena Sturmay during the afternoon draw. Homan, the two-time Canadian and world women’s champion, reclaimed her winning form after a defeat to Kayla Skrlik ended her 32-game winning streak against Canadian opponents.
Homan now stands at 3-1, moving into second place in the women’s standings, just behind the undefeated Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Manitoba, who boasts a 4-0 record. Einarson secured a 6-4 victory over Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes. Additional results included Halifax’s Christina Black defeating Corryn Brown of Kamloops 9-4, and Skrlik prevailing over Kate Cameron of St. Adolphe with a 7-6 win.
Lawes, Sturmay, Black, and Skrlik are all tied at 2-2, while Brown is at 1-3, and Cameron is still in pursuit of her first win at 0-4. The winners of both the men’s and women’s competitions at the curling trials will have the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.