#BetweenTheSheets: The Frenzy in Fredericton
Canada's best duos head to New Brunswick chasing a national title
32 teams have qualified for the #CMDCC2019 and will compete for the right to represent Canada at the upcoming World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Norway next month. Can our defending champs successfully #DefendTheIce? Could past champions emerge to reclaim the throne? Or could we see a #TeamUpset duo surprise the field and snatch the gold?
Get ready for the Frenzy in Fredericton! And always remember the theme for mixed doubles: #NoLeadIsSafe.
Mixed doubles is still the newborn baby in the curling family. In comparison to the rich history of the men's and women's team game, mixed doubles is only now really finding its slide path on the competitive curling scene. 2019 will mark the 7th hosting of the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championships. Quite young in comparison to say the Brier which has been around since 1927! But every competition has to start somewhere and build tradition and history right?
In the fine #TwineTime blog tradition, take out your pencils, paper and erasers rock heads. Time for a quick history lesson.
#HistoryLesson
- The first national mixed doubles championship was held in Leduc back in 2013. The winners were Isabelle Neron and Robert Desjardins from Quebec. They defeated the Saskatchewan pairing of Nancy Martin and Dustin Kalthoff. Desjardins, Martin and Kalthoff are all back competing for the title once again this year.
- The gold seems to be attracted to the wild rose flower. The past four years at least one member of the winning duo has called Alberta home. Kalynn Park and Charley Thomas were the first Alberta winners in 2015. Jocelyn Peterman (2016 with Brett Gallant), Joanne Courtney (2017 with Reid Carruthers) and Laura Walker (2018 with Kirk Muyres) have followed suit to keep the gold in the prairie province.
- Silver seems to be pretty fond of the wild rose as well actually. Of the past 6 runner-up teams, 3 of them had an Alberta resident. Kalynn Park (2014 with Charley Thomas), Laura Walker (2016 with Geoff Walker) and John Morris (2017 with Rachel Homan) have brought a silver medal home to Alberta. Notice a trend in some of those names?!
- Alberta has also been a great host province for the championships. Leduc hosted the inaugural event in 2013 and hosted once again last year. Interestingly enough, there have been 6 championships held but only 3 cities and 3 provinces have been hosts. Ottawa, Ontario became the first back-to-back host in 2014/2015. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan followed suit in 2016/2017. And Leduc joined the elite list last year. Fredericton will be the first new host since Saskatoon in 2014 and New Brunswick will be the first new host province.
- The championship format has remained unchanged in the 7-year history of the event. There have always been 32 teams entered with a format of 4 pools containing 8 teams apiece. The playoff bracket has also remained unchanged, going with a Top 12 qualify format where pool winners earn bye's into the QF while the remaining 8 play qualification games to advance.
- Each province/territory has always been granted a reserved spot in the field for their respected champions. The remaining spots however have seen change over the years. Originally it was an open entry system where a duo would apply for an invite spot to Curling Canada. This changed in 2017 with the introduction of the Canadian Mixed Doubles Ranking (#CMDR). The open entry spots are still considered open entry but earned based on CMDR.
- 2019 will mark the first time Nunavut will compete in the championship as their territorial champions (Alison Griffin/Ed MacDonald) will make their debut. But Nunavut is not the only province/territory to not compete in past championships. PEI did not start competing in the championship until 2015. NWT did not field a team in 2017. Every other province/territory, including Northern Ontario, has sent a champion into the field since 2013.
- The championship winners earn the right to represent Canada at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship (an event Canada has never won). Prior to 2013, Canada's representative at the WMDCC was selected from the winning team at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship. The winning team of 4 would select one male and one female player from the team to represent Canada at the world championships. With the introduction of the national mixed doubles championship in 2013, the event winner would earn the right to represent Canada.
- The 2019 field will include many past champion and runner-up athletes. Those include: Desjardins, Martin, Kalthoff, Tuck/Tuck Jr, Peterman/Gallant, Walker, Carruthers, Morris, Kirk Muyres and last year's runner-up duo Kadriana Sahaidak/Colton Lott.
Speaking of the 2019 field, and keeping with the #MarchMadness theme here, we have 32 teams competing in Fredericton. Lets look at how these 32 teams would be seeded based solely on the #CMDR:
(1) Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant
(2) Jennifer Jones/Brent Laing
(3) Laura Walker/Kirk Muyres
(4) Jolene Campbell/John Morris
(5) Kim Tuck/Wayne Tuck
(6) Shannon Birchard/Catlin Schneider
(7) Kadriana Sahaidak/Colton Lott
(8) Emilie Desjardins/Robert Desjardins
(9) Katie Cottrill/Shawn Cottrill (ON)
(10) Nancy Martin/Tyrel Griffith
(11) Chaelynn Kitz/Brayden Stewart
(12) Danielle Schmiemann/Jason Ginter
(13) Kate Cameron/Reid Carruthers
(14) Bobbi Sauder/Brendan Bottcher
(15) Sherry Just/Dustin Kalthoff
(16) Kristen Streifel/Steve Laycock
(17) Ashley Groff/Kyle Doering
(18) Sophie Morissette/Pierre Luc Morissette (QC)
(19) Karlee Jones/Bruce Everist (NS)
(20) Catherine Liscumb/Chris Liscumb
(21) Melissa Gordon/Kyle Kurz (MB)
(22) Chantele Broderson/Kyler Kleibrink (AB)
(23) Sarah Koltun/David Aho (NWT)
(24) Catera Park/Cody Tanaka (BC)
(25) Dezaray Hawes/Tyler Tardi
(26) Jill deGooijer/Garret Springer (SK)
(27) Leah Thompson/Charlie Sullivan (NB)
(28) Rachel O Connor/Ryan Abraham (PEI)
(29) Kira Brunton/Tom Leaonard (NOnt)
(30) Charmaine Thom/Greg Thom (YK)
(31) Jenna Harvey/Dave Thomas (NL)
(32) Alison Griffin/Edmund MacDonald (NU)
The teams with provincial/territorial designation after their names means they qualified via winning their provincial/territorial mixed doubles championship. All other teams qualified via their placement on the CMDR. A special note, Dezaray Hawes and Tyler Tardi, seeded #25, qualified as the #NextGen team in the field.
As expected many of the provincial/territorial champs find themselves with the lower seeds entering the tournament. They will have their work cut out for the them to make a move up the pool standings and reach the playoffs. However there are a handful of them this blog feels could turn the rock a bit and wave the #TeamUpset flag.
Also worth mentioning there are a number of teams highly ranked but not competing this week. 2018 Olympic champs Kaitlyln Lawes/John Morris for instance are ranked #1 but Lawes will not be competing this week. Morris will join up with Jolene Campbell, a formidable duo who have competed together this season. We also will not see former champs Joanne Courtney/Reid Carruthers back together. Courtney is also not competing while Carruthers will join up with fellow MB rock star Kate Cameron. So the seeding above is based on ranking and only based on the competition field.
Which teams will live up to their seeding? Which teams are perhaps over-seeded? And which teams could be the #TeamUpset contenders? Bring on the preview. Note the (#) before a team name in the projected standings prediction is the team seed based on above as reference.
Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championships
Fredericton, NB
2018 Champions: Laura Walker & Kirk Muyres
Format: 32 team RR with 4 pools of 8. Top 12 qualify with Top 4 earning bye to the QF.
Pool A
Tough to bet against former champions and super couple Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant. The duo won the national title back in 2016 and have not competed together at the Canadian championship since. In theory, one could say they never really got to #DefendTheIce so this might be considered their chance. Plus they have a claim to unfinished business as they never got the right to don the maple leaf at the world championships due to Gallant winning the Brier the same season with Team Gushue. They have had a strong mixed doubles season, winning the season opener in Battleford and finishing runner-up in Banff. This team is not only a favourite from Pool A but also one of the front runners overall and top seed in the field. Expect to see them over the weekend.
#TeamUpset
Is this season for Cottrill x 2? Katie and Shawn will be making their 4th straight national championship appearance and this could be the strongest this duo has looked. They have had a strong mixed doubles season, picking up a few SF results in Palmerston, Charlotte and Ilderton. They qualified for this year's championship via winning the Ontario provincial title and sit #12 on the Canadian rankings. While they have failed to qualify for the playoffs in their previous 3 appearances, this could be the year they make their move. Always be weary of mixed doubles specialists.
#W2W4
Outside the top overall seed this pool could live up to the #MarchMadness theme. There are easily 4 teams with legit playoff hopes and aspirations. Team Desjardins are ranked #11. The Cottrill's come in at #12. The Sasky pairing of Kristen Streifel and Steve Laycock are ranked #19 while Ashley Groff and Kyle Doering are #20. And all 4 have had bouts of success this season.
The Desjardins' won tour events in Kitzbuehel and Chicoutimi and one of only two teams with multiple mixed doubles tour wins this season (the other being Norway's Skaslien/Nedregotten). Plus Robert was the first-ever Canadian mixed doubles champion and has competed in this event every year. He is an OG in the discipline. The Cottrill's have made strong playoff pushes as already discussed. Streifel/Laycock recently reached the SF at a tour event in Saskatoon while Groff/Doering reached a tour final in Toronto along with a final four appearance in Portage.
This is going to be a fun pool to watch folks!
Projected Standings: 1. (1) Peterman/Gallant 2. (17) Groff/Doering 3. (8) Desjardins/Desjardins 4. (16) Streifel/Laycock 5. (9) Cottrill/Cottrill 6. (25) Hawes/Tardi 7. (24) Park/Tanaka 8. (32) Griffin/MacDonald
Pool B
Can the champs #DefendTheIce? While apparently it is not easy to do, given we have never seen it happen in the history of the event. In fact we have never seen a defending champ even return to the championship final since the event started back in 2013. History is certainly not on the side of our #TwineTimeFam members rock heads. BUT all hope is not lost if you are a fan of the Walker/Muyres team. For one they enter as the #3 overall seed. Two, they did collect one of the bigger mixed doubles wins of the season when they took gold at the opening leg of the Curling World Cup. Regardless of this result they will be competing at the Curling World Cup Grand Final in China to end the season. Three, Laura Walker is one of a handful of players to reach two Canadian finals in the discipline, winning last year and losing the final in 2016 (partnering now husband Geoff Walker). The one major slight against this team is the warm-up for this event. Outside the Curling World Cup win, they also have a runner-up finish in Battleford. They have not played a ton of events together this year, focusing more on their newly formed men's and women's teams. Muyres did reach the Brier though so will the extra competitive on-ice time help him?
#TeamUpset
Familiar with the Karlee Jones/Bryce Everist duo? No? Well maybe you should start knowing their names curling fans. The Nova Scotia champions return for their sophomore championship appearance after making their debut last year in Leduc. And what a debut they made! The duo finished with a record of 4-3 to finish one game out of a possible playoff spot. They started the competition slow, perhaps expected out of a rookie team, but finished strong with a 3-1 record in their final 4 games to make a run at the playoff bracket. The experience from last year should help them this year. While they are not a regular fixture on the mixed doubles tour (yet!?) do not underestimate a provincial championship team. Many eyes will be focused on the "big names" competing this week but there are a handful of strong provincial champs who could be dangerous #TeamUpset flag bearers, such as Jones/Everist.
#W2W4
Walker/Muyres and Shannon Birchard/Catlin Schneider are the headliners for Pool B. Birchard/Schneider are currently ranked #8 and seeded #6 for this championship. If the defending champs slip up, we could just see another Sasky boy slide right into the #1 spot. Not to mention Schneider is also a #TwineTimeFam member of course. But, lets be real, the star on this team in Birchard! She keeps Schneider in check (on and off the ice I am told!). This team had a solid finals appearance at a tour event in Madison and kicked off 2019 just missing the playoffs (losing in a TB to Jones/Laing) in Banff. I asked Schneider for the inside scoop on the event but lets just say we are keeping his comments between us LOL (And no nothing bad about other teams or players. Schneider isn't like that folks!!).
But also be weary of the Chaelynn Kitz/Brayden Stewart duo. And yes, another Sasky team folks. #TeamGreen is well represented. Last year Kitz/Stewart qualified for the national championship as provincial champions. This season they qualified via their #14 ranking. At their national debut in 2018 they won their pool with a 5-2 record, besting some "big name" teams like Jones/Laing and Peterman/Samagalski. While they lost in the QF round, the Top 8 finish should give them some confidence (and maybe revenge) heading into the 2019 event.
Projected Standings: 1. (3) Walker/Muyres 2. (6) Birchard/Schneider 3. (11) Kitz/Stewart 4. (19) Jones/Everist 5. (22) Broderson/Kleibrink 6. (14) Sauder/Bottcher 7. (27) Sullivan/Sullivan 8. (30) Thom/Thom
Pool C
The eye test will have you believing Jennifer Jones/Brent Laing are the favourites here. They are the #3 ranked team in the nation and seeded #2 in this field after all. Plus look at their individual resumes. They are proven winners in the sport.
BUT the real favourite here is Kadriana Sahaidak and Colton Lott. This couple has become the wonder duo of the season for mixed doubles. After their #TeamUpset run to the national finals last year, people were wondering if this was a one-off or is this team the real deal? Well folks, check one off for real deal! The #9 ranked/#7 seed duo won their biggest mixed doubles title of their young careers this season when they took home gold at third leg of the Curling World Cup in Jonkoping, Sweden. Besides their #CurlingWorldCup win, they also reached the championship final in Portage and a SF appearance in Regina. Many considered their win in Sweden an upset. Many were saying the same thing last year at this very event where they were undefeated heading into the final. It might be time to start calling them favourites. Piece of history maybe on their side too? We have seen a team lose a national final one year only to come back and win the title the following year (Kalynn Park/Charley Thomas, 2014/2015).
#TeamUpset
Will the 2018 Sahaidak/Lott version come from their same pool in 2019? If so it could be the 2019 Quebec champions Sophie Morissette/Pierre Luc Morissette. The team from "la belle province" sits #24 in the rankings and are the #18 seed here. Outside the Desjardins duo we have not seen a ton of success from Quebec in mixed doubles but the Morissette tandem could just be the next team to stake their claim for their home province. From the provincial champions perspective they are the second highest ranked team in the field (behind Cottrill/Cottrill). Down side, this is their rookie appearance so we don't really know how they will handle the pressure of a Canadian championship. Upside? They are a rookie team so expectations may be low meaning their opposition may not be as familiar with them. This team could go either way.
#W2W4
This is an experienced pool. And I mean mixed doubles experienced too. Jones/Laing. Sahaidak/Lott. Martin/Griffith. Just/Kalthoff. These players have been here before and are familiar with mixed doubles curling. From a seeding perspective they are #2, #7, #10 and #15 overall.
Jones/Laing have a mixed doubles win under their belt this season, winning the season opener in Naseby, New Zealand. Martin/Griffith won a tour event in Toronto and reached the SF in Portage. And Just/Kalthoff recently were the runner-up in Saskatoon, losing the final to Skaslien/Nedregotten. All 4 of these teams are legit playoff contenders.
Projected Standings: 1. (7) Sahaidak/Lott 2. (2) Jones/Laing 3. (10) Martin/Griffith 4. (15) Just/Kalthoff 5. (18) Morisette/Morisette 6. (26) deGooijer/Springer 7. (23) Thomas/Aho 8. (31) Harvey/Harvey
Pool D
The most decorated curling Olympian is back and looking to pad his resume folks. John Morris, 2018 Olympic champion, returns to the ice seeking the one Canadian championship he has yet to win. Olympic partner Kaitlyn Lawes will not be joining him in NB though. Rather Morris will team with former Sask women's champ Jolene Campbell. Campbell and Morris have not been teammates for too long but they have found quick success. They won the tour event in Regina with a strong international field.
#TeamUpset
When the qualified teams were listed for this event there was one team I was quite happy to see in the direct entry field. Alberta's Danielle Schmiemann and Jason Ginter are the best bets for this year's Sahaidak/Lott reboot. Many people may not be familiar with this duo but I think this will be their coming out party. I first saw them compete this January in Banff and was quite impressed with the game play. They make the big shots. They call a smart mixed doubles strategic game. And they reached the SF in a field stacked with experience. They have some confidence and momentum coming into their first national championship. This is one of the most dangerous teams nobody is talking about....yet!!
#W2W4
Outside Campbell/Morris this is the most wide open pool of the competition. The teams listed from #2 to #6 could easily make a case for being playoff contenders. There is experience with former champions the Tuck's, one of the OG mixed doubles team not only in Canada but around the world. Carruthers is a former champ. Schmiemann/Ginter have been one of the #TeamUpset stories of the season. Melissa Gordon and Kyle Kurz are the current Manitoba champions and we know never underestimate a team wearing the buffalo on their backs. And Catherine Liscumb/Chris Liscumb were here last year and will be looking to improve on their 2-5 record.
Last year anything short of a 5-2 record would have you miss the playoffs. If the same holds true this year, an argument could be made we see a three-way tie for second at 5-2 in this pool. Or, on the flip side, only one team emerges from this pool into the playoff bracket with a 6-1 or 7-0 record while the rest of these teams devour each other and nobody finishes better than 4-3, thus eliminating one another.
Projected Standings: 1. (4) Campbell/Morris 2. (12) Schmiemann/Ginter 3. (5) Tuck/Tuck Jr. 4. (13) Cameron/Carruthers 5. (21) Gordon/Kurz 6. (20) Liscumb/Liscumb 7. (29) Brunton/Leaonard 8. (28) O Connor/Abraham
Qualifiers: Peterman/Gallant, Walker/Muyres, Sahaidak/Lott, Campbell/Morris, Groff/Doering, Birchard/Schneider, Jones/Laing, Schmiemann/Ginter, Desjardins/Desjardins, Kitz/Stewart, Martin/Griffith, Jones/Everist
#CMDCC2019 CHAMPIONSHIP: (7) Kadriana Sahaidak/Colton Lott def. (1) Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant
Who are the duo's you are keeping your curling eyes peeled on this week in NB rock heads? Do you think our defending champs can #DefendTheIce or will we see a new team emerge with the title? Perhaps we are due for a #TeamUpset victory? Mixed doubles is a tough discipline to predict. Teams can get on a roll. #NoLeadIsSafe. And anything can happen!
Share your thoughts and predictions via social media and remember to tag your posts with #CMDCC2019 to keep the conversation sliding hack to hack. And support your favourites all week by tagging them in your posts.
#StayTuned
You can watch select mixed doubles draws online via CBC or the CBC Sports App.
Also the #WWCC2019 are still going on across the pond in Denmark. ICYMI, get caught up on the #MarchMadness On The Ice with the blog event preview HERE. Who will ultimately be crowned world champion this weekend?
PLUS are you ready to welcome a new member into the #TwineTimeFam? I know I am...and I am very confident this player is eager to make it official. Any guesses on who? The interview blog will be released SOON!!!
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