Team Canada Secures Playoff Berth at Women's Curling Worlds

Calgary, Canada (AP) - Team Canada, skipped by Kerri Einarson, secured a playoff berth at the 2026 BKT World Women's Curling Championship on Thursday with a split in its two round-robin games at WinSport Event Centre, improving to 8-2 and tying for second place.

In the morning draw, Einarson and her rink of third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Karlee Burgess defeated South Korea's Eunji Gim 8-3 in eight ends. The Canadians took control early, scoring two in the third end after Sweeting's hit-and-roll behind a guard opened the house. Gim managed a single in the fourth, but Einarson responded with a three-point end in the fifth when Gim missed a freeze, building a 6-2 lead. Canada added a steal in the sixth and traded singles before Gim conceded.

Einarson described the victory as the team's most complete performance of the tournament. "We just went out there, not thinking, just throw the rock, broom weight, and we really caught on to the ice fast," she said. "We're definitely feeling very comfortable." Burgess, who shot 97 percent, highlighted the grind of the schedule. "We've been kind of a little tired this morning, so we just really wanted to bring the energy...