Battle of Alberta ends in Team Sturmay’s favour at 2026 Scotties

Selena Sturmay and Kayla Skrlik have faced off countless times, from junior curling clubs in Alberta a decade ago to packed arenas at national championships. The two Alberta skips have become familiar rivals, meeting dozens of times over the years on ice sheets across the country.

Their latest encounter was no different. Sturmay edged ahead in their rivalry, taking an 18-17 lead in head-to-head meetings after defeating Team Skrlik 9-5 on Tuesday night at the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The matchup at Paramount Fine Foods Centre marked their 35th meeting as skips.

“We’ve played multiple provincial finals and playoff games against each other. She’s a great player,” Sturmay said of her provincial rival. “She pushes me to be better. I have to thank her for those competitive games. We both push each other and make each other better.”

Edmonton’s Sturmay, along with third/vice-skip Danielle Schmiemann, second Dezaray Hawes, lead Paige Papley, and coach Ted Appelman, improved to 4-1 after scoring four in both the third and 10th ends.

After two blank ends, Team Sturmay executed a hit-and-roll behind cover, forcing Team Skrlik into a difficult 15-foot runback on four counters. The attempt missed, giving Sturmay a four-ender to open the scoring.

Team Skrlik responded with a draw for two in the fourth. Sturmay attempted a draw for two in the fifth but settled for a single. Skrlik scored one in the sixth, then stole a point in the eighth when Sturmay was light on her draw. Another stolen single in the ninth cut the deficit to 5-4.

“I’ve got to thank my team, they carried me this game. I had a couple of uncharacteristic misses I’d like back,” Sturmay said. “Thanks to the girls for playing as well as they did.”

The battle of Alberta ended with Sturmay’s second four-ender of the night. Skrlik tried to bury a draw on the button, but Sturmay responded with a hit to score four and seal the win.

In other Tuesday evening games, Northern Ontario’s Team Krista Scharf (3-3; Thunder Bay) doubled Nunavut’s Team Julia Weagle (1-5; Iqaluit) 8-4; Manitoba’s Team Beth Peterson (5-0; Winnipeg) used an extra end to defeat Team Amanda Power of Prince Edward Island (1-4; Summerside) 8-7; and Nova Scotia’s Team Christina Black (5-1; Halifax) got the edge over New Brunswick’s Team Mélodie Forsythe (1-4; Fredericton) with a 7-4 win.

The 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts continues Wednesday with draws at 9:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (all times Eastern). 

Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts are available at www.curling.ca/scoreboard/. 

TSN and RDS2 will provide complete coverage of the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule. 

For ticket information for the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, go to www.curling.ca/2026cotties/tickets/. 

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/fr/2026scotties/nouvelles/.