Kaitlyn Lawes comes up short as Kerri Einarson wins fifth Scotties title

Kaitlyn Lawes came up just short of a national title Sunday night as Kerri Einarson and Team Canada captured the Scotties Tournament of Hearts with a narrow victory.

Einarson defeated Lawes 4-3 in 11 ends in the championship final, securing her fifth Scotties title.

The win adds to Einarson’s dominant run between 2020 and 2023 and marks another strong performance for Team Canada on the national stage.

The tightly contested final went to an extra end after Einarson delivered under pressure in the 10th.

Trailing 3-2 and holding the hammer, Einarson made a clutch final shot to score one and force the game to an 11th end.

Lawes had the hammer in the extra end but was unable to capitalize. Einarson took control of the final moments to seal the win and claim the championship.

The final was the third meeting between the two Manitoba-based rinks during the tournament.

Lawes had the upper hand earlier in the week, defeating Einrson in the round robin and again in the Page 1 vs2 playoff game to advance directly to the final.

Despite the loss, Lawes capped off an impressive Scotties run after entering the tournament as a Canadian Team Ranking System qualifier.