Skip Allyson MacNutt delivers a stone against team Einarson at the PointsBet Invitational in Calgary in this Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Curling Canada, Michael Burns

CALGARY - Allyson MacNutt produced the biggest upset yet in a curling event that provides a stage for toppling heavyweights.

MacNutt's team from Halifax, which will represent Canada at the 2025 world junior curling championship, defeated four-time national women's champion Kerri Einarson 8-6 on Thursday at the PointsBet Invitational.

"So much fun. I'm freaking out," MacNutt declared.

The round of 16 in Curling Canada's PointsBet features junior, college, university, under-25 and club champions taking on some of the top teams in the country.

The single-knockout format of an event that offers just over $350,000 in prize money is unforgiving of early-season rust and rewarding for an unheralded team that's hot at the right time.

The 14th-seeded MacNutt went toe-to-toe with the third-seeded Einarson at WinSport Arena.

She and teammates Maria Fitzgerald, Alison Umlah and Grace McCusker shot 84 per cent as a team to the Einarson foursome's 74. MacNutt posted a 90 per cent to Einarson's 71.

MacNutt led 7-6 on a miss from Einarson in the eighth end. After a blank ninth, MacNutt's draw rubbed off a rock and rolled to the button.

Einarson's attempted raise to remove it and score with her final throw of the 10th gave up another steal of one.

"It's definitely tough," Einarson said. "They played really well. They made a lot of great draws and we missed quite a few opportunities.

"We can't take anything away from them. They played really well and we didn't."

MacNutt and teammates were such fans of Einarson, they asked for a group photo with her team before warm-up Thursday.

A couple hours later, it was MacNutt advancing to the quarterfinals and not Einarson.

"It's crazy watching them on TV growing up and now, like playing against them, and beside all of these amazing teams, and just like having a great game, it's just so insane," MacNutt said. "I'm like, speechless right now."

All 32 teams receive $5,000 to defray travel expenses.

A first-round win is worth $3,000, a quarterfinal is $6,000, a semifinal is $12,000 and $24,000 goes to Sunday's men's and women's victors for a total take of $50,000 for those teams.

MacNutt will face Kate Cameron, who was an 8-5 winner over Jolene Campbell, in Friday's quarterfinal.

Kayla Skrlik meets Chelsea Carey, Kaitlyn Lawes takes on Selena Sturmay and defending champion Rachel Homan is up against Corryn Brown in the other women's quarterfinals.

Brad Gushue squares off against Rylan Kleiter, Kevin Koe faces Jordan MacDonald, Brad Jacobs plays Owen Purcell and Mike McEwen meets Felix Asselin in the men's quarterfinals.

The 11th-seeded Asselin ousted defending champion Reid Carruthers 5-4 on Thursday evening with a tiebreaking draw-the-button that is part of the PointsBet format.

McEwen thumped national junior men's champion Kenan Wipf 11-3, second seed Jacobs defeated college champion Jacob Horgan 9-2 and Purcell was an 11-6 winner over Aaron Sluchinski.

Einarson was without her usual front end in Calgary. Shannon Birchard, who is nursing a knee injury, was replaced by Laura Walker.

Birchard won't be available to the team at next week's season-opening Grand Slam, the HearingLife Tour Challenge, in Charlottetown.

"I'm not exactly sure how long she's out for, but we'll see," Einarson said. "No surgery. She just needs a lot of physio."

Krysten Karwacki has been Einarson's lead since the eve of February's Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Einarson's regular lead Briane Harris is awaiting the outcome of an appeal of a doping violation that she says was due to inadvertent ingestion.

"Laura is a great fill-in," Einarson said. "She's a great addition to the team to fill in for Shannon, but it does change a little bit of our dynamics.

"We did our best with what we could do, and always a lineup change is tough."

Skrlik beat Danielle Inglis 9-2 and Carey was a 10-4 winner over Canadian women's club champion Abby Burgess in the afternoon draw.

Second-seeded Carey, who is skipping retired Jennifer Jones's former team, admitted that it can be uncomfortable playing an underdog with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

"It's big pressure on the top-seeded teams," Carey said. "It almost can feel like a no-win situation, because if you win, everybody goes, 'Well, yeah, of course they won.' And if you don't, then everybody goes, 'Well, what's wrong with them?'"

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024