Team Galusha makes curling history with 8-6 win against Manitoba

Put it in the books. After a nail-biting game against Manitoba this morning, Kerry Galusha and her team made history, securing a place for the Northwest Territories in the Scotties playoffs for the first time.

All eyes were on the team after a competitive performance throughout the Tournament of Hearts qualifying series in Thunder Bay. After a sweeping 8-6 tiebreaker with Manitoba’s Team Zacharius, Team Galusha took the final playoff slot. 

While a Yukon/NWT Canadian women’s curling representative technically made the playoffs in 1983, that team was from the Yukon, meaning this is a first for an all-NWT team.

MUST SEE

This pistol from Jo-Ann Rizzo of @TeamGalusha was not only the possible shot of #STOH2022, but it catapulted the Northwest Territories to its first Scotties playoff appearance in nearly 40 years. pic.twitter.com/3Qxiq3u9q5— TSN Curling (@TSNCurling) February 4, 2022

Team Galusha has gone from strength to strength in the past few years, in part due to more time to play and practice during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’re working harder,” Galusha told Canoe prior to the game. “We’re doing all the right things to try and compete with these other teams.”

The team will play Team Crawford of New Brunswick at 1 pm today.

The winner of the Scotties tournament will go on to represent Canada at the BKT Tires & OK Tire World Women’s Curling Championship 2022 in BC.