Homan, Bottcher wrap season with wins at Champions Cup
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Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher closed the 2022-23 curling season on Sunday with wins at the Champions Cup in Regina on the Grand Slam circuit.
Homan and her rink of third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Rachelle Brown (subbing in for the pregnant Sarah Wilkes in this event) defeated the four-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champions in Team Kerri Einarson in the women's final, 6-5 in an extra end.
Team Homan, who trailed Einarson's crew 4-0 after three ends, forced an extra with a deuce in the 8th end before stealing a single in the ninth for the win and their second Grand Slam victory of the season.
Homan, 34, has now won 13 Grand Slams in her career and to cap it off, the Ottawa native announced she was pregnant with her third child.
The loss marked Team Einarson's fourth defeat in a Grand Slam final this season. Over six events in 2022-23, the Gimli foursome have made five finals with their lone win coming at the Masters.
In the men's final, Team Bottcher wrapped their first season as a foursome with a 5-3 win over the Brier champs in Team Brad Gushue.
Bottcher, third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert went a perfect 7-0 in Regina, including a 7-2 win over Sweden's Team Niklas Edin in the semifinals.
They also won the Grand Slam's Canadian Open in January.