Team Lott, the reigning national champs, miss playoffs at Canadian mixed doubles trials
Published
The husband and wife team of Colton and Kadriana Lott, the reigning Canadian mixed doubles champions, will not make the playoffs at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials.
The Lotts finished round-robin play in Liverpool, N.S., with a 4-3 record after dropping their finale to the undefeated duo of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, 9-6, in an extra end on Thursday.
Team Lott scored four - and almost won it with a five-spot - in the eighth end to force the extra, but weren't able to earn a steal in the ninth.
The father and daughter duo of Jim and Jaelyn Cotter also finished pool play with a 4-3 record after edging Riley Sandham and Brendan Craig by a score of 8-7 in their finale on Thursday. They defeated Lott-Lott, 7-5, on Dec. 30, earning themselves the tiebreaker and the final spot in the playoffs out of Pool B.
The Lotts came into the Trials as a top contender after winning their first Canadian championship last season, beating Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres in the final. They finished off the podium at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.
Peterman-Gallant (7-0) as well as Lisa Weagle-John Epping (5-2) also advanced to the final six.
Brittany Tran and Rylan Kleiter (6-1), Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher (6-1) as well as Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing (4-3) all advanced to the playoffs out of Pool A. Last season's silver medalists at nationals in Walker and Muyres also finished 4-3, but missed the playoffs after dropping their head-to-head matchup with Jones-Laing.
The top two teams in each pool will cross over to play for a direct spot in the 1 vs. 2-page playoff while the losers will battle the third-place teams in the 3 vs. 4-page playoff qualifier. From there, a regular four-team page playoff will commence with the gold-medal match taking place on Jan. 4.
The winning duo in Liverpool will represent Canada at the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Fredericton, N.B., from April 26 to May 3, and will need a high enough result to earn the country one of the 10 births for the Olympic tournament. The final two spots will be determined at an Olympic Qualifying Event later in the year.