Team Brown from Kamloops are the new 2020 BC Scotties champions.

The rink of skip Corryn Brown, third Erin Pincott, second Dezaray Hawes, lead Ashley Klymchuk, and coach Allison MacInnes defeated Sarah Wark’s Abbotsford rink 8-7 in a nail-biting extra end game.

The 2020 Scotties BC Women’s Curling Championship, presented by Best Western, took place at Cranbrook’s Western Financial Place. It featured the top eight women’s curling rinks in BC.

Wark, third Kristen Pilote, second Carley Sandwith and lead Jen Rusnell, were behind for much of the game until they got three in the 8^th and a steal of one in the ninth to lead 7-5. But the Brown team rallied to score two in the 10^th to tie up the game and bring it to the extra end. Wark had hammer but was forced into a difficult shot and wasn’t able to make it, giving Brown the point and the win.

Corryn Brown said: “I feel incredible. I’m so proud of the girls. They played unreal all week and I’m really glad we were able to finish it off. We kind of let our foot off the pedal and gave up a three and then a steal after that we were able to pull it together, get the deuce in 10 and steal the extra.”

Team Brown will now represent the province in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, for the Canadian Scotties Tournament of Hearts from Feb. 15-23, with the winner of that representing Canada at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Prince George.

In the 2020 BC Men’s Curling Championship, presented by Nufloors – Penticton, also taking place at Western financial Place, with the final going ahead today at 1:20 p.m. Pacific, 2:20 p.m.

Defending champions Team Cotter, from Vernon and Kelowna curling clubs, with skip Jim Cotter, third Steve Laycock, second Andrew Nerpin and lead Rick Sawatsky, will be up against Team Tardi from Langley and Victoria curling clubs. This is the first provincial men’s final for the Tardi rink of skip Tyler Tardi, third Sterling Middleton, second Jordan Tardi and lead Alex Horvath, however they all have gold medals from world junior championships.

The winner of today’s final will represent BC at the Tim Hortons Brier in Kingston, Ont., from Feb. 29 to Mar. 8.

The men’s finals will be broadcast on CHEK and streamed at cbc.ca/sports/. The broadcast information is posted at https://www.curlbc.ca/live-streaming-broadcast-schedule/.

Ticket and event information for both the men’s and women’s championships is available at https://www.curlbc.ca/cranbrook-2020/.