Team Québec #1 and Team Saskatchewan successful in Page 1-2 Qualifiers at 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship

Rematches and redemption plots led Thursday afternoon’s draw at the 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship in Boucherville, Que., as the first round of playoffs came to a close.

Québec’s Team Carl Marquis and Saskatchewan’s Team Marie Wright are headed for a Friday afternoon matchup, both only one win away from the gold-medal game at the Boucherville Curling Club. Both teams booked their tickets to the Page 1v2 playoff with Thursday afternoon wins.

The host province’s skip Carl Marquis is joined on the ice by third/vice-skip Sebastien Boisvert, second François Lacourse, and lead Johanne Mathieu and supported by alternate Noémie Gagné and coach Germain Tremblay.

Marquis led his team to another dominant performance against defending champion Team Northern Ontario’s Douglas Dean in a rematch of the 2025 final.

“It feels really nice, and it felt kind of like a pre-final because we lost against Northern Ontario last year for the silver,” said Marquis. “It’s kind of a little fun revenge, but I know that Doug [Dean] will take the long run to come back because he’s a real competitor.”

The two teams have met many times over the years, but Thursday afternoon’s game looked different than expected as Québec blew out Northern Ontario 9-2 in seven ends.

Although the score appears lopsided, it was quite the game to watch, and one full of big risks and impossible-looking shot attempts. In the sixth end, Northern Ontario’s third/vice-skip Gino Sonego had the crowd holding their breath with a shot through a tight port in an attempt to get to a buried Québec stone.

While the crowd was certainly leaning in favour of their home province, it let out a big groan when Sonego’s rock wrecked on his own guard and gave up the chance at the highlight reel.

“It’s great to have that competition in Canada,” said Marquis. “And I’m really proud of my team. I’m proud of my teammates because they did a great job. Even our coach, everything was perfected.”

The Québec team has been a powerhouse all week long and has put up big numbers against each opponent in Pool B. According to Marquis, the secret is figuring out the ice.

“The ice conditions change all the time, and we really work on that with our coach,” said Marquis. “We try to have the knowledge of what to do with each kind of ice when things change during the game. We try to be really conscious about our timing and what the rocks are doing so we can use it to our advantage.”

Team Saskatchewan’s Marie Wright (Moose Jaw) is also moving on to the Page 1v2 playoff after a dramatic 5-4 win over Team Ontario’s Karl Allen (Schomberg).

Wright’s Saskatchewan squad is made up of fourth/vice-skip Gilbert Dash, second Moose Gibson, lead Pete Andrews, and coach Ben Gamble, but only three of four athletes finished Thursday’s game due to an injury.

“These things happen so fast,” said Wright of Gibson’s fall in the fifth end. “I didn’t even see it happen, but your emotions run high. We kind of just rallied around and said, ‘Let’s go out and play our best for Moose.’ Because he really wanted this win.”

And that’s exactly what they did.

It was a resilient win for Saskatchewan that came down to the last stone, secured by just a few inches. Ontario’s fourth-rock thrower, Chrissy Molnar, was unsuccessful in her attempt to navigate past a few guards with the clock winding down for a runback to earn the win.

“It feels great to be only one win away from the final,” said Wright. “This felt like a pretty big game because now we don’t have to battle so many games to get back, but it’s fun playing our friends from Ontario.”

The battle between Wright and Marquis will be a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal heartbreaker that ended Saskatchewan’s playoff run. The winner will advance directly to the gold-medal game on Saturday afternoon.

The 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship continues Friday with playoffs continuing at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (all times Eastern).

For the second year in a row, the championship is taking place alongside the Défi sportif AlterGo, an event that hosts nearly 6000 athletes with disabilities.

For live scores, team lineups, and schedule information, click here.

Tickets to the 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship are free of charge. For directions to the venue, click here.

Live streaming is available on Wheelchair Curling Canada’s Facebook page.