After an adrenaline-filled week of competition involving 35 teams and more than 200 athletes from across the province, the 2026 B.C. Women’s and Men’s Curling Championship finals wrapped up on Jan. 4 at Esquimalt’s Archie Browning Sports Centre.
Among the finalists were two local teams competing for provincial titles and a chance to advance to the national championships.
On the men’s side, Victoria’s team, led by Shawnigan Lake’s Jason Montgomery, crossed brooms with Delta’s Cody Tanaka at 2 p.m. with the Delta rink coming out on top 6-5.
Earlier in the day, the women’s final saw Victoria’s Taylor Reese-Hansen face Kamloops’ Corryn Brown at 9 a.m.
In a battle that lasted nearly three hours, the Island team prevailed with a hard-fought 9–5 win in front of stands packed with supporters, friends, and family.
Victoria skipper Taylor Reese-Hansen makes a delivery during the women’s finals. (Olivier Laurin/Victoria News)
Moments after their victory, team skipper Reese-Hansen told Victoria News that she was overjoyed by her and her team’s accomplishment, securing a spot at the national championships.
“It’s really special and I feel really honoured to be part of B.C. women’s curling history,” she said. “I’m just so proud of the team and how we battled all week. We had some tougher games earlier but we really built up momentum as the week went on, and I think that just is a testament to all our hard work this season.”
In front of an attentive audience, the Victoria squad secured a decisive win with a sharp ninth-end delivery, knocking two of their opponent’s stones out of the house and taking a 3–0 lead.
“The angles worked out and we were able to double them out right on the nose,” she said. “We were lucky that we had a couple of biters in there too, so we were able to score three in the end.”
After the local team received its medals and trophy, Reese-Hansen nodded at their Kamloops rivals, whom she said she had looked up to for years before facing them at this championship, calling them “phenomenal” adversaries.
“They’ve been around the game for so long and we’ve looked up to them for so long as well,” she said. “They’re a big part of B.C. women’s curling history as well so it was always going to be a good battle out there coming down to the last drop.”
One of the highlights of her sports career, the 28-year-old curler said heading to the Scotties has been a long-standing dream come true.
“Every athlete knows what an honour it is to be able to represent your province on the national stage,” she said. “I remember in my high school yearbook, my biggest goal in life was to go to the Scotties and we achieved that today.”
While she celebrated her win, Reese-Hansen added that she and her team already have their eyes set on the Canadian championship, which will take place in Mississauga, Ont. on Jan. 23.
As she exited the arena, she thanked everyone in attendance for supporting their local team.
“We have been so blessed with the fans,” she said with a smile. “We have so many friends and family here cheering us on, so it’s been an extra shot in the arm. It really gets you fired up when you make a good one.”
“We felt the love and support all week and we’re just really glad that we were able to make our community proud.”
After a lunch break, the men took centre stage in a tight match. In the 10th end, Delta’s Cody Tanaka bested Victoria’s Montgomery.
“It was a close game,” said the team’s skipper Jason Montgomery. “Maybe we weren’t quite as sharp as we had been. We just missed a couple of rolls, over curled, under curled, by literally half an inch on a few shots.
“We didn’t play badly, but we didn’t play our best.”
Shawnigan Lake’s Jason Montgomery led his Victoria team to the 2026 finals. (Olivier Laurin/Victoria News)
Despite scoring two points in the eighth end to take a narrow 4–3 lead, the Victoria squad ultimately fell short in the 10th, as the Delta team pulled out a 6-5 victory.
Despite the loss, Montgomery remained positive after a fourth attempt at the provincial title.
“It was a good week,” he said. “You always want to be in the final and it’s a tough one right now. (Tanaka’s) team played well and I’m happy for them.”
While this marks the end of their competitive season, Montgomery mentioned that he would most likely compete the next year and hopefully lead his rink to the provincials next year.
“We had a really good year,” he said. “It was probably my best year of curling I’ve ever played.
“I love curling with that team.”
As the tournament came to an end, Curl BC CEO Scott Braley called this year’s championship – their biggest yearly event – a “big success.”
“There’s a very good vibe if you will,” he said. “There’s just more people involved and a really good celebration to start off the year of curling.”
Scott Braley is the CEO of Curling BC. (Olivier Laurin/Victoria News)
For the first time, Braley explained, this year’s tournament combined U20 curlers with provincial athletes, allowing them to rub shoulders and compete alongside B.C.’s best.
Touring the province year after year and hosting competitions in various cities, Braley admitted that he always had a soft spot for the capital city because of the community’s strong and long-standing love for curling.
“Victoria is well represented and really does more than its share in terms of hosting so we love coming here,” he said.
For more information about the 2026 B.C. championships, visit curlbc.ca.