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Stefania Constantini, Italy’s skip, returned to the Rock League in Toronto on Thursday after a grueling 16-hour journey back from Italy. Her presence was felt immediately, as if she had never left.
“We had her jersey out with us while she was away,” said teammate Grant Hardie. “Anyone struggling with draw weight touched Steffi’s jersey. It’s great that she stepped up and delivered when we needed it.”
Constantini’s return was perfectly timed for Frontier Curling Club. The team improved to 2-3 on the week with a 2-1 win over Northern United on Friday that hinged on the women’s game.
Down 6-2 entering the seventh end, Constantini took control. With the hammer, she faced a crucial draw to the button for four points, aided by a rule that awards two points if a stone covers the pinhole in the final end.
While longtime rivals Bruce Mouat and Yannick Schwaller, now on Northern United together, huddled to discuss strategy on one side, Hardie and GM Chris Plys collaborated on the other.
Constantini executed the shot perfectly, forcing a draw-to-the-button tiebreaker — which she also nailed. The crowd of hundreds erupted in applause louder than any moment all week.
Frontier turned a potential loss into a critical victory, keeping its playoff hopes alive.
“When you’re part of this league, moments like that are what you play for,” Hardie said. “Chris and I felt confident Stef would place it right.”
Nic Sulsky, CEO of The Curling Group, which owns Rock League, echoed this sentiment.
“That’s the kind of moment you want at any great sporting or live event,” Sulsky said. “Everyone there and watching experienced something really special.”
That meaningful connection between players, fans, and standings is exactly what Sulsky envisioned when launching Rock League a year ago.
Despite some technical and broadcast challenges over the first five days, including multiple videoboard tweaks, Sulsky believes the energy on the ice has been the biggest win.
“You can fix tech, broadcast, venue issues—but if the format wasn’t great and curlers didn’t buy in, it wouldn’t work. The format’s awesome, and the curlers have fully embraced it,” he said.
The standings tightened further Friday afternoon when Typhoon Curling Club improved to 2-3 with wins in men’s and mixed doubles over Alpine Curling Club, dropping Alpine to 3-2.
In an all-Canadian clash that night, Brad Jacobs’ Shield Curling Club swept Rachel Homan’s Maple United with wins of 9-3 in men’s, 10-6 in mixed doubles, and 5-4 in women’s, moving into first place.
On Saturday, teams will be seeded for mixed fours games, each worth one point. The top four teams will advance to Sunday’s semifinals, followed by the championship match. The winning team will walk away with US $100,000, with lower payouts for other teams.
Sulsky described the week as exhilarating, exhausting, exciting, and thought-provoking, but ultimate success will be judged in the boardroom.
“We’ve been upfront about raising capital,” he said.
There have been promising signs behind the scenes, including a threefold increase in new American Rock League Instagram followers, likely boosted by ESPN+ streaming.
However, attendance hasn’t met expectations yet.
“Naysayers point to that and say the league’s flopping,” Sulsky noted. “But early draws in curling events aren’t usually packed. It’s a reality between expectations and perception.”
Concerns about competitiveness after an intense Olympic season and recent world championships have largely eased.
“The curling world doesn’t really care about the worlds right after the Olympics,” Sulsky said. “Curlers don’t win much money there. This league offers cash, something new and exciting—and it’s a short format.”
Winning over the curlers themselves was a crucial first step toward attracting financial investment.
Despite a long season and a recent trip to Cortina, Rachel Homan of Maple United is focused.
“We’re practising as much as possible, learning each other’s throws, tweaking things. I expected every top athlete to want to win every match,” she said.
The competition has been fierce, with curlers monitoring other sheets constantly. Alpine’s Alina Patz has had the unusual experience of winning her individual rematch against Anna Hasselborg but losing as a team.
“It feels different. First you’re like, ‘Yeah, I won.’ Then, you remember we lost as a team. We’re still learning and improving. I think at this stage we can beat any team,” Patz said.
With just six draws left, the outcome remains wide open.
“The puzzle pieces are coming together,” Sulsky said. “Early signs show evolution, growth, and change.”
In Friday’s Rock League action, Typhoon Curling Club bounced back with a 2-1 win over Alpine Curling Club.
Alpine’s Alina Paetz got off to a strong start, defeating Anna Hasselborg 7-3 in the women’s game. But Niklas Edin led Typhoon to a 9-4 win over Joel Retornaz in men’s play. Typhoon secured the overall victory when Tori Koana and Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi beat Sofia Scharback and Oskar Eriksson 7-4 in mixed doubles.
After being swept 3-0 by Northern United on Thursday, Typhoon improved to 3-2.
With files from The Canadian Press.