Melville was at the centre of Saskatchewan curling this past week, successfully hosting both the 2026 Bunge Prairie Pinnacle and the 2026 SaskTel Tankard, with provincial championships captured by Team Jolene Campbell and Team Kelly Knapp.
On the men’s side, Kelly Knapp’s rink navigated a demanding schedule that included a full round robin and playoff bracket to win the SaskTel Tankard with a 9-4 win over defending champion Rylan Kleiter on Sunday night.
“It feels even better this time,” Knapp said. “We knew how well we’d been playing, and it kind of felt before the week started that this could be our week.”
The Tankard win sends Team Knapp to the Brier that runs Feb 27th to March 8th, 2026 in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador.
On the women’s side, Team Jolene Campbell captured the Bunge Prairie Pinnacle with a tight 4-3 win over Jana Tisdale, earning the right to wear the green jackets and represent Saskatchewan at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
“It feels so good,” Campbell said. “It’s been ten years since I won that game, and ultimately, that’s why we play — to go wear that green jacket.”
Campbell said her team arrived in Melville confident in its ability to contend for the provincial title.
“We knew before we got here that we had what it takes,” she said. “The final is always hard, but we put ourselves in the right position and made it work.”
Off the ice, the championships were widely praised for their organization and community support. Host committee chair Larry Peterson credited volunteers for the success of the event.
“The curling was great, the fans were great, and our volunteers did an excellent job,” Peterson said.
Peterson noted that many volunteers were not directly involved in curling but stepped up to support the community.
“People just wanted to come out and help,” he said. “One hundred and twenty-eight volunteers gave up their time over the week to make this a great event.”
From championship performances to a strong volunteer effort, the Prairie Pinnacle and SaskTel Tankard once again demonstrated Melville’s ability to host curling’s biggest provincial stages.
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