Kenora, ON – Canada’s National Women’s Team Fall Festival is officially underway, with all three teams taking the ice on Sunday at the Kenora Recreational Centre. This week’s camp is the largest camp ever run by the National Women’s Team and will allow Hockey Canada to evaluate and develop players and staff for its National Women’s and National Under-22 teams this year and for years to come.

Most staff members arrived in Kenora on Friday (September 1st), while all the players arrived from all over Canada on Saturday, September 2nd. The host committee in Kenora has pulled out all stops to make this a memorable event and a very special way to kick off a very special hockey season in Kenora.

This year, the town of Kenora is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Stanley Cup victory. Yes, Kenora has a Stanley Cup banner displayed proudly in its arena, commemorating the Kenora Thistles’ winning the Stanley Cup in 1907, almost 100 years ago. Kenora, a picturesque lakeside town in Northwestern Ontario, has a population 165-06.

The National Women’s Team Fall Festival is a very significant event for the National Women’s Program as it allows the staff to evaluate players and staff for the 2006-07 season (2006 Four Nations Cup in Kitchener, ON; 2007 IIHF World Women’s Championship in Winnipeg, MB), but it also sets the stage for the next four years, culminating of course with the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. The preparation is underway and players will be looking to make an impression this week in Kenora.

Intersquad games begin Monday evening, with Team A (White) taking on Team B (Black). Ticket sales have been brisk here in Kenora, but there is still room for fans looking to watch Canada’s finest in action. Tickets are available at the Kenora Recreational Centre right now, until game time.