LONDON, Ont. - Hockey Canada announced Friday that tickets for the 2011 World Sledge Hockey Challenge, scheduled for April 18-23 at the Western Fair Sports Centre in London, are now on sale.

Canada’s National Sledge Team, which won gold at the event in 2007 in Kelowna, B.C. and 2008 in Charlottetown, P.E.I., before settling for silver last year in Charlottetown, will be joined by sledge hockey powers Japan, Norway and the United States. The four teams competing in London were the top four finishers at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C.

A full, 10-game event package is available for $60, a savings of more than $30 over walk-up prices. In addition, team packages of 20 tickets can be purchased for individual games for $120.

Ticket packages can be purchased online by visiting the official 2011 World Sledge Hockey Challenge website at www.hockeycanada.ca/wshc, or at the Western Fair Sports Centre box office.

“With the passion that Ontario fans have for sledge hockey, I am confident this year’s World Sledge Hockey Challenge will be the best ever,” said Bob Nicholson, Hockey Canada’s president and CEO. “Fans should get their tickets while they can to make sure they’re a part of the excitement this April.”

“Hockey, in all its forms, is about as Canadian as it gets, and London is proud to be hosting the World Sledge Hockey Challenge,” said Joe Fontana, mayor of the City of London. “Congratulations to the top-level competitors who will take the ice. Thank you to the many volunteers who work behind the scenes to make an event like this a reality and to the family and friends who support the athletes. Sledge hockey is an exciting sport and we thank Hockey Canada for bringing world class, fast-paced action to our city.” 

The gold medal game will be broadcast on TSN/RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, on Saturday, April 23. Please check your local listings for broadcast times. All other games, including all round robin games and the bronze medal game, will be available online through hockeycanada.fasthockey.com for $7 per game.