CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The stage is set at the 2012 Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship, for Saturday’s gold medal game between the Pembina Valley Hawks (West) and the Thunder Bay Queens (Ontario).

Both teams earned berths into the final by coming out on top in semifinal action Friday, April 27 In the first semifinal, Pembina Valley (West) defeated the Edmonton Thunder (Pacific) 2-1, while the second semifinal saw Thunder Bay (Ontario) beat Halifax Metro Poston Pizza (Atlantic) 4-2.

Saturday’s gold medal game will be a round robin rematch, as Thunder Bay edged Pembina Valley 5-4 on Day 5 at the 2012 Esso Cup, with Jillian Langtry (Fort Frances, Ont.) notching two points, including the game winning goal. It will also be Thunder Bay’s second appearance in the final game, as the Queens won the gold medal at the 2010 Esso Cup in Regina, Sask.

Thunder Bay finished first in the 2012 Esso Cup preliminary round with a perfect 5-0 record, while Pembina Valley had three regulation wins, one shootout win and one regulation loss for second place. This marks the fourth annual National Female Midget Championship, with the Westman Wildcats (West) winning the inaugural event in Calgary, Alta., in 2009 and the Notre Dame Hounds claiming gold in 2011 in St-Albert, Alta.
Award winners for the 2012 Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship, were announced Friday morning at a breakfast banquet for the six participating teams. The tournament’s awards committee named six recipients, with the awards based on the preliminary round games played from Sunday, April 22 through Thursday, April 26.

The 2012 Esso Cup award winners are as follows:

• Top Goaltender – Brittni Mowat, Pembina Valley Hawks (West)
• Top Defenceman – Madison Hutchinson, Pembina Valley Hawks (West)
• Top Forward – Jessica Gazzola, Thunder Bay Queens (Ontario)
• Most Valuable Player – Michela Cava, Thunder Bay Queens (Ontario)
• Most Sportsmanlike Player – Breanna Lanceleve, Metro Boston Pizza (Atlantic)
• Top Scorer – Michela Cava, Thunder Bay Queens (Ontario)

The Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award, which recognizes an active female player who demonstrates dedication and leadership in the game and whose characteristics reflect those of the award’s namesake, was also presented Friday morning to Jordan Krause of Kelowna, B.C.

Bronze and gold medal game tickets are still available for $8 each by ordering from www.hockeycanada.ca/tickets, or stopping by the CARI Complex box office in Charlottetown. Children under 12 years old who are wearing jerseys will be admitted to the gold medal game for free.

The 2012 Esso Cup gold medal game will be broadcast on TSN/RDS, official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, on Saturday, April 28 at 5 p.m. AT. Please check your local listings for broadcast times in your area. Semifinals and the bronze medal game at 1 p.m. AT on Saturday can be seen live via webcast through FASTHockey.

Fans can watch all the action for free by following three easy steps:

STEP 1: Visit www.hockeycanada.fasthockey.com and sign up for a free FASTHockey account.

STEP 2: Like the Esso Cup page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/essocup.

STEP 3: Just prior to the game, click the Esso Cup LIVE link on the Esso Cup Facebook page to watch.

NOTE TO THE MEDIA: Francis Dupont, Hockey Canada’s manager of media relations, will be on site for the 2012 Esso Cup in Charlottetown. Please contact him for interview requests at [email protected] or (587) 999-5681.

For more information on the 2012 Esso Cup, please visit www.HockeyCanada.ca/EssoCup, or follow along through social media at www.Facebook.com/EssoCup and www.Twitter.com/HC_EssoCup.