YARMOUTH, N.S. – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, announced Friday a pre-tournament schedule consisting of three games in preparation for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, Nov. 5-11, 2012 in Yarmouth. The schedule will feature five of the six teams taking part in the 2012 World Junior A Challenge – Canada East, Canada West, the Czech Republic, Russia and the United States – as well as the MHL’s CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks.

The games, presented by the Maritime Hockey League (MHL), will be held Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 in three communities: Barrington, N.S., Digby, N.S., and Liverpool, N.S.

“We are excited to bring the 2012 World Junior A Challenge not only to Yarmouth, but to the surrounding communities that have supported this event from the very start,” said Mitch Bonnar, co-chair of the host committee. “We expect three fantastic games as teams get ready to go for gold beginning Nov. 5.”

“The 2012 World Junior A Challenge continues to extend its benefits and present exciting opportunities to create economic activity in several regions of the province,” said Sterling Belliveau, minister of fisheries and aquaculture and environment, on behalf of economic and rural development and tourism minister Percy Paris. “The pre-tournament games in Barrington, Digby and Liverpool will showcase south western Nova Scotia as a world-class destination and host of international junior hockey. Major events like these attract new visitors to the province and help build Nova Scotia’s $1.8-billion tourism industry.”

2012 WORLD JUNIOR A CHALLENGE PRE-TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, Nov. 2 – 7 p.m. AT Czech Republic vs. CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks – Queens Place Emera Centre (Liverpool, N.S.) Tickets: www.hockeycanada.ca/tickets; Queens Place Emera Arena

Saturday, Nov. 3 – 7 p.m. AT Canada East vs. Russia – Digby Area Arena (Digby, N.S.) Tickets: www.hockeycanada.ca/tickets; Digby Area Arena

Saturday, Nov. 3 – 7 p.m. AT Canada West vs. United States – Barrington Municipal Arena (Barrington, N.S.) Tickets: www.hockeycanada.ca/tickets; Murray GM (locations in Yarmouth and Barrington); Barrington Municipal Arena

Tickets for all three pre-tournament games are available for $15 (plus applicable fees).

In addition, tickets for the first of two CJHL Prospects Games – Nov. 10 in Digby – are now on sale for $15 (plus applicable fees) by visiting www.hockeycanada.ca/tickets, or at the Digby Area Arena.

Full-tournament, 13-game ticket packages for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge are on sale for only $199 (plus applicable fees). To purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.All full-tournament packages, including those previously purchased, include a complementary ticket to the second CJHL Prospects Game on Nov. 11 at the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth.

Single-game ticket information for the 2012 World Junior A Challenge will be announced closer to the start of the tournament.

Since the first World Junior A Challenge in 2006 in Yorkton and Humboldt, Sask., more than 100 NHL draft picks have played in the tournament, including 18 first-round selections (Beau Bennett, Alexander Burmistrov, Joe Colborne, Nikita Filatov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Dmitri Kulikov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Hampus Lindholm, John Moore, Vladislav Namestnikov, Riley Nash, Dylan Olsen, Jordan Schmaltz, Jaden Schwartz, Brendan Smith, Kyle Turris, Andrei Vasilevski and Nail Yakupov).

Every gold medal game at the World Junior A Challenge has featured at least one Canadian team. Canada West won gold at the first two tournaments, in 20, before taking the top prize last year; it also earned silver in 20. Canada East was silver medallist in 2006, 2007, 20, and claimed bronze in 2008.

For more information on the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/wjac or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/wjrac or www.twitter.com/hc_wjac.