SUMMERSIDE, PEI -- Seven winners of $1,000 Royal Bank Junior A Scholarships were revealed Monday during the Royal Bank Cup, the National Junior A Hockey Championship, Canadian Hockey announced.

The Royal Bank Junior A Scholarship program is designed to provide an opportunity for Junior A players to apply for a scholarship based on their academic accomplishments and on-ice performance.

The winners for 1997 are: Patrick Saurette, 20, of the Selkirk Steelers; Dan Bakenfuhr, 21, of the St. Albert Saints; Deny Gaudet, 20, of the Moncton Gagnon Beavers; Eric Bourbonnais, 20, of the Gloucester Rangers; Carl Desjardins, 18, of Collège Français de Longueuil; Bart Redden, 20, of the North Battleford North Stars; and Kyle Wilson, 20, of the Powell River Paper Kings.

The national winner of a $1,500 scholarship provided by the Royal Bank will be announced on Friday.

To be eligible for a scholarship under the Royal Bank Junior A Scholarship program a player must be a Canadian citizen, be a Junior A carded athlete,and be enrolled in a full-time post-secondary program or secondary school program. The scholarship must be utilized within 12 months of completion of the award recipient's Junior hockey eligibility.

The five-team Royal Bank Cup championship continues this week in Summerside, involving the Kanata Valley Lasers of the Central Junior A Hockey League; the South Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Junior A Hockey League; the Summerside Hemphill Pontiac Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League, the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior A Hockey League and the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats of the Northern Ontario Junior A Hockey Association.

The gold medal final game of the Royal Bank Cup will be telecast live on TSN and RDS on May 11.