Sherwood Park, (Alberta) Alberta will have two teams playing in the upcoming 2004 Esso Women’s National Hockey Championship taking place in Sherwood Park March 10-14, 2004.

"We are very pleased to be able to showcase two Alberta teams in the Championship," said Elaine Garner, Co-Chair of the 2004 Esso Women’s Nationals Host Committee. "Both Alberta teams will be strong contenders and will be in the "A" Pool. This will certainly bring the north/south provincial rivalry to a head, especially if both teams make the semi finals. It would be quite the gold medal game – Alberta versus Alberta," added Garner.

With the unexpected news coming out of Prince Edward Island that they could not attend this event, the Championship will now revert back to the format of the past two years in Saskatoon, SK (2003) as well as Renfrew-Arnprior, ON (2002). That format being two teams from the host province attending the Esso Women’s Nationals. The second Alberta team will be the runner-up in the provincial championship determined in February.

"It is unfortunate that PEI won’t be making the trip, however it allows us to showcase the two Alberta teams which will generate plenty of interest from hockey fans and spur on ticket sales. It will be an exciting competition seeing both the Edmonton Chimos and the Calgary Oval Extreme in the Championship," said Shelley Tobo-Gaudreau, Co-Chair of the 2004 Host Committee.

The full schedule and ticket information are available on the official website www.hockeycanada.ca. Follow the links to the Esso Women’s Nationals. Complete rosters of all teams competing in the Championship will be posted by the end of February.