KITCHENER, ON – One hundred and sixty of Canada’s top women’s Under-18 players will converge on the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium this week for the 2007 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, which will run from November 7-11, 2007.

Eight teams – Alberta, Atlantic, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario Blue, Ontario Red, Quebec and Saskatchewan – will begin play Wednesday morning with the hope of playing for a gold medal and a national championship on Sunday afternoon.

The gold medal game on Sunday, November 11th, will be shown on TSN/RDS, the official broadcaster of Hockey Canada. Check your local listings for broadcast information.

A number of current National Women’s Team stars have taken to the ice at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship in the past, including 2007 IIHF World Women’s Championship gold medalists Meghan Agosta, Gillian Apps, Sarah Vaillancourt and Katie Weatherston.

This year’s championship will feature 20 of the 21 players who played for Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team in a three-game series against the USA in Ottawa in August. That National Women’s Under-18 Championship is a very important event for Hockey Canada scouts, who will use the event to help select Canada’s team for the inaugural IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship, which will be held in Calgary, AB from January 7-12, 2008.

Ontario Red enters this year’s championship as the three-time defending gold medalist, having beaten Quebec in all three gold medal games.

TICKETS

Full-event passes are on sale now for $75, with single-day passes (Wednesday through Saturday) available for $20. A pass for Championship Sunday, which includes both the bronze medal game and gold medal game, is available for $25. Single-game tickets are also on sale, for $5 each. To purchase tickets, call 1-800-265-8977 or 519-578-1570 or visit online at www.centre-square.com.