The tournament will include eight provincial and regional teams; defending gold medallist Ontario Red will play in Group A with Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan, while Group B features Alberta, Atlantic, British Columbia and Ontario Blue.

Alberta and British Columbia face off in the tournament’s opening game Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m. ET, while Ontario Red will take on Quebec in the opening day’s feature game at 7:30 p.m. ET. The top two teams from each group in the preliminary round will play in the semifinals Nov. 7, with the bronze medal game and gold medal game both scheduled for Nov. 8.

All preliminary round games, placement games, semifinals and the bronze medal game can be seen live via FASTHockey webcast at www.hockeycanada.ca/nwu18c, while TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters for Hockey Canada, will broadcast the gold medal game.

Hockey Canada, the OWHA and Town of Huntsville also announced full-tournament, 18-game ticket packages are now available for just $50. For more information on ticket packages, including how to purchase, CLICK HERE.

“As a committee, we are extremely honoured and excited to be hosting this prestigious event,” said Wendy McConnell, chair of the host organizing committee. “Ticket packages are on sale and today’s big launch will kick things into high gear moving forward. Huntsville boasts a very colourful sporting history, and to be hosting a Hockey Canada event in our community is absolutely the best thing that can happen here.”

“The OWHA is thrilled to partner with Hockey Canada and the Huntsville host committee to bring this exceptional level of hockey to the area,” said Fran Rider, president of the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association. “Spectators from far and wide will be entertained by the intensity and skill of the participants whose sights are set on gold medals and national supremacy.”

The 2015 National Women’s Under-18 Championship will bring together teams made up of the best female hockey players born in 1998 or later. The tournament serves as an important platform for Hockey Canada scouts, who will evaluate candidates for the Canadian team that will compete at the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championships, as well as at other international events.

The 2015 tournament marks the third time Ontario has hosted the National Women’s Under-18 Championship since its 2001 inception in Trois-Rivières, Que., joining previous host communities Kitchener (2007) and Napanee (2008). The National Women’s Under-18 Championship is held annually, although it is replaced by the Canada Winter Games every four years.

The 2015 National Women’s Under-18 Championship is the first of two major women’s events Ontario will host during the 2015-16 season; the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship comes to St. Catharines, Ont., from Jan. 8-15. For more information, including how to purchase a full-tournament ticket package, visit www.hockeycanada.ca/2016niagara.

For more information on the 2015 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, please visitwww.hockeycanada.ca/nwu18c or follow along via social media at www.facebook.com/womensu18 or www.twitter.com/hc_nwu18.