2011 MANITOBA CHAMPIONS:  Pembina Valley wins the Hockey Manitoba Female Midget AA provincial championship and advances to the Western Female Midget Championship.

HOW PEMBINA VALLEY EARNED ITS SPOT AT THE WESTERN FEMALE MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP

• Defeated Norman 15-1 and Assiniboine Park 4-0 in Pool 1 of round robin play at the Hockey Manitoba Female Midget AA provincial championship, held March 18-21 in Winnipeg, Man.
• Earned a bye straight to semifinals and beat Westman 5-2 on March 20.
• Defeated Winnipeg 6-0 in championship game March 21.

TOP SIX TEAMS AFTER ROUND ROBIN
Pembina Valley Hawks
Eastman Selects
Winnipeg Titans
Pembina Trail Twins
Westman Wildcats
Norman Northstars

QUARTERFINALS
Winnipeg 6, Norman 1
Westman 3, Pembina Trail 0

NOTE: Eastman and Pembina Valley earned byes straight to semifinals

SEMIFINALS
Eastman 0, Winnipeg 4
Pembina Valley 5, Westman 2

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Winnipeg 0, Pembina Valley 6

MANITOBA CHAMPIONS – PEMBINA VALLEY HAWKS
The Pembina Valley Hawks successfully defended their Hockey Manitoba Female Midget AA title this season, blanking the Winnipeg Titans 6-0 in the gold medal game of the provincial championship Monday, March 21 to move onto the 2011 Western Female Midget Championship. The Hawks will face off against either the Notre Dame Hounds or the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League, who are currently in the midst of a best-of-five championship series. Last year, the Hawks lost out on the chance to compete in the 2010 Esso Cup after losing to the Hounds in the regional championship. This year, the Hawks hope to soar through the best-of-three Western Female Midget Championship, which they’ll host the weekend of April 1-3, en route to the 2011 Esso Cup the week of April 17-23 in St. Albert, Alta. And if they play the way they have through the 2010-11 season, from their second straight provincial championship gold to their third straight Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League gold, the Hawks could very well come out of Canada’s National Female Midget Championship flying high.