DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – For the first time in history, Manitoba will play in the gold medal game against Ontario Blue, which has appeared in the gold medal once before, at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship after posting semifinal wins Saturday at the EnCana Events Centre.

Manitoba defeated host team British Columbia 4-1, while Ontario Blue beat Ontario Red 7-1, to advance to the gold medal game at the 2012 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, which will air live on www.TSN.ca and be replayed on TSN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. MT on Tuesday, November 13.

Please CLICK HERE to watch the gold medal game live online on when the puck drops at 6 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT tomorrow, Sunday, November 11. TSN, TSN2 and RDS are the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada.

Earlier Saturday, Alberta topped Atlantic 6-2 to claim seventh place and Quebec beat Saskatchewan 8-4 for fifth place. British Columbia and Ontario Red will face off for the bronze medal at 2 p.m. ET/12 p.m. MT, with the game airing live at hockeycanada.fasthockey.com. Please CLICK HERE to link to FASTHockey in three easy steps.

The eight rosters that have competed at this year’s national championship include 21 of the 22 players who were members of Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team for a three-game series against the United States in Blaine, Minn., in August, and five players who won a gold medal with Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship in Prerov and Zlin, Czech Republic, in January.

This is the fourth time British Columbia has hosted the National Women’s Under-18 Championship, with Surrey welcoming the event in 2009 and Salmon Arm holding the January 2005 and November 2005 editions of the tournament.

The National Women’s Under-18 Championship brings together teams made up of the best female hockey players born in 1995 or later. The tournament serves as an important platform for Hockey Canada scouts, led by head scout of women’s national team programs Melody Davidson, who are evaluating candidates for the Canadian contingent that will compete at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship next January in Vierumäki, Finland, as well as at other international events.

Single-game tickets for tomorrow’s medal games at the 2012 National Women’s Under-18 Championship cost just $15 apiece. Please visit www.dawsoncreekeventscentre.com for more information.e

NOTE TO MEDIA: Please contact Kristen Lipscombe, Hockey Canada’s coordinator of communications, for any National Women’s Under-18 Championship interview requests at (403) 826-4819 or [email protected].

For more information on the 2012 National Women’s Under-18 Championship, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/nwu18c, and follow all the action from Dawson Creek via social media at www.facebook.com/womensu18 and www.twitter.com/hc_nwu18.