NAPANEE, ON – Eight teams begin their battle for gold on Wednesday, November 5 as the 2008 National Women’s Under-18 Championship opens at the Strathcona Paper Centre in Napanee, ON.

Team Ontario Red will attempt to win its fifth-straight title at this event, which has been held seven times since 1993. The tournament has given female hockey fans a glimpse at the future stars of the game, with National Women’s Team stars like Gillian Apps, Meghan Agosta, Sarah Vaillancourt and Hayley Wickenheiser among the alumni.

“This event will provide hockey fans with a great opportunity to watch the best young female hockey players from across Canada compete against each other to lay claim to this year’s national title,” says Julie Healy, Director of Female Hockey for Hockey Canada. “Fans will also get to see the skills of future members of the national team. This year’s edition of Team Canada at the IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship in Germany in January 2009 will include players who are participating in this championship. There may even be a future Olympians amongst players taking part in this event.”

The 2008 National Women’s Under-18 Championship opens with four games on Wednesday, including the feature game between Ontario Red and Ontario Blue. The other six teams competing for gold will be Alberta, Atlantic, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Tickets for all games are now available by calling (613) 354-4423. Complete tournament packages are only $70.

The eight teams have been split into two pools. Each team will play three round-robin games before moving on to placement and medal-round games. The top two teams will meet for the gold medal on Sunday, November 9 in a game that can be seen on TSN/RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcasters. Please check local listings for specific time.

This year’s tournament will feature all 22 players from Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team that faced the United States in a three-game series in August 2008. Also, three players at the tournament competed for Canada at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship in January 2008.

Chris Jurewicz, Hockey Canada’s coordinator of media relations, will be on site in Napanee for the tournament. For interview requests, please contact him at (403) 880-5819 or [email protected].