Hockey Alberta Provincial Playdown Draws Set

RED DEER - The road to the Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships, presented by ATB Financial, begins this weekend for hundreds of teams and thousands of players across the province as Zone Playdowns get underway.

The Zone Playdowns serve as the qualifying process for teams to earn the right to represent their zone at the Provincial Championships in March. In some Zones, teams are faced with the arduous task of having to play as many as four or five rounds of Playdown action by the end of February in the bid to earn their Zone crown. In cases where only one team declared an interest in competing at the Provincials, that team has earned a direct berth to the championships.

All Zone Playdowns are two-game, total-goal series. Playdown draw brackets, completion dates, and results can be viewed on the Hockey Alberta website. Results will be updated on a regular basis. Click here for Zone Playdown draws.

Provincial Championships begin as early as March 10, click here for a list of Provincial hosts and dates.

RED DEER - The road to Greenland begins now for 17 of Alberta’s top female athletes living north of the 55th Parallel, as Hockey Alberta has announced the Team Alberta North roster for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.

The Junior Female squad, along with a Bantam Male team, will compete in the Arctic Winter Games March 6-11, 2016. The Games are being hosted in Nuuk, Greenland, but hockey will be played in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Click here to view the Female Team Alberta North Roster.

The female team selection camp ran January 8-10 in Slave Lake. Male selection camp ran December 11-13 in High Prairie, click here to view the Male Team Alberta North Roster.

"Selection camp this past weekend in Slave Lake went very well," said Blake Cosgrove, Regional Centre Northwest Consultant for Hockey Alberta. "We were quite impressed with the level of talent we saw on the ice, and are excited about the squad that will represent Team Alberta North at the games."

The Arctic Winter Games are the world’s largest northern multi-sport and cultural event. The Arctic Winter Games are a celebration of athletic competition, culture, friendship and cooperation between northern contingents. Athletic competition features sports that enjoy worldwide popularity alongside traditional Arctic Sports and dene Games. A significant cultural component featuring visual arts, dance, ceremonies and galas with participants from across the circumpolar region is a pillar of the Games.

Each hockey team is comprised of 17 players and two coaches. Teams participate in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding for medal-round pairings. One gold ulu is awarded in each age/sex class. Teams that regularly participate in ice hockey include Alaska, Yukon, Alberta North, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Communities eligible to participate in the Arctic Winter Games are located North of the 55th Parallel. Click here to view a list of eligible communities.

Click here for more information on the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.