Winnipeg – Hockey Manitoba is pleased to announce the selection of the host sites for the following two Western Canadian Championship events in 2011:

2011 Western Canadian Bantam Championship – Winnipeg, MB (MTS Iceplex)

2011 Western Canadian Shield Senior Women’s Championship – Winnipeg, MB (Dakota Community Centre)

The Western Canadian Bantam Championship features Western Canada’s top Bantam teams including representatives from BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan as well as two teams from Manitoba (host and provincial champion). The event will take place from April 7-10, 2011 in the newly constructed MTS Iceplex facility. The Winnipeg Monarchs won the 2010 Western Bantams – the first time a team from Manitoba had won the event since 1992 – and are hoping to earn a spot in this year’s event to defend its title.

The Western Canadian Shield is Canada’s longest running women’s hockey championship which plays host to the best senior women’s teams in Western Canada. Scheduled on April 8-10, 2011 at the Dakota Community Centre in Winnipeg, it will mark the 50th anniversary for the event – a significant milestone that will certainly be recognized by the host committee during the championship. Manitoba’s teams are determined each season at the provincial championships in February and have consistently medaled in both “A” and “B” divisions in recent years.

Hockey Manitoba’s President Brian Franklin exclaimed, “We are certainly excited to be hosting these two prestigious hockey events in our province this coming season. We have extremely dedicated groups of volunteers who will work tirelessly to ensure that each championship is successful both on and off the ice. Manitobans continue to prove that we are willing and able to showcase the sport at all levels each and every year.”

Visit our website for more information at www.hockeymanitoba.mb.ca