ATLANTIC CHALLENGE CUP JUST AROUND THE CORNER

 The 2013 edition of the Atlantic Challenge Cup will take place Friday, October 11^th through Monday, October 14^th at the Red Ball Internet Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick.  Many great players, coaches and officials have been a part of this event throughout its history and the participants who will be attending the 18^th Annual Atlantic Challenge Cup will be looking to continue the legacy started by those that came before them.

This year’s event will see 320 of the best hockey players in Atlantic Canada converging upon Moncton looking for an Atlantic Championship and the opportunity to be noticed by the large number of scouts who will be in attendance to witness this event.

The Atlantic Challenge Cup is the “Best of the Best” competition for Atlantic Canada’s top Under 15 and Under 17 Female, as well as the top Under 14 and Under 15 Male Players. Provincial teams from New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, in each of the age categories listed above, will compete in the round robin event which is played on the Thanksgiving Weekend each year.  A total of 16 teams, in four age divisions, will represent their province with pride and compete for the title of Atlantic Champions and the opportunity to raise “Chally” (Atlantic Challenge Cup Trophy).

The Atlantic Challenge Cup is the culmination of the High Performance Programs in each of the aforementioned provinces.  The High Performance Program at the provincial level has provided the players, staffs, and officials with an opportunity to develop, learn and challenge themselves as they strive for excellence.  In most cases, the provincial development process has begun in April and will conclude with the Atlantic Challenge Cup.  The players and staff continue to train and prepare as they await the opportunity to challenge themselves against their counterparts from the other Atlantic Provinces.

Bell Aliant and the four Atlantic Hockey Branches are pleased to announce that family members, friends, and fans unable to attend the event will be able to watch all of the tournament games on the live webcasts, courtesy of Bell Aliant.  The live webcasts will be available by going to the official tournament website www.atlanticchallengecup.ca

The Atlantic Challenge Cup has been in existence since 1996 when the event was first hosted in Sydney, Nova Scotia.  The following lists the host communities for the Atlantic Challenge Cup:

 

1996         Sydney, NS

1997         Sydney, NS

1998         Corner Brook, NL

1999         Sydney, NS

2000         Sydney, NS

2001         Saint John, NB

2002         Bathurst/Campbellton, NB

2003         Bathurst, NB

2004         Bathurst, NB

2005         Dieppe, NB

2006         Dieppe, NB

2007         Moncton, NB

2008         Moncton, NB

2009         Moncton, NB

2010         Moncton, NB

2011         Moncton, NB

2012         Moncton, NB

2013         Moncton, NB

The Red Ball Internet Centre features 4 NHL Size Rinks (200’ x 85’) with one feature arena which can accommodate 1500 spectators.  Since the facility opened, it has played host to numerous events and has been a great addition to the City of Moncton and all of those people in Atlantic Canada who have had the chance to visit the facility and be a part of all that it has to offer.

Alumni of the Atlantic Challenge Cup include Sidney Crosby, Sean Couturier, Luke Adam, Brandon Gormley, Nathan MacKinnon, Jillian Saulnier, Sarah Davis, Sarah MacDonnell and Shannon MacAulay.

Keep up to date by checking out the Atlantic Challenge Cup website at www.atlanticchallengecup.ca.  This website will have live webcasts, game summaries, rosters and updates throughout the event.

FOR FURTHER MEDIA INFORMATION:

Nic Jansen

Hockey New Brunswick

[email protected]

(506) 453-0866

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