RED DEER - Six months of regular season and tournament action, including up to six weeks of games in Zone playdowns, culminates starting this weekend, as teams prepare to “March to a title” at the 2019 Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships, presented by ATB Financial.
Tournament action will determine the majority of the 2019 provincial champions. Thirteen titles will be awarded this weekend. Next weekend will see another 12 champions crowned. Nine more champions will be determined on March 31, along with the Junior B champions on April 7. Tournament champions emerge from a weekend of round-robin pool play and playoff action in their respective tournaments.
Provincial championships set for March 14-17 are: Atom Female (Medicine Hat), Atom D (Elk Point), Atom C (Duchess), Atom B (Picture Butte), Atom A (Peace River), Atom AA Minor (Calgary - Trails West), Atom AA Major (Okotoks), Bantam Female A (Girls Hockey Calgary), Bantam D (Kneehill), Bantam C (Nanton), Bantam B (Vermilion), Bantam A (Cold Lake), and Midget Female A (Irma).
Provincial championships set for March 21/22-24 are: Peewee Female B (Lethbridge), Peewee Female A (Olds), Bantam AA (Calgary Buffaloes), Bantam Female B (Okotoks), Bantam Female Elite (Red Deer), Midget Female B (Leduc), Midget Female AAA (St. Albert), Midget D (Fort MacLeod), Midget C (Whitecourt), Midget B (Calgary - Springbank), Midget A (Strathmore), and Minor Midget AAA (Edmonton).
Provincial championships set for March 28/29-31 are: Peewee Tier 4 (Vauxhall), Peewee Tier 3 (Fox Creek), Peewee Tier 2 (Edmonton), Peewee Tier 1 (Slave Lake), Peewee AA (Medicine Hat), Midget Female Elite (Grande Prairie), Midget AA (Edmonton), Junior C (Calgary), and Senior AA (Wainwright).
As well, five champions will be determined via league playoffs: Senior AAA, Junior A, Junior Female, Midget AAA, and Bantam AAA.
For schedules, arenas, host organizations and contacts, and other event-specific information, check the Hockey Alberta website at hockeyalberta.ca or the Provincial Championships website at haprovincials.ca.
In addition to the on-ice action, several communities will participate in True Spirit of Hockey Day activities in their location communities. In conjunction with the Provincial Championship tournament hosts in these communities, a local school is hosting a number of fun activities, allowing students to learn about hockey, and the teamwork and friendships that can be generated in the sport. Participating communities are: Cold Lake, Duchess, Elk Point, Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Nanton, Okotoks, Olds, Red Deer, Vauxhall and Vermilion.