Hockey Canada, in partnership with Hockey Alberta, the Red Deer Minor Hockey Commission and the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League (AMMFHL), announced Tuesday that Red Deer, Alta., will host the 2015 Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship, from April 19-26, 2015.
The host Red Deer Chiefs of the AMMFHL will be joined by five regional champions (Atlantic, Ontario, Pacific, Quebec and West) to compete for the national championship at the 1,400-seat Red Deer Arena.
Red Deer will be the third Alberta city to host the Esso Cup in its seven-year history, joining Calgary (2009) and St. Albert (2011). Alberta teams have won a medal at every Esso Cup since the tournament debuted in 2009, including two silver and four bronze.
“Red Deer has a strong reputation of hosting national championships and we can’t wait to work with the host committee and Hockey Canada to put on a memorable event,” said Terry Engen, chair of Hockey Alberta. “The 2015 Esso Cup will bring some of the best young female hockey players to Alberta to compete to be called the best and we can’t wait to be a part of it.”
“I would like to thank Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta for their support of our bid for the 2015 Esso Cup. Countless hours have gone into reaching our goal of hosting Canada’s National Female Midget Championship in 2015, and we can’t wait for the puck to drop,” said Todd Thiessen, chair of the host organizing committee and president of the Red Deer Minor Hockey Commission. “We couldn’t be more excited, and are so proud of the female hockey players from Central Alberta, particularly our host Red Deer Chiefs. This will go a long way to growing female hockey in the province of Alberta.”
“The Esso Cup has become one of the highlights of the women’s hockey calendar in Canada, and we could not be more excited to take the event to Red Deer next spring,” said Dean McIntosh, director of events and properties for Hockey Canada. “Red Deer has such a rich Midget hockey tradition, and hosting the 2015 Esso Cup will only add to that.”
