Team Alberta U16 Male begins game action today when they take on Team BC at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, which runs November 1-4 in Calgary, Alberta at the Father David Bauer Arena.
Team Alberta staff also announced the team captains for the competition:
Captain – Cam Reagan (Sherwood Park, AB)
Assistant Captains – Mason McCarty (Blackie, AB), Matteo Gennaro (St. Albert, AB)
Alternates – Nick Merkley (Calgary, AB), Giorgio Estephan (Edmonton, AB)
Team Alberta is the two-time defending Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup champion after they successfully defended their 2009 title and defeated Team Manitoba 10-4 in the gold medal game at the 2011 event. The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup only occurs in the off years of the Canada Winter Games.
The event features the highest rated players in the Under 16 age category representing the four Western Provinces of Alberta, BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Schedule:
Thursday, November 1
Game #1 - Saskatchewan @ Manitoba - 3:30pm
Game #2 - British Columbia @ Alberta - 7:00pm
Friday, November 2
Game #3 - British Columbia @ Saskatchewan - 11:30am
Game #4 - Alberta @ Manitoba - 3:00pm
Saturday, November 3
Game #5 - Saskatchewan @ Alberta - 11:30am
Game #6 - Manitoba @ British Columbia - 7:00pm
Sunday, November 4
Game #7 - BRONZE MEDAL GAME (3rd Place vs 4th Place) - 9:30am
Game #8 - GOLD MEDAL GAME (1st Place vs 2nd Place) - 1:00pm
The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup is a partnership between the four Western Provincial Hockey Branches - Hockey Alberta, BC Hockey, Hockey Manitoba and the Saskatchewan Hockey Association – and the Western Hockey League (WHL).
The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup is the final event in the first year of the Team Alberta Male program. Selected players then advance to the second year of the program (U17) where they compete for a roster spot on Team Pacific.
Former Team Alberta players include 2011 WHL Rookie of the Year, Matt Dumba, and NHL’ers Jordan Eberle, Jay Bouwmeester, Devan Dubnyk, Devin Setoguchi and Tyler Myers.
ATB Financial is the title sponsor of all Team Alberta programs, including the ATB Alberta Cup and the ATB Alberta Challenge. The Team Alberta Male Program is a two year progression for elite athletes that begins at the ATB Alberta Cup, a U15 age level event, and progresses to the U17 age level. The Team Alberta Female Program is a two year progression for elite athletes that begins at the ATB Alberta Challenge, a U16 age level event, and progresses to the U18 age level. Team Alberta programs feed into Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.