DC Metro Sports - Capitals and Junior Women’s Hockey League to Host 2008 JWHL Challenge Cup at Rockville Arena

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have joined forces with the Junior Women’s Hockey League (JWHL) to host the 2008 JWHL Challenge Cup at Rockville Arena in Rockville, Md., Feb. 15 -18. The tournament features teams from across Canada and the United States, including: Vancouver , Winnipeg , Warner, Alberta , Montreal , Detroit , Chicago and the Washington , D.C. area. The Challenge Cup is a recognized event of USA Hockey’s Hockey Across America Weekend, a three-day national initiative that celebrates the growth of hockey in the United States .

The 2008 JWHL Challenge Cup begins on Friday, Feb. 15, at 5:10 p.m., when Alberta ’s Warner Ice Dogs face off against the Balmoral Hall Blazers of Manitoba. The Washington Pride will take on the Dawson College Blues ( Montreal ) in the late game, slated for 9:10 p.m. Friday night. Medal contests will take place on Monday, Feb. 18. The full schedule of games is available at www.jwhl.org.

The JWHL is an elite four-team league co-founded by The Washington Pride Girl’s College-Prep ice hockey team ( Bethesda , Md. ) and North American Hockey Academy ( Stowe , Vt. ). The Pacific Steelers (Vancouver) and Warner Hockey School (Warner, Alberta ) round out the league, which has played a 16-game season. The JWHL was developed to bring together teams that regularly produce NCAA Division-I and Division-III players. The league is planning to expand from four to up to 10 teams for the 2008-2009 season.

A successful league in only its first season, the JWHL has seen 18 players sign with NCAA Division-I schools for the 2008-09 season, while five players have skated for the U.S. or Canadian under-18 national teams.

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