TEAM ONTARIO wins Gold captures Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships

Ottawa, April 9, 2007- Team Ontario Tween "AA" ringette team have been crowned champions in the Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships held April 6-8 in Charlottetown, PEI.

Representing the province of Ontario in the six team event, the Ottawa based team defeated Team New Brunswick in a thrilling 4-3 overtime win on Sunday, April 8^th. Team Ontario finished the round-robin with 3 wins and 2 losses. They then faced first placed Team Quebec in the semi final and skated away with a 7-3 victory. This earned Team Ontario a birth in the final against a feisty Team New Brunswick who had defeated them on Friday in the round-robin. With the game tied 3-3 at the end of regulation play, Ontario wearing their red provincial uniforms turned up the heat, controlled the play and scored early to claim Gold and the privilege of being crowned the top Tween "AA" team in Eastern Canada.

Not even a fierce Easter Sunday storm that left 30 cm of snow and shut down most of the Province could dampen the spirit of the competing teams. The final four teams - Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario - led a convoy through the 60 km/hour winds and beat a path through the drifting snow to the UPEI arena on Sunday in order to complete the final games of the tournament.

Team Ontario head coach Andy Gross commented: "Our players worked hard all season to earn this trip, and once here they demonstrated their strong desire to compete and continued to improve every time we stepped on to the ice. They played their hearts out in Charlottetown against the best teams East of Ontario. We are so proud of all of them, not just for the way they played on the ice, but for how they represented Ottawa and Ontario at the event. This is a very special group of talented young athletes, with each bringing different character and skill which makes the team as a whole so successful and enjoyable to watch".

Close to 45 Ottawa area residents (team members, parents, grandparents and siblings) traveled to the birthplace of Confederation to support the Ottawa Team. While not at the rink, the Ontario visitors took in some of PEI's sights including the fabled Anne of Green Gables house and some of PEI's famous beaches. The Ottawa team was also able to get to know players from other teams during social opportunities including an official tournament banquet. At this event, all participating team coaches thanked the local organizing committee for their hospitality and high level of organization for the championship.