Hockey Canada and Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador are also hosting an Atlantic Bantam Female Skills Challenge at both the Mile One Centre and Twin Rinks in St. John’s on Thursday, November 11 and Friday, November 12. This event will feature seven of the top female Bantam-level players from each of the Atlantic Canadian branches, along with one coach from each of the four Atlantic provinces.

The 28 players and four coaches from New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were selected based upon their performances at the 2010 Atlantic Challenge Cup, held October 8-11 in Moncton, N.B.  One of the Nova Scotia participants will be Truro Bearcats defenseman Mallory Rushton of Amherst.

They will participate in on- and off-ice skills testing, and a series of three-on-three games, during the two-day challenge. The event will also include team-building sessions and special presentations that will give participants new tools to take back to their local minor hockey associations.

“These development activities are sure to inspire young girls to dream big,” said Kalli Quinn, director of female national teams for Hockey Canada. “Whether they aspire to one day put on a Team Canada jersey, or have goals outside of hockey, these programs will instil in their young participants self-esteem and life skills that will help them succeed in whatever they may choose.”

The 2010 4 Nations Cup is being held in St. John’s and Clarenville to help Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador celebrate its 75th anniversary. The event will bring together the top four women’s hockey nations in the world – Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States – for the first time since the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. The four countries competing at the 2010 4 Nations Cup finished as the top four in Vancouver, led by the gold medal-winning Canadian team.

Congrats Mallory..Best of Luck!