Regina, Saskatchewan - April 4, 2002 - Alberta teams in the junior and open divisions remain undefeated, while the eastern provinces are yet to post wins at the Canadian ringette championships in Regina.

In junior (ages 14-15) play, Manitoba picked up their first win after downing Nova Scotia 8-3 and they later went on to post the same score over New Brunswick. Winnipeg's Lisa Knievel picked up four goals in the first game and Winnipeg's Ainsley Ferguson scored two goals and three assists in the second. Ontario captured a 5-4 overtime win against Quebec, with Ottawa's Josee Suprenant scoring the winning goal plus another goal and an assist earlier in the game. Ontario later posted a 6-5 win over Saskatchewan. Alberta remains undefeated in the junior division.

Previously undefeated Ontario came up short in both games in the belle (ages 16-18) division today. In overtime play, they were downed 4-3 by British Columbia, with Burnaby's Solana Green scoring the winning goal and also picking up an assist. Later in the day, Boucherville's Julie Savoie picked up four goals when Quebec beat Ontario 7-6.

In the open (ages 19 and over) division, undefeated Alberta has captured a bye to the finals after downing Ontario 5-1. In other games, Pierrefonds' Kim Poirier posted two goals and three assists in a 9-5 win over Manitoba and a goal and an assist in a 6-5 win over British Columbia. Vancouver's Sarah Miller posted three goals in a 6-5 win over the Regina host team and Toronto's Keely Brown recorded a 7-0 shut out over Saskatchewan.

Over 450 athletes, representing 25 teams from all provinces except Newfoundland and the territories are participating in this year's championships, which represent the 24th annual competition for the sport. At last year's championships, held in Moncton, New Brunswick, Alberta captured gold in the belle and open divisions, while Manitoba took the gold in the junior division. The 2003 Canadian ringette championships will be held in Waterloo, Ontario from March 29-April 5, 2003.

Competition continues tomorrow, Friday, April 5th at 8:00 a.m. (CST). Junior and belle round robin play finishes tomorrow morning with semi finals beginning at 4:30 p.m. (CST) and finals in all three divisions scheduled for Saturday, April 6th.

End of day results for Thursday, April 4th at the 2002 Canadian ringette championships in Regina, Saskatchewan:

JUNIOR DIVISION (Age 14-15)
Ontario 5 Quebec 4 (OT)
Manitoba 8 Nova Scotia 3
Saskatchewan 3 New Brunswick 0
Alberta 8 B.C. 3
Quebec 7 Regina host 3
Ontario 6 Saskatchewan 5
British Columbia 7 Nova Scotia 0
Alberta 7 Regina host 6 (OT)
Manitoba 8 New Brunswick 3
Standings - 1. Alberta (7-0); 2. (tie), Ontario and B.C. (6-1); 4. Quebec (4-3); 5. Regina host (4-4); 6. Saskatchewan (3-4); 7. Manitoba (2-5); 8. (tie), New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (0-7).

BELLE DIVISION (Ages 16-18)
B.C. 4 Ontario 3 (OT)
Quebec 7 P.E.I. 0
Alberta 11 Saskatchewan 5
Manitoba 11 Nova Scotia 4
B.C. 6 Regina host 4
Quebec 7 Ontario 6
Manitoba 10 P.E.I. 3
Saskatchewan 8 Nova Scotia 1
Alberta 9 Regina host 2
Standings - 1. (tie), B.C., Alberta and Manitoba (6-1); 4. Quebec (5-2); 5. Ontario (4-3); 6. Saskatchewan (3-4); 7. Regina host (2-6); 8. (tie), P.E.I. and Nova Scotia (0-7).

OPEN DIVISION (Ages 19 and over)
B.C. 6 Regina host 5
Quebec 9 Manitoba 5
Ontario 7 Saskatchewan 0
Alberta 5 Regina host 2
Manitoba 7 Saskatchewan 3
Alberta 5 Ontario 1
Quebec 6 B.C. 5
Standings - 1. Alberta (6-0); 2. (tie), Ontario, Quebec and B.C. (4-2); 5. Manitoba (2-4); 6. Saskatchewan (1-5); 7. Regina host (0-6).

About Ringette
Ringette is a 39-year-old Canadian invention that has become one of the fastest team sports on ice. There are currently over 24,700 players on more than 2,000 teams across the country with over 1,800 officials and over 5,000 coaches. Internationally, it is played in half a dozen other countries around the world.

From November 25-30th, Canada will host the 2002 World ringette championships in Edmonton, Alberta, where national teams from Finland, France, and Sweden, the United States and Canada will compete for the world title.

For more information, please refer to the Ringette Canada Web site at www.ringette.ca.