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 Prince George Cougars

Cougars to Host Game #1 of the 2016 Canada Russia Series

March 10, 2016 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


Prince George, B.C. - The Prince George Cougars in conjunction with the Western Hockey League are thrilled to announce that on Monday, November 7th, 2016 the City of Prince George will play host to Game #1 of the 2016 CHL Canada Russia Series which runs November 7th-17th.

The six-game series starts in Prince George and will also include stops in: Edmonton, AB (November 8th), North Bay, ON (November 10th), Hamilton, ON (November 14th), Baie-Comeau, QC (November 15th) and Chicoutimi, QC (November 17th).

"We are honored to have been selected as one of the host cities for this prestigious event," said Prince George Cougars General Manager, Todd Harkins. "We have worked tirelessly over the past two seasons to make junior hockey thrive in Prince George and getting the chance to host the Canada Russia Series further proves that we are trending in the right direction in all aspects of our operation."

Harkins adds, "The Canada-Russia rivalry is one of most exciting and dramatic in all of hockey and we look forward to welcoming the top WHL players from Western Canada along with the top international junior talent from Russia to Prince George so that we can contribute to this terrific junior hockey tradition."

The Cougars will be announcing ticketing information and further details in the coming weeks.

Per the CHL's media release earlier today:

"The rivalry between Canada and Russia is one of the greatest in hockey," said CHL President David Branch. "For the 14th straight season we look forward to bringing the CHL Canada Russia Series to communities across our country. This event annually showcases many of the league's best players aiming for a spot on Canada's National Junior Team in advance of the World Junior Championship which returns to Toronto and Montreal next winter."

Since the event first began in 2003, CHL teams have played to an overall record of 54-18-6 against Team Russia. The competitiveness of the rivalry has grown in recent years with four of the last six series decided in the final game. Russia earned their first series victory in 2010 and have alternated annual series victories with the CHL who earned the 2015 title by a 12-3 margin in points.

The event is an integral part of the identification process for Team Canada prior to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. Canada was represented at this season's World Junior in Finland by 21 CHL players who competed in this series in 2015, while 13 members of Team Russia's series entry also competed in Helsinki earning a second straight silver medal.

Four of the six CHL cities on the 2016 tour are first-time hosts including Edmonton, North Bay, Hamilton, and Baie-Comeau. Prince George was host to Game 6 of the 2010 event where Russia emerged with a 5-2 victory, while Game 1 of the 2007 event was played in Chicoutimi in a contest won 6-4 by Team Russia.

The 2016 CHL Canada Russia Series is supported by CHL associate sponsors Cooper Tire, autoTRADER.ca and Sherwin-Williams. All games will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

2016 CHL Canada Russia Series Schedule:

Game 1 - Monday November 7 at Prince George, BC

Game 2 - Tuesday November 8 at Edmonton, AB

Game 3 - Thursday November 10 at North Bay, ON

Game 4 - Monday November 14 at Hamilton, ON

Game 5 - Tuesday November 15 at Baie-Comeau, QC

Game 6 - Thursday November 17 at Chicoutimi, QC

For event information please visit http://canadarussia.chl.ca.


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