Aspiring young athletes take advantage of coaching from Canadian Women's Hockey Elites and Olympic Gold Medalists Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Tessa Bonhomme

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2012 /CNW/ - Two-time captain of Olympic gold medal winning Canadian hockey teams Cassie Campbell-Pascall will team up with Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) top draft pick and 2010 Olympic gold medalist Tessa Bonhomme to coach the girls of the Oakville Hornets Girls Hockey Association, for the second annual Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest Oakville.

The event takes place on Sunday, March 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville.  Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest offers girls from novice, atom, peewee and bantam-levels the opportunity to improve both on-ice game skills and off-ice life skills with coaching from some of the best female hockey players in the world.

"It means a great deal to an athlete to be surrounded by people who share a passion for your sport. Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest offers young female athletes a unique outlet where they can come together to learn about and celebrate hockey," said Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Scotiabank Hockey Ambassador. "These types of experiences weren't an option when I was growing up, so I am happy to be able to be a part of this event now and help work with the girls to improve their game."

The all-day event is comprised of on and off-ice training, a skills competition, and keynote addresses from both coaches on the hard work, dedication and determination that helped them reach their goals. The Olympians will receive help from talented assistant coaches from the CWHL.

"The Oakville Hornets Hockey Association is honoured to have this fantastic opportunity for our talented young players," said Mike Turczyniak, President, Oakville Hornets Hockey Organization.  "Oakville has a strong hockey community that is particularly supportive of our young players. We look forward to having such talented Canadian athletes come to instruct and inspire the girls."

Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest began in Ottawa eight years ago before expanding to Calgary, Winnipeg and Oakville. The enthusiasm of the girls from last year's Oakville event, which was a part of Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, inspired this year's Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest Oakville.

"Bringing Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest back to the enthusiastic players in the Oakville Hornets has been really exciting to plan for this year," said Nicole Stevenson, Scotiabank Branch Manager, Dorval Crossing branch in Oakville. "Learning from athletes like Cassie and Tessa is a truly unique opportunity for these girls, and we're happy to play a part in helping make that opportunity possible."

To learn more, please visit www.scotiabankgirlshockeyfest.com.

About the coaches
Cassie Campbell-Pascall, one of the most successful and recognized players in women's hockey, holds 21 medals from Olympic, international and national championships - 17 of them gold.  She is a former Captain of the Canadian National Women's Hockey Team and she is the only player to captain 2 gold medal winning hockey teams. She is also the first woman to provide colour commentary for CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast.  Mrs. Campbell-Pascall is a Scotiabank Hockey Ambassador.

In addition to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Tessa Bonhomme, selected as the 2010 top draft pick for the CWHL, helped bring home the Gold medal at the 2010 Women's Four Nations Cup, the 2007 IIHF World Women's Championship and the 2005 Air Canada Cup as well as the Silver medal at the 2011 & 2009 IIHF Women's World Championship and the 2006 Air Canada Cup.  Now in her sixth year with the Canadian National Women's Hockey team, Ms. Bonhomme is originally from Sudbury, Ontario, and played for the Sudbury Lady Wolves from 1998-2003 before attending Ohio State where she was co-captain of the Buckeyes in the NCAA.  Ms. Bonhomme balances her National Team responsibilities along with also being a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs TV broadcast team and is a Scotiabank Hockey Ambassador.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is very proud to be Canada's Hockey Bank and is the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHLPA®, NHL Alumni™, CWHL, Winnipeg Jets®, Toronto Maple Leafs®, Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank Saddledome, and the Ottawa Senators® whose home arena is Scotiabank Place. The Bank also has a partnership with the Montreal Canadiens®. Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting hockey in Canada from local teams and minor hockey associations to professional players and leagues. Across Canadian communities from coast to coast, Scotiabank's Community Hockey Sponsorship Program reaches out to more than 3,700 minor hockey teams and leagues.To find out more about Scotiabank's hockey programs, please visit www.facebook.com/scotiahockeyclub.

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, 'Bright Future'.  Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.