TORONTO, March 2, 2021 /CNW/ - Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest returns on March 7^th in the form of a free virtual summit, open to girls, young women and their families and friends with a passion for hockey.

The hour-and-a-half virtual summit is dedicated to women's hockey, and features sessions from Canadian hockey talent and Scotiabank Teammates Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Natalie Spooner and P.K. Subban, among others.

"As we can't be together on the ice this year, we're bringing Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest virtually to all attendees," says Laura Curtis Ferrera, Chief Marketing Officer, Scotiabank. "The online format will allow even more girls from across the country to participate and learn from leaders in women's hockey. Scotiabank is committed to making the game of hockey accessible for all and promoting and supporting women's hockey is a big part of that."

The Summit will focus on player development, inclusion and nutrition and will feature speakers from Hockey Canada, the NHL, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and You Can Play.

As a bonus, participants will have exclusive access to the virtual Scotiabank Arena, where they will be able to navigate interactive elements and score exclusive merchandise and giveaways.

Registration for the summit is open until March 5, 2021. The full event agenda can be viewed here.

In its 15^th year, Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest traditionally takes place in six cities across Canada and includes both on and off ice programming. Due to the pandemic, the program has pivoted to a virtual summit, allowing more girls from coast-to-coast-to-coast to participate in the event – for free.

The Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest virtual summit will be made available online for minor hockey associations to utilize, at a later date via Scotiabank Hockey Club.

Scotia Rising Teammates
During the Summit, Scotiabank will also be announcing the under-15 Scotia Rising Teammates. In partnership with Hockey Canada and the PWHPA, Scotiabank has selected girls from across Canada who demonstrate outstanding play, leadership and teamwork, both on and off the ice. 

Each of the Scotia Rising Teammates will take part in a once-in-a-lifetime mentorship program and receive a:

• Four week mentorship program with a PWHPA player
• Four individual mentorship sessions 
• Four group sessions that will include special guest appearances
• Resource handbook
• Individual participant package
• $1,000 donation to the mentee's hockey team

To learn more about Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest and the Scotia Rising Teammates mentorship program, please visit: https://www.scotiabankgirlshockeyfest.com/

About Scotiabank Hockey
Scotiabank is the Official Bank of the NHL®, Toronto Maple Leafs (who play at Scotiabank Arena), Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames (who play at Scotiabank Saddledome), and Edmonton Oilers. The Bank also supports the Montreal Canadiens and is a sponsor of Hockey Canada, the PWHPA, You Can Play and the Hockey Diversity Alliance. Since 2008, Scotiabank's Community Hockey Sponsorship Program has supported over one million kids and counting through its involvement with minor hockey teams in communities across Canada. To find out more about Scotiabank's hockey programs, please visit www.scotiabankhockeyclub.com.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of approximately 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at January 31, 2021), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

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SOURCE Scotiabank