FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2000

VANCOUVER GRIFFINS HOLD THEIR MAIN SELECTION CAMP

Vancouver - Last night the Vancouver Griffins Hockey Club of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) began evaluating the 33 players who were invited to the club's main selection camp, being held this weekend at the Centre Ice Complex in Abbotsford. These players were chosen from among the more than 80 athletes who participated in the Griffins' Rookie Camp this past June. By Sunday evening, the coaching staff and guest evaluators will have decided who will be the 22 players to make the team's inaugural roster. Delaney Collins, a member of the World Champion Canadian National Team, will play in games on Saturday and Sunday as a guest.

Players attending the camp are from communities throughout the province of BC, including Vancouver, Victoria, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge, Richmond, Abbotsford, North Vancouver, Whistler, Smithers, Logan Lake, and Kelowna. In addition players from Alberta, and one International player, Julia Berg of Norway, will participate in camp. The evaluations will include dry-land training, games, and practices, and will culminate in a showcase game on Sunday that starts at 1:00 p.m. All on-ice events throughout the weekend are free for the public to watch.

Commenting on the camp's location in Abbotsford General Manager Phillip DeGrandpre said, "As the only NWHL team west of Ontario, we anticipate that our fan base will come from throughout the province of BC. Holding our main selection camp in Abbotsford is an opportunity to introduce the Griffins to communities in the Fraser Valley."

Established in January of this year, the Vancouver Griffins are the newest franchise in the 10-team semi-professional NWHL, the world's premier women's hockey league. The team will play an exhibition schedule in the upcoming season, and begins full interlocking play in the NWHL in the 2001-2002 season.

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