Quinnipiac to Host Qwest Tour

HAMDEN, Conn. -- Quinnipiac University and USA Hockey today announced that the Qwest Tour, featuring the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team, will come to the TD Banknorth Sports Center on Jan. 3, 2010 when Team USA plays the ECAC Hockey All-Stars at 2 p.m. Ticket information and other details will be announced at a later time and available on quinnipiacbobcats.com. The game will be one of 10 throughout the United States as Team USA prepares for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Kicking off on Sept. 25 at the Xcel Energy Center, the Qwest Tour will stop in nine U.S. cities and will continue into February 2010.

The 2009 U.S. Women’s National Team recently captured its second consecutive gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship after defeating Canada, 4-1, in Finland.

Fans can follow the women’s team through the Tour’s official website, QwestTour.com, as well as via Facebook and by registering for weekly text message alerts delivering player quotes, game scores, training tips and information on team appearances. To sign up for weekly text messages, simply text QTOUR to 79378 (standard text message rates apply). The U.S. Women's National Team will also make in-market appearances at Qwest retail outlets and community events.

The Qwest Tour begins on Sept. 25 with a showdown between Team USA and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Stars at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The 10-game schedule is highlighted by a trio of games against historic archrival Canada beginning on Oct. 16 at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash. The two teams will meet again at Magness Arena in Denver (Dec. 12) and at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (Dec. 30). The Tour also will include international competition against Finland at the Colorado Springs World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Feb. 4.

In addition, the Qwest Tour will feature one other meeting with a collegiate all-star team when Team USA faces representatives from Hockey East on Nov. 22 at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center. The Qwest Tour also includes games against three WCHA teams – the University of North Dakota, the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin.

The roster for the 2009-10 U.S. Women's National Team will be announced following the USA Hockey Women's National Festival in August 2009. Twenty-one players from that squad will be chosen to compete in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in February 2010.

A digital media kit regarding the Qwest Tour is available by clicking here, and for more information on the U.S. Women's National Team, visit usahockey.com. The marks that comprise the Qwest logo are registered trademarks of Qwest Communications International Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries.