OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - November 24, 2015) - Three-time Olympic gold medalist Meghan Agosta will lace up for the 12th annual Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest in Ottawa and coach over 200 young female athletes on Saturday, November 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Canadian Tire Centre.

'We are honoured to kick off the first Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest of the 2015/16 season right here in Ottawa, bringing girls face to face with elite female hockey players,' said Alfonso Movilla, District Vice President of the Ottawa River District at Scotiabank. 'Being part of a team is a living example of how we're better together. It's inspiring to see young female hockey players demonstrate teamwork, passion and have the chance to learn from Canadian role models, helping them to pursue their goals both on and off the ice.'

Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest is available at no cost to girls aged 7-12. With support from Meghan Agosta, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa varsity women's hockey teams, will lead on and off-ice training sessions. The day will also include a behind the scenes tour of the Canadian Tire Centre, photos with the Clarkson Cup, and a keynote address from Ms. Agosta on the importance of teamwork and giving back to the community.

'I'm thrilled to give back by mentoring young girls who play hockey and helping them pursue their dreams,' said Meghan Agosta. 'The support I received from the hockey community growing up helped me get to where I am today. Being part of this valuable Scotiabank initiative is a fantastic opportunity to bring female athletes together to improve their game and celebrate Canada's game.'

Scotiabank has a long tradition of supporting Canadian hockey from local teams and minor hockey associations to professional players and leagues. Scotiabank is proud to support over 5,000 community hockey teams across Canada through the Scotiabank Community Hockey Sponsorship Program.

Scotiabank proudly supports women's hockey through the sponsorship of the Canadian Women's Hockey League and Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest which began in Ottawa 12 years ago and has expanded across Canada to include Calgary, Brandon, Winnipeg, and Toronto. To learn more about the event and Scotiabank's commitment to community hockey, please visit www.scotiabankgirlshockeyfest.com.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is the Official Bank of the NHL®, NHL Alumni™, CWHL, Vancouver Canucks®, Winnipeg Jets®, Toronto Maple Leafs®, Ottawa Senators®, Edmonton Oilers® and the Calgary Flames® whose home arena is the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Bank also has a partnership with the Montreal Canadiens®. Scotiabank's Community Hockey Sponsorship Program supports over 5,000 minor hockey teams in communities across Canada. To find out more about Scotiabank's hockey programs, please visit www.scotiabank.com/the5thseason.

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and parts of Asia. We are dedicated to helping our 21 million customers become better off 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 more than 87,000 employees and assets of $863 billion (as at July 31, 2015), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankNews.

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