Quebec City (January 22, 2009) – Former Queen's women's hockey player Elizabeth Chiasson of Kingston, Ont., has qualified for the 2009 version of the Red Bull Crushed Ice competition.

Chiasson won the right to compete with a time of 14.838 seconds during a qualifier in Ottawa. She will take place in another round of qualifying on Friday, 23 against 19 others in hopes of being one of 16 contestants to participate in the Red Bull Crushed Ice Finals scheduled for Saturday, January 24.

Chiasson, was one of the greatest hockey players ever to don a Gaels uniform and play in the OUA. She is the all-time OUA leading scorer recording 155 points (62 G, 93 A) in just 80 games earning the league's Most Valuable Player honours twice (2002-03; 2003-04). Chiasson also won the OUA scoring race three times.

She played with the Gaels from 2001-2005 and finished as a three-time CIS All-Canadian.

A combination of downhill skating, hockey and boarder-cross, Red Bull Crushed Ice features a 550-metre (with a 56m vertical) urban ice track snaking through Old Québec's landscape and featuring a sequence of massive vertical drops, razor-sharp turns, ice steps and gap jumps.

“Elizabeth is perfect for the Crushed Ice competition,” said Roger Healy, one of Chiasson's coaches while at Queen's. “She has good speed, great balance, is an excellent downhill skier, loves rough and tumble and has the uncanny ability to squeeze past defenders to get in the open. I think she will do very well.”

In total over 10,000 Canadians applied for a chance to compete in the Crushed Ice event. That pool of 10,000 Canadians was narrowed down with the final 20 women – including Chiasson – and 100 men featured in the two-day final set for Quebec City.

If successful on Friday in the qualifying heats, Chiasson will compete in the finals on January 24 – which will be broadcast on TSN HD at 8:30pm.


More Information - http://www.redbullcrashedice.ca/home