On February 7, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. Two preliminary stage matches of the Fourth Republican Amateur Ice Hockey Competitions for prizes of the Presidential Sports Club were played on February 6, BelTA reports. The Grodno Region team lost on their home ice to the Gomel Region team - 1:2, and the Minsk Region team in Soligorsk defeated the Vitebsk Region team - 5:4. Half of the preliminary stage is behind us, and some teams have already passed the halfway point. Three teams are at the top of the standings with an equal number of points: Brest Region - 5 points (after 3 games; goal difference 21-3), the President of Belarus team - 5 (3; 19-12), Minsk Region - 5 (3; 16-9), Grodno Region - 4 (4; 14-11), Gomel Region - 3 (4; 13-25), Vitebsk Region - 2 (4; 22-19), Mogilev Region - 0 (3; 2-28). The next matches are scheduled for February 12. The Fourth Republican Amateur Ice Hockey Competitions for prizes of the Presidential Sports Club are held in eight arenas across the country. In the current season, the composition of participants and the game format of the competitions have not changed. The ice hockey teams of all regions and the President's team will hold a single-round tournament at the preliminary stage, and in the spring of 2011, the winner and prize-winners will be determined based on the results of the final round in Minsk. In previous years, two teams became winners of the competitions: the President of Belarus team (2008, 2010) and the Gomel Region team (2009). Three teams became silver medalists - the Minsk Region team (2008), the Grodno Region team (2010), and the President of Belarus team (2009). The organizers of the Fourth Republican Amateur Ice Hockey Competitions are the Presidential Sports Club, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the "Belarus Ice Hockey Federation" association, and the Minsk City Executive Committee. Tournament partners are Belarusian Potash Company, Trading House BelAZ, Convex International, Sport-pari companies. General sponsor is BT Telecommunications company of closed joint-stock company Beltechexport. General information partner is the National State Television and Radio Company of Belarus.-0-

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