Aurizon Mines (ARZ.TSX, AMEX: AZK) announced results from the first series of holes from its 2012 exploration drilling program on the Heva and Hosco Zones of the Joanna Project.  Joanna is located 20 kilometers from the city of Rouyn-Noranda, in north-western Quebec, Canada.

Highlights:

* The best results received to date from 36 holes were 7.0 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold over 9.4 meters in hole JA-11-970 and 3.5 g/t over 21.6 meters in hole JA-11-981, which included an interval of 9.4 g/t over 5.8 meters

* The Company noted that results to date were very encouraging and that there were two key elements that will be the focus for future drilling of the property

* Aurizon Mines appears to be finding higher grade mineralization at Hosco, and initial metallurgical test work of the Heva mineralization indicates that it is non-refractory

George Paspalas, President and CEO of Aurizon Mines:

“We have always believed that the Joanna property had significant exploration potential in addition to the approximately 2.5 million gold resource ounces found at Hosco, which is currently the basis for the Joanna feasibility study.  We embarked on a drill program late last year to commence testing some of this potential, with the strategic intent of understanding the full development potential of the property, whilst we were completing the Joanna feasibility, which is on target for completion at the end of the second quarter 2012.”

Martin Demers, Aurizon’s General Manager of Exploration:

“This series of drill results marks a turning point in our exploration. Most of the drilling work performed on the property since 2007 has focused on defining low grade surface resources in the Hosco Zone area. The current program supports the hypothesis that higher grade mineralization with continuity and metal factors that may support an underground mining operation, could be developed along the Joanna portion of the Cadillac Fault.”