The field version is simply known as hockey in most of the world. It’s the other code that is referred to as ice-hockey. Not so in Canada, of course, but the Island is one of the few regions of Canada where field-hockey has some profile.
That is evident with Maddie Secco, Anna Mollenhauer and Kathleen Leahy of Victoria and Sara Goodman of Duncan named to the Canadian national team for the women’s Pan Am Cup in Santiago, Chile.
The tournament is the Americas regional field-hockey qualifier for the 2022 World Cup to be held this summer in Spain and the Netherlands. Alexis De Armond of Victoria is one of four reserves named.
The Canadian men’s roster for the Pan Am Cup includes James Kirkpatrick of Victoria, out of Oak Bay High, and former University of Victoria Vikes players Keegan Pereira, Matt Sarmento and Brenden Bissett, all four Olympians from Rio in 2016 and Tokyo last year.
Forward Harbir Sidhu of Victoria, out of Mount Douglas Secondary, is a relative newcomer to the national side as it looks to restock for Paris 2024.
The top-two teams in the men’s Americas qualifier in Santiago will advance to the 2023 World Cup in India. The Canadian team, evocatively nicknamed the Red Caribou, opens against Mexico on Thursday and continues group play against the U.S. on Saturday and Trinidad and Tobago on Monday ahead of next week’s playoff rounds. The Americas region in men’s field hockey usually comes down to a Canada-Argentina final.
Canada opens women’s group play today against Peru and follows up Friday against the U.S. and Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago with the playoff round beginning next Tuesday through to the final on Jan. 29.
The top three teams will advance to the 2022 World Cup.
Canada is looking to end a lengthy drought and qualify for the women’s World Cup for the first time since 1994.
The Canadian women, twice World Cup medallists in the 1980s and regular participants in the Olympics with several Island stars, haven’t been to the Summer Games since 1992 in Barcelona. Canada came close last year, missing the final Tokyo Olympics berth by losing to Ireland in a shootout.
“Our end goal is qualifying for the World Cup. We see this opportunity as exciting, and not a weight. This group is ready and so excited to play … and continue showing the world what Canada can do.” said Canada women’s team head coach Rob Short, a Victoria Sports Hall of Fame inductee who played for Canada in the 2000 Sydney and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
An encouraging sign is the women’s silver medal Canada won behind the U.S. in the 2019 Lima Pan-Am Games. But Canada must now forge ahead without several retired veterans, including former captain Kate Wright and former UVic Vikes stars Dani Hennig and goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams.
Another more recent UVic Vikes product, Mollenhauer, is considered a major-impact future star for Canada.
Former men’s Canada-captain Short, meanwhile, hopes to import his vast international playing experience from two Olympics, two World Cups, five Pan Am Games and four Commonwealth Games to the Canadian women’s bench as head coach.
“I hope to channel that feeling that I had over the years and the lessons learned,” Short said in a statement.
“Now, it’s about helping the girls understand the importance of this great opportunity we have and then embrace it.”
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
