Field Hockey Canada is excited to announce the Men’s and Women’s national teams competing at the 2017 Indoor Pan American Cup. The event will take place on October 16-21, 2017 in Georgetown, Guyana.
Head coach of the men’s team, Scott Sandison, said the team is feeling confident and excited heading into the event.
“We have spent a lot of time over the past few months really focusing in on our tactics and our skills,” Sandison said. “We’re in good shape. We’re excited about our chances. Ultimately if we perform well and stick to our game plan, we’ll be satisfied with what we put out.”
Sandison knows that being the returning gold medalists can come with a target on the team’s back. But the Toronto native and ex-national team player wants to ensure that the team focuses only on what is in their control.
“What is in our control is how we execute and deliver on what we can,” he said. We can’t get sucked into anyone else’s style. It’s very important for us to be disciplined.”
Sandison said the overall goal for the team is to win the tournament and qualify for the Indoor World Cup taking place in Berlin in the New Year. He firmly believes the team has what it takes to accomplish that goal.
Notably, Ken Pereira will be competing in his 400th CAP on October 16, when Team Canada faces off against Mexico. More information about Pereira’s massive milestone achievement will be released leading up to the competition. Congrats Ken!
On the women’s side, according to coach, Louis Mendonca, the team has a mix of returning indoor players, outdoor national team players and a crop of young players looking to make their first international appearance. He said the leadership that the veteran players will provide should set a great standard for the younger members of the team.
“Just watching the preparation will be huge for the younger kids,” he said. “…nutrition, rest; These are players that know what it takes.”
The cut-throat nature of this competition puts the top two pool play finishers in the finals with the winner earning the coveted World Cup bid. Ultimately, Mendonca said the goal is to qualify for the World Cup.
“We want to get to the finals,” he said. “If we play like we’ve been performing in practice, we have a great chance. We have to rise to the pressure of the environment.”
The men’s national team opens the competition against Mexico on October 16 at 1:45pm local time and Canada’s women’s team kicks off their tournament against Barbados at 4:15pm.
WATCH ALL MATCHES LIVE HERE: CBC Sports
Schedules and Results can be found here
MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM – 2017 INDOOR PAN AMERICAN CUP
Players
Jeewanjot Bath
Tyler Branco
Adrien d’Andrade
Gurtej Dhaliwal
Lyle Fernandes
Joshua Kuempel
Ken Pereira
Jonathan Roberts
Devohn Teixeira
Micah Teixeira
Pardeep Koonar
Adam Kapasi
Coaching Staff
WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM – 2017 INDOOR PAN AMERICAN CUP
Players
Abby Janssen
Alison Lee
Angela Lancaster
Elizabeth O’Hara
Kathleen Leahy
Kathryn Williams
Madison Workman
Michelle Weber
Kyesia O’Neill
Rebecca Carvalho
Sarah Powell
Shannon Pereira
Coaching Staff
Louis Mendonca – Head Coach
Shankar Premakanthan – Assistant Coach
Kristen Shier – Manager
Amanda Halls – Athletic Therapist
