Offense is key to taking down highly-touted Die Honamas
It’s game day in Tokyo and Canada begins their Olympic campaign against world-number-5 Germany.
The four-time Olympic gold medallists, Die Honamas, qualified for the 2020 Games by thoroughly defeating Austria in the 2019 FIH Olympic Qualifiers 5-0 and 5-3 in the two-leg battle in Mönchengladbach. Most recently, Germany lost in penalties in the European Hockey Championships final match to Belgium, walking away with the silver medal.
This is a German team that scores a lot of goals. Not only have they dominated the head-to-head against Canada over the past decade, but they also scored 21 goals in five matches at the European Hockey Championships last month. Led by captain Tobias Hauke, veteran Florian Fuchs and high-flying attacker, Christopher Rühr, Germany looks poised to make a medal push.
If Canada wants to earn a result against the high-powered German offense, they’ll have to find some attacking prowess of their own. Leading Canada’s assault are veteran forwards, Keegan Pereira and Mark Pearson. The two have combined for over 100 international goals in their careers. Youngster, Jamie Wallace has amassed 13 field goals in only 48 caps and is on the rise. Wallace played the 2021 professional season for Almere in the Dutch Hoofdklasse and will be familiar with the European style of play. Canada also has the dual penalty corner threat of Gordon Johnston and Scott Tupper. If Canada can get into the circle and generate chances and PCs, they certainly have the firepower to get it done.
Canada is looking to avenge their 6-2 loss in pool play at the 2016 Olympic Games — the last time these teams met in a major competition. Their edge may come off the field as both Canadian coaches Pasha Gademan and Andre Henning have extensive experience working against the German side. Notably, Henning coached the German women’s team at the 2016 Rio Games. That inside connection might be the extra edge Canada needs to keep this match tight and get a result.
Half of Canada’s roster, including their starting keeper, Antoni Kindler, are making their Olympic debuts. But with 14 players returning from their 2018 World Cup squad, this is still a group bustling with experience. Pearson and captain Scott Tupper define experience, as they are suiting up in their third Olympic Games. They are looking to break through the pool play stage and make a splash at the 2020 Games.
Can Canada knock off the reigning Olympic bronze medallists? Watch the game live to find out!
FUN FACT – THE VENUE:
The state-of-the-art Oi Hockey Stadium complex was constructed in the Oi Pier Ocean Park in 2019 and consists of two competition fields, 10,000 and 5,000 seats respectively, and two training fields. As part of the legacy of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the venue will become the central hub for Japanese hockey and a multipurpose sports facility.
WATCH AND SUPPORT
We hope you are as excited for Tokyo 2020 action as we are. We are thrilled to announce that every second of Team Canada field hockey action will be streamed/televised live by CBC. Click below for streaming details. In addition, Field Hockey Canada will be hosting an online chat thread for every game, and special watch parties for our Great Britain and Belgium games. See below for more details.
WATCH ALL GAMES LIVE HERE | WATCH PARTY / TEAM CANADA FAN THREAD
