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Men's Commonwealth Blog: Day 11

Men’s Commonwealth Blog: Day 11

October 9, 2010

Well today started off with the usual jog and stretch, a game day ritual. The weather didn’t feel as warm as previous days and I am sure we all were hoping it would stay like this until after our game. It was than off to breaky where I had the pleasure of sitting across from Ian Smythe, and watched him eat plain white rice and butter and plain pasta for like his 10th meal in a row, the only thing his stomach could handle without any side effects (if you know what i mean)…

Canadian men defeat Trinidad & Tobago

Canadian men defeat Trinidad & Tobago at Commonwealth

Photo: CWG/Yan Huckendubler

October 9, 2010

The Canadian men’s field hockey team won its match against Trinidad & Tobago, earning three points despite a lacklustre performance.

Trinidad & Tobago has been a tough opponent in the recent past, so the Canadians started strongly, forcing a penalty-corner in the 10th minute. Scott TUPPER’s flick was saved illegally, generating a penalty-stroke that the same TUPPER coolly slotted out of reach of the goal-keeper…

New Zealand defeats Canadian women

New Zealand defeats Canadian women in Delhi

Thea Culley earned her 50th Cap
Photo: CWG/Yan Huckendubler

October 9, 2010

The Canadian women’s field hockey team lost their game to New Zealand (1-3) but nevertheless finishes 3rd in their group and will play for 5th-6th place, their best Commonwealth Games finish to date.

With all the other matches in pool B already played, the Canadians knew that they would finish 3rd in their group if they could, at worst, lose by less than four goals to New Zealand, a team that has dominated the competition so far in Delhi, including a severe 4-1 trashing of top-ranked England…

Men's Commonwealth Blog: Day 10

Men’s Commonwealth Blog: Day 10

October 8, 2010

Gotta say, the boys woke up on a high note this morning. I’m not sure whether or not that was due to the fact that we had just gotten a great result against one of the top teams in the world the previous night or because Coach D’Abreo gave us a nice late 10 am wakeup.  Regardless,  the team is in high spirits and our goal of reaching the Commonwealth Games semi-final remains alive and well. The day began with a delightful team breakfast, and I won’t bore you with the details of what we all consumed but I can confirm that our star left midfield Dave Jameson did enjoy a mango juice box as per his daily ritual…

Late comeback leads women over Wales

Women’s Team Captures First Win Of Commonwealth Games

October 8, 2010

The Canadian women’s field hockey team scored two goals in the last two minutes of play to beat Wales 2-1 in a dramatic finish.

Canada started the game well, pushing Wales on their heels. They maintained the pressure high on the Welsh defense but could not penetrate the circle in good shooting position. The Welsh team was defending patiently, only going forward on occasional counter-attacks.

There were no real chances at either end for the first twenty minutes of play, then Wales started pushing more and Azelia LIU was called into action multiple times…

Men's Commonwealth Blog: Day 9

Men’s Commonwealth Blog: Day 9

October 7, 2010 

The boys had an early start to the day, as we started with a jog around the village at 8am and then a long stretch to get the body going. After breakfast we assembled in groups to watch some clips, discuss the game plan and get focused in our tough opponent from England. Everyone was keen to make amends for our sub-par performance in the first match. After a hearty lunch, some guys took the time to get out of the sun and relax, while others visited the physio room for some last minute work from our veteran physio Bob Dunlop before our 2:20pm depart for the field…

Men's Commonwealth Blog: Day 8

Men’s Commonwealth Blog: Day 8

October 6, 2010

After a disappointing loss vs. the South Africans, we had a bit of a sleep in before a 10 am breakfast. The mood is ok after the match, obviously some disappointment, but the guys recognize that we need to move forward and focus ourselves on the next task, taking on the English.

The boys took to the pool today for a chance to get the legs flushed out as well as have some fun. Pearson put together a make-shift cricket ground and took on the task of wicket keeper (he stood behind the garbage can), and boys were hitting for 4’s and 6’s, catching the attention of the Indian workers who were much more interested in our game than the task they were actually supposed to be attending to…

Canadian Men Tie England

Canadian Men Battle To A 1 – 1 Draw With England

October 7, 2010

The Canadian men’s field hockey team had a strong performance to hold England to a 1-1 draw, in front of a boisterous audience enjoying the exciting match. England is ranked fourth in the World and second in these Commonwealth Games.

Canada started cautiously and England nearly opened the scoring early on a ball mishandled by the defense, but Mark PEARSON soon forced a penalty-corner after a long solitary run. The ball went in goal, triggering a huge roar from the crowd, but it was denied by the umpire…

Men's Commonwealth Blog: Day 7

Men’s Commonwealth Blog: Day 7

October 6, 2010

Today was a big day for the men’s team because we were kicking off our Commonwealth games campaign against South Africa. We awoke in the morning for a jog and stretch to get our legs moving in preparation for the match, unfortunately two of the athletes were still under the weather and were not able to join the group. The weather this morning was already warming up and the day did not look like it was going to cool down for our 14:30 game…