T&T senior national men’s hockey team will begin their quest for a third FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup appearance when they meet host Canada in their opening match at the Indoor Pan American Hockey Cup in Alberta, Canada on Tuesday from 2.30 pm.
The four-day tournament for both men and women takes place at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex & Chief Jim Starlight Centre.
T&T previously qualified for the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Vienna, Austria in 2007 and Berlin, Germany in 2018 and was led by veteran Akim Toussaint of Police and Jordan Vieira of Queen’s Park Cricket Club, both members of the T&T men’s team at the recent FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Oman, the Raphael Govia-coached squad is confident of securing a third World Cup berth.
In the other matches today, defending champions Argentina faces Guyana at 1.15 pm while in the evening session, the USA plays Guyana from 7 pm, and Argentina comes up against Canada at 8.15 pm.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, March 20), T&T meets USA from 3.45 pm while Canada faces Guyana from 7 pm before Argentina and USA close out the night in a 9 pm flick-on.
Then on Thursday in the final round of round-robin matches, T&T plays Guyana from 3.45 pm followed by USA and Canada at 7 pm, and then T&T meets Argentina from 8.15 pm.
At the end of the round-robin phase, the playoffs will begin with the top team playing the fourth-placed team, while the second and third face off in the other semifinals, with the winners qualifying for the finals as well as securing the two places at stake in the World Cup at a venue to be determined.
The PAHF was awarded two World Cup spots after it was revealed by the FIH that teams’ qualification quotas were awarded following the FIH Indoor Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 for the top six teams whereby an additional spot was given to their respective continental federations, and not to a specific team.
The teams that will fill these additional quotas will also come from the Continental Championships 1 Austria (EuroHockey); 2 Netherlands ((EuroHockey); 3 Iran (AHF); 4 USA (PAHF); 5 Belgium (EuroHockey) and 6 South Africa (AfHF).
Therefore, Europe was awarded three additional quotas, to be filled by the second, third, and fourth-placed teams in the EuroHockey Men’s Indoor Championship 2024 while Africa, Asia, and Pan America were awarded one additional quota each to be filled by the second-placed teams in their respective Continental.
In addition to Toussaint and Vieira, head coach Raphael Govia has also included four other members of the ‘Calypso Stickmen’s squad that placed eighth of 16 teams in Oman, inclusive of Tariq Marcano, Mickell Pierre, Shaquille Daniel, and Jordan Reynos.
The other members of the team are goalkeepers Ron Alexander and Karlos Stephen, Dominic Young, Dylan Francis, Lyndell Byer, and Arielle Bowen while Tarell Singh, Malcolm Baptiste (goalkeeper), Roshane Hamilton, and Nicholas Siu Butt are the four reserves.
A notable absentee is England-based Teague Marcano, who was the second-highest scorer with 16 goals in Oman, due to club commitments with Southgate Hockey Club in the England Hockey League Premier Division.
Govia who was at the helm of the T&T team which won the Pan American qualifiers in 2017 in Georgetown, Guyana with a 7-0 thrashing of Argentina in the final to qualify for the 2018 FIH Indoor World Cup said his team is ready.
Speaking from Alberta, Govia said, “We have had two sessions at the Warehouse Training Center and today (yesterday) will be at Sevens Chiefs at the main arena where the tournament is being played.
“The mood is upbeat as we have been ironing out key tactical areas so we can get it right on the court, which is very fast and one that the fellas will enjoy.
He added, “We are an attack-minded team and that will not change. I expect our powerful front three of captain Toussaint, Pierre, and Viera to cause a lot of concerns to the opponents, whilst Alexander, Reynos, Daniel, Marcano, and company will spearhead a tight defence.”
According to Govia, his only worry was the weather, as he explained that the cold and thin air was making it hard for the T&T players to breathe in a high-intensity atmosphere.
However, the South Americans redeemed themselves in 2021 when they defeated host USA 4-2 in the final of the three-team tournament which also featured Canada after T&T withdrew.
T&T will also be represented by officials Ronnie Chandler (technical official), umpire Donny Gobinsingh, Olympic umpire Ayanna Mc Lean, and Kevin George.