Tsawwassen's Andrew Kanerva has been named to the roster of the Canadian junior men's field hockey team for the 2012 Junior Pan American Championships, slated for Sept. 10-23 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Kanerva is a talented forward who just graduated from South Delta secondary school and will be attending UBC this fall. He grew up in the Falcons Field Hockey Club youth program and was named Delta's Youth Male Athlete of the Year after helping Canada capture a three nation tournament in South America last year.
The Canadian team is are hoping to secure one of two tickets to the Junior World Cup. Canada finished fourth at the 2008 Junior Pan American Championship behind Argentina, Chile and the USA. However, in the past year this squad has proven their ability to defeat formidable Pan Am opponents.
At the recent 3 Nations Tournament in Vancouver, Canada was victorious over Team Chile and Team USA. They were undefeated against Chile, conceding only one match to the Americans and winning the other two.
"We have had a competitive build up to Guadalajara, and we are focused on winning each match. We will do our best to qualify for the Junior World Cup," says head coach Mathias Ahrens. "As we prepare, every player in the program has made significant steps forward in the performance. They have given their all, and selecting the final roster for the Junior Pan Ams was a very difficult task.
The 18-player roster features 16 from B.C.
"We are now entering the final phase in our preparation, and we are focused on stabilizing some critical aspects of our game," Ahrens added. "We are focused and ready to win our matches against the tough opposition at the Junior Pan American Championships."
Short corners...
Tsawwassen's Emma Mackie, Sam McComb and Krista Jensen helped Team B.C. Blue capture gold at the recent U18 National Championships in Calgary.
B.C. capped an impressive run with a 4-1 victory over Ontatio in the final. McComb scored two of the goals, including the game winner.
B.C.'s overall depth was reflected in the three participating teams.
Other local players to represent the province included Cassidy Bremner (Team B.C. White), Elizabeth Pritchard (Team B.C. Yellow) and Cailean Meredith (Team B.C. Yellow).
