Vancouverites lead way for Canada
EYES ON RIO: Men’s field hockey team aiming for Olympic berth at Pan American Games
TORONTO — Scott Tupper of Vancouver will captain Canada’s men’s field hockey team at next month’s Pan American Games as it takes aim at a berth in the Rio Olympics.
Kate Gillis of Kingston, Ont., is captain of the women’s squad named Thursday.
The 15th-ranked Canadian men have faced world No. 6 Argentina in all 10 Pan Am Games finals, where a gold medal comes with an automatic Olympic berth.
The Canadians are gunning to return to the Olympics for the first time in eight years.
“It will be a big honour to play in front of a home crowd in Toronto,” said Tupper, who has 209 caps for Canada. “We rarely get to play major events with a grandstand full of Canadians and I’m sure that support will help drive our performance throughout the tournament.”
The Canadian men already have a strong shot at an Olympic berth based on their fourth-place finish at the recent World League semifinals. Veteran goalkeeper David Carter of Vancouver was named both the player and goalkeeper of the tournament in Argentina.
The 20th-ranked Canadian women need to win the Pan Ams to qualify for Rio. The women, who are looking for their first Olympic berth since 1992, last reached the Pan Am podium in 1999 in Winnipeg.
Team Canada rosters
MEN: Brenden Bissett, New Westminster; David Carter, Vancouver; Taylor Curran, Vancouver; Adam Froese, Abbotsford; Matthew Guest, Vancouver; Gabriel Ho-Garcia, Burnaby; David Jameson, Vancouver; Gordon Johnston, Vancouver; Ben Martin, Vancouver; Devohn Noronha-Teixeira, Mississauga, Ont.; Sukhi Panesar, Surrey; Mark Pearson, Tsawwassen; Matthew Sarmento, Vancouver; Iain Smythe, Vancouver; Scott Tupper, Vancouver; Paul Wharton, Vancouver.
WOMEN: Thea Culley, Rossland; Kate Gillis, Kingston, Ont.; Hannah Haughn, North Vancouver; Danielle Hennig, Kelowna; Karli Johansen, North Vancouver; Shanlee Johnston, Vancouver; Sara McManus, Tsawwassen; Stephanie Norlander, North Vancouver; Abigail Raye, Kelowna; Maddie Secco, Victoria; Natalie Sourisseau, Kelowna; Brienne Stairs, Kitchener, Ont.; Holly Stewart, North Vancouver; Alex Thicke, North Vancouver; Kaitlyn Williams, Surrey; Amanda Woodcroft, Waterloo, Ont.