No margin of error for Canada in qualifying tourney
Loss to Poland in round- robin will make it difficult to catch up with powerhouse squad from India
At 39 years of age, with his international field hockey career winding down, Canadian national team standout Rob Short desperately wants to get to another Olympic Games.
Before heading to New Delhi for this week’s six- country qualifying tournament, the Tsawwassen product, who has enjoyed a long professional career in Europe, called the five round- robin games and a potential 1 vs. 2 final for that spot in London the “most important games of my life.”
Short scored twice Saturday as Canada started with a 9- 0 thrashing of Italy, but a heartbreaking, last- minute 3- 2 loss Sunday to Poland has left Canada with no margin for error the rest of the week.
“Rough day on the field yesterday,” Short tweeted Monday after the loss to Poland. “Not sure how we let that one slip away?? Task still remains the same!”
Poland, No. 19 in the world rankings and five spots lower than Canada, jumped to a 2- 0 lead after 33 minutes before Iain Smythe of Vancouver scored five seconds before the halftime buzzer. Sukhwinder Gabbar Singh drew Canada even in the 54th minute scoring from a scramble, but Polish captain Darius Rachwalski converted a penalty corner in the final minute of the match for the win.
“Tough loss today after dominating the game,” defender Adam Froese of Abbotsford said on his Twitter account. “Poland scoring after the siren to win 3- 2. Tournament is still alive # believe”
Canada, with 12 of its 18- man squad coming from B. C., played Singapore Tuesday — overnight Vancouver time — in a game that figured to be a virtual walkover given that the hapless squad that was hurriedly pulled together after the U. S. was a late withdrawal had lost its first two games 15- 1 to India and 9- 0 to France.
Canada, ranked No. 14 in the world, faces the only higherranked country at the qualifier, No. 10 India, on Wednesday and No. 18 France on Friday.
The game against host India, which is 2- 0 after beating Italy 8- 1 on Sunday, is sure to be a noisy affair at New Delhi’s 20,000- seat Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
“Indian side is always a strong team, they always play well at home,” Canadian captain Ken Pereira of Unionville, Ont., told the Times of India. “I am sure they will be ready to play. And after missing out on the last Olympics they are very motivated.”
India, an eight- time Olympic champion, stunningly failed to make it to the 2008 Games in Beijing.
Sandeep Singh, India’s ace drag- flicker, said the country’s defence will definitely be tested against teams like France, which it met Tuesday, and Canada.
“We have been trying out a few things, but we do not want to try everything right now,” he told the Hindu Times after the win over Italy. “We are planning for the big matches. We are confident of qualifying for the London Olympics.”
The Canadian men made it to both the 2000 and 2008 Olympics by beating Argentina in the preceding year’s Pan American Games.
But in the 2011 Pan Ams in Guadalajara, Mexico, last October, Argentina beat Canada 3- 1.
Canada finished 10th at the 2008 Olympics.
Meantime, the Canadian women, whose squad is also dominated by players from B. C., are also playing in a sixcountry Olympic qualifying tournament in New Delhi.
Canada hasn’t qualified for an Olympics in 20 years and the women are already in trouble this week. After opening with a 2- 2 tie against Italy on Saturday, Canada fell 4- 1 to India on Sunday.
The women played Ukraine overnight.
The only positive for Canada against India was that Stephanie Jameson of Vancouver earned her 164th international cap, surpassing the Canadian women’s record holder Lauralee Kopeck, who retired in September, 2001, after playing in 163 games.
Jameson has played in three Commonwealth Games and three Pan American Games for Canada.