BY SCOTT TAYLOR Photos by Colin Gennoe / International Ball Hockey Federation
A GAME THAT’ S BIGGER THAN WE KNOW
General manager Jeff Dzikowicz admitted that he was near tears. Not for himself, but for the members of Canada’ s national ball hockey team. Guys such as former Winnipeg Blues and University of Manitoba hockey star Dylan Kelly, former MMJHL playmaker Dustin Kelly, former WHL and U of M forward Remi Laurencelle, former Selkirk Steelers and SPHL Columbus Cottonmouths star Derek Gingera, former U of M and ECHL star Calin Wild and current member of the ECHL’ s Wichita Thunder, Shaquille Merasty, were all core members of the 2017 National team and their last secondloss to Slovakia in the Gold Medal Final of the World Championship in Pardubice, Czech, this summer was heartbreaking.
“ You know me, I’ m not the kind of guy who would cry about anything,” said Dzikowicz with a sigh.“ But we were down 3-0, fought back and took the lead and lost in the dying seconds and it was just gut-wrenching. I just felt so horrible for the guys. They’ d worked so hard and played so well to have it end the way it did, it was just heartbreaking.”
Yes, hockey fans, we’ re talking about ball hockey. But this isn’ t a bunch of kids getting together on the street to flip a tennis ball into a Canadian Tire net. This is a game of skill and stamina played by great international athletes who just happen to be outstanding ice hockey players in the“ off-season.”
This past summer, a team that featured eight Manitoba hockey stars, went to the world championship on the other side of the planet and brought back silver. It was Canada’ s best performance since 2007 and thanks to the play of guys like 30-year-old Kevin Marchuk( River East Royal Knights of the MMJHL), 26-year-old Paul Kastes( St. Vital Victorias of the MMJHL) and 21-year-old goalie Kyle McHolm( River East, St. Boniface, Raiders of the MMJHL) Team Canada was one of the best in the world for the entire 10-day tournament.
According to GM Dzikowicz, a lifetime Winnipegger, these guys can really play.“ The World Championships are held every two years on the odd numbered year,” Dzikowicz explained.“ And the competition is fierce. There are great ball hockey teams from all over the world. And the Canadian women’ s team has won three world championships, the last one with our own Chantal Larocque in 2015.”
The next Worlds will take place in 2019, but this summer, Winnipeg will play host to the Canadian National Championship from Aug. 6-11, at the Bell MTS Iceplex. Many of the National Team players will be selected at the event.
“ It is a scouting year and Manitoba is hoping to sweep the Men’ s, Women’ s and Masters’ competitions,” said Dzikowicz.“ That’ s ambitious, considering the women have never won, the men haven’ t won since the early 80s and this is the first year we’ ll have a Masters team. So there will
DECEMBER 2017 | GAME ON | 123