DYLAN KELLY CELEBRATES WITH
GOAL SCORER SHAQ MERASTY
TEAM CANADA AND THE 2017 WORLD
BALL HOCKEY SILVER MEDALISTS
NAME HOME CLUB
Tim Barlow Edmonton Savages
Nathan Yetman Newfoundland Black Horse
Brad Yetman Shea Heights Money Savers
Jim Babij St. John’s Thunder
William Marshall Calgary Pitbulls
Kevin Reid Newfoundland Black Horse
Shaq Merasty Manitoba Selects
Brian Szolga Niagara Warpigs
Victor Azevedo North York Hitmen
Calin Wild Toronto Midnight Express
Jordan Escott Newfoundland Black Horse
Dylan Kelly Manitoba Selects
Dustin Kelly Manitoba Selects
Remi Laurencelle Manitoba Selects
Danick Martel Montreal Red Lite
Samuel Fortier Montreal Red Lite
Anthony Flores Vaughn Red Wings
Derek Gingera Manitoba Selects
Justin Dentremont Saskatoon Buffalo
Stephen D’Abadie Calgary Phantoms
Patrick O’Keefe Newfoundland Black Horse
Kevin Marchuk Manitoba Selects
Paul Kastes Manitoba Selects
Kyle McHolm Manitoba Selects
Marcus Power Newfoundland Black Horse
1 2 4 | G AME O N | D EC EM BER 2017
be open tryouts for all teams
and positions in the spring.”
The men’s Team Canada
program premiered in 1996
when the national team
journeyed to Bratislava,
Slovakia for the inaugural
World Ball Hockey
Championships. Not
surprisingly, Canada won
gold. The men’s team won an
unprecedented four straight
World Championships from
2001 to 2007 and has won
medals in 10 of the 11
World Championships.
The first Women’s World
Championship took place in
2007 in Dusseldorf, Germany
and featured national teams
from Canada, Czech Republic,
Germany, Slovakia, and the
United States. Canada won
gold in 2007, 2009, 2013 and
2015 and took silver in 2011.
Ball hockey is a game
that has certainly grabbed
the imagination of some of
ice hockey’s best players.
Especially here in Manitoba.
Shaq Merasty, from Berens
River First Nation, spent his
early life in Thompson, but
actually grew up with his
grandmother in Minnedosa.
He was a terrific minor
hockey player and at 6-foot-
3, 200 pounds, he led the
2011-12 Portage Terriers to
the MJHL championship. He
spent a year playing NCAA
Division III hockey at Adrian
College where he became an
NCAA Div. III All-American
and then played three seasons
at the University of Manitoba.
This season, he’s playing
with the Wichita Thunder
in the ECHL, but when
he was first introduced to
the fans in Wichita, all he
wanted to talk about was, you
guessed it, ball hockey.
“One thing some people
don’t know about me is I’m
a big ball hockey guy,” he
told echl.com. “In the off-
season, I’m usually playing
a lot of ball hockey and that
helps with my cardio and
it’s a good experience – it’s
a great sport and a great
way to stay in shape.
“Like a lot of guys, I played
ice hockey first. I actually
didn’t start playing ball
hockey until the summer of
2014. In the off-season, I
work and train in Winnipeg
because that’s where I’ve been
going to school the last three
years. I have some family
there and my girlfriend lives
there as well. A couple of my
old former teammates that
I played junior hockey with
played ball hockey. They told
me to come out to a couple
of runs and I just kind of
progressed from there. We
have a league in Winnipeg
that runs from May through
July and that prepares us for
Worlds and also prepares Team
Manitoba for the Canadian
Ball Hockey Championship.”
If you’re interested in
becoming the next Shaquille
Merasty Team Canada star –
just visit manitobaballhockey.
com or call the administrative
office at 204-925-5602. There
just might be a Team Canada
or Team Manitoba uniform
with your name on it.
“The big thing to
remember,” said Dzikowicz, “is
that whether you’re a future
Team Canada player or just
somebody looking to have fun
or stay in shape, our leagues
are for all ages and all skill
levels, both male and female.
This is a great game.” ❍