This country's national Under-21 men's hockey squad led by goalkeeper Kwasi Emmanuel left here early yesterday morning for Toronto, Canada to compete at the
2016 Junior Pan American Hockey Championship from May 20-28 at the University of Toronto.
The T&T which has never finished higher than fifth in the previous ten editions of the competition, will compete in a very tough four-team Pool A round-robin series with
ten-time champions Argentina, the only country to have won the gold medal, Puerto Rico and USA while, Guyana, Chile, Canada and Mexico are in Pool B of the eight-team tournament which will qualify one team to the Junior World Cupto be held in India in December, later this year.
Kwasi Emmanuel of Courts Malvern will have a lot of family support within team as his two younger siblings, Kieron and Kristien also made the final squad along with fellow Malvern players, Marcano-siblings, Teague and England-based Tariq, Jovan Wren and Lyndell Byer.
Experienced Queen's Park attacker Jordan Reynos has been named as vice-captain.
The local squad under the supervision of coach and current national senior team captain, Darren Cowie open its campaign against the Argentines on Friday from 10am followed by matches versus Puerto Rico on Saturday May 21, and Monday May 23, both from 10am as well.
At the end of the round-robin phase all the teams will move onto the quarterfinals with the Pool B teams ahead of the winners and losers draw semifinals, and final day playoffs.
T&T ended in been fifth spot four years ago in Guadalajara, Mexico as well as in 1985 in Orlando, Florida, USA; while it also placed sixth in Barbados (1996) and Chile (1981), seventh on home soil in 2008 and 2000 in Santiago, Chile, and eighth in 2005 in Havana, Cuba.
T&T Under-21 men's hockey team: Zachary Clarke, Jordan Reynos (vice-captain), Keegan Dos Santos, Che Modeste, Dylan Francis, Jordan Vieira, Kristien Eammanuel, Jarryon Paul, Jovan Wren, Tariq Marcano, Teague Marcano, Cheon Steele(GK), Marcus Pascal. Kieron Eammanuel, Kwasi Emmanuel (captain/GK), Kelon Skerritt, Jabari Perez, Lyndell Byer.
Technical staff: Darren Cowie (coach), Akim Toussaint (assistant coach), Natakii Akii-Bua (team manager), Jameel Beharry (stand-in manager), Karielle De Bique (physiotherapist)
Tournament schedule:
Friday May 20:
Pool A:
Argentina vs T&T, 10am
USA vs Puerto Rico, 12.30pm
Pool B:
Chile vs Guyana, 3pm
Canada vs Mexico, 5.30pm
Saturday May 21:
Pool A:
T&T vs Puerto Rico, 10am
USA vs Argentina, 12.30pm
Pool B:
Mexico vs Guyana, 3pm
Chile vs Canada, 5.30pm
Monday May 23:
Pool A:
Argentina vs Puerto Rico, 10am
T&T vs USA, 12.30pm
Pool B:
Mexico vs Chile, 3pm
Guyana vs Canada, 5.30pm
Wednesday May 25: Quarterfinals
Friday May 27: Winners & Losers Semifinals
Saturday May 28: Final Day playoffs: