T&T senior men’s hockey team had to settle for the silver medals after a 5-2 loss to Argentina in the final of the Indoor Pan American Hockey Cup in Alberta, Canada, on Friday night.
With both T&T and Argentina already qualified for the 2025 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup by virtue of their semifinal wins over USA (5-4) and Guyana (10-0), respectively, the battle was only left to decide on which team would land its second Pan American Indoor title.
It was the South Americans, the reigning champions who struck first in the tenth minute through Juan Eleicegui but within three minutes T&T, who crushed the South Americans 7-0 in the 2017 final in Guyana for their lone title in the competition history, drew level thanks to Jordan Vieira.
However, Augustin Ceballos then netted a quick brace for Argentina, the 2021 winners after beating host USA 4-2 in the final, in the 16th and 17th minutes for a 3-1 advantage.
Eleicegui then got his second of the match to extend the South Americans’ lead to 4-1 before Ceballos completed his hat-trick in the 27th for a 5-1 margin.
With six minutes left in the 40-minute contest, Vieira scored his second of the match for T&T to trail 5-2, but it was too big a task for the injury-plagued ‘Calypso Stickmen’ in the end, with the Argentines securing their second straight title.
The qualification to the Indoor World Cup is the third in T&T’s men’s team history and the second under coach Raphael Govia who also led the team to the 2018 tournament in Berlin, Germany after their Pan Am triumph a year earlier in Georgetown, while he was part of the team to qualify for the 2007 edition in Vienna, Austria.
"We took the game to them despite tired legs despite injuries, the boys fired, created chances. I was very proud of the gutsy performances at the end of the day. I told them despite being on a WC high mere hours before, we have a final to play and we must show up and cause trouble to the Argentines," said Govia.
"It was an exciting final with everything on display skill passing defence, we collected our silver medals GK Ron Alexander got mvp for best GK of the tournament, after we closed off a mission accomplished outing here in Calgary. I’m very proud of the boys the staff everyone who contributed to this medal!"
T&T’s qualification to the World Cup also comes on the heels of the Hockey5s men’s participation at the inaugural World Cup in Muscat, Oman in January, with the core of that team also part of the team in Canada inclusive of co-captains Akim Toussaint, Vieira, Mickell Pierre, Shaquille Daniel, Jordan Reynos and Tariq Marcano.
Despite missing out on the gold medal, T&T goalkeeper Ron Alexander received the special award of ‘Goalkeeper of the Tournament’.
T&T international umpire Ayanna McClean and Kevin George also umpired the women’s final which the USA won 3-2 on penalties over Argentina after a 5-5 draw.
The T&T team is due to return home this morning (Sunday, March 24) at 6.19 am on United Airlines flight 2353.
Friday's results:
Final:
Argentina 5 (Augustin Ceballos 16th, 17th,m 27th, Juan Eleicegui 10th, 25th) vs T&T 2 (Jordan Vieira 13th, 34th)
Third placed:
USA 5 (Kai Kokolakis 9th, 36th, Ajai Dhadwai 1st, Kei Kaeppeler 24th, Jeroen Dijkema 34th) vs Guyana 4 (Aroydy Branfors 37th, 38th, Tahrea Garnett 11th, Jamarj Assanah 25th)
T&T team: Akim Toussaint (Police/co-captain), Jordan Vieira (QPCC/co-captain), Jordan Reynos (Police), Ron Alexander (Police/goalkeeper), Karlos Stephen (Defence Force/goalkeeper), Dylan Francis (Defence Force), Mickell Pierre (Defence Force), Shaquille Daniel (Defence Force), Dominic Young (QPCC), Arrielle Bowen (QPCC), Tariq Marcano (Malvern), Lyndell Byer (Malvern).
Technical Staff: Raphael Govia (coach), Keshen Johnson (manager), Derek Ashby-Williams (massage therapist/trainer), Nicholas Baldeosingh (videographer)
Technical Officials: Donny Gobinsingh (Umpires Manager), Ayanna McClean and Kevin George (umpires), Ronnie Chandler (technical official)