Get to know the competing teams at this year’s Vancouver Invitational.

Similar to BC, Alberta have split into two fairly even teams in preparation for Nationals. Both the Roughnecks and Bighorns have a mix of newer and experienced players plus D1 and D2 talent.

Coaches Bruce Crosby and Cliff Wooten will get to try out different strategies against a number of familiar foes.

Roughnecks

Hi-lo rugby has become increasingly popular in recent years and the Roughnecks will get to play a lot of it with high-pointers Tristan Kowal, Denolm Stephens and Lana Cicko joined by a group of talented low-pointers in Andrew Cheung, Kasey Aiello and BJ Engerdahl.

They’ve definitely got some pace to them and it’ll be intriguing to see how the Roughnecks can exploit the space as they look for another appearance in the final.

Alberta Bighorns

The Bighorns have a lot of experienced players led by Ken Hicks and Dave Guiry, two talented veterans who are capable of playing above their class.

The older guard is joined by a handful of emerging newer talents in the big and hard-to-move Kurt Timmonds (he gives our site admin nightmares on the court) and Kim Fayzant, a brand new player with speed to burn.

Ones To Watch

Tristan Kowal 3.5 – Alberta Roughnecks
The new kid on the block for Alberta is a speedy new player bursting with potential. Look for him to be the focal point of the Roughnecks offense and an aggressive defender on the other side of the ball.

Dave Guiry 1.5 – Alberta Bighorns
Wit and Wingspan are two words that can describe Dave Guiry’s game. He uses his long arms to power a speedy push, make impressive passes and disrupt opposing attackers.

Get to know the competing teams at this year’s Vancouver Invitational.

The hosts have split into two teams BC 1 and BC 2 to compete this year as the program continues its prep for the 2024 Canadian Nationals.

With Trevor Hirschfield, Byron Green and Joel Ewert all away with Team Canada at the Paralympic Qualification Tournament, this year’s VI will be a great opportunity for other faces to seize the spotlight in expanded roles.

BC 1

The smaller of the two squads has six athletes, including four Division 1 players in Julia Hanes, Max Arsenault, Andrew Davis and William McCreight, who are in the midst of a strong season with great results in Seattle and Montreal. These four give Coach Kendra Todd a strong projected starting line-up.

Scott James makes his return to the VI court after a couple of seasons away and should give them great energy off the bench, while hard-working Marta Pawlik makes her tournament debut this year.

BC 2

The ball will move on this team, with a large roster full of BC’s Division 2 players reinforced by D1 3.5 Brandon Perger, who’ll be relied upon as a crucial playmaker.

Rookies Brooke Perepeluk and Caleb Brousseau should see a fair amount of court time for BC 2 as fill-in coach Nathan Bragg has a few different line-ups to get on court.

Ones To Watch

William McCreight 1.0 -BC 1
The Man, The Myth, The Mustache. William McCreight has emerged as a key player for BC in recent years and continues to improve. A very quick low-pointer and impressive screener who has the ability to play above his class, Will’s skill at creating flow will be a massive help to BC 1’s playmakers.

Julia Hanes – 3.0F – BC 1
As BC 1’s high-pointer, Julia is her team’s top offensive option. She’s made great strides this season and significantly improved her passing game.

Opposing players will have to watch for her strong right arm, which she uses to effectively grab steals, block passes, and apply pressure on defense.


Josh Holton 2.0 – BC2
Josh was an all-star at last year’s tournament and brings infectious enthusiasm to his team. He always seems to play his best at the Invitational.

He’s got great speed for a 2.0 and is developing into a phenomenal defender up high. He can often be seen with a big grin on the court as he finds ways around defenders.


Jessica Kruger 2.5F
Jessica is one of the most experienced players in the BC program and brings great poise and leadership to her fresh-faced squad. An accurate passer who’s skilled at directing traffic, Jess will likely have a key role as a safety valve when her team gets into trouble or needs to reset.

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Get to know the competing teams at this year’s Vancouver Invitational.

The Seattle Slam are Vancouver Invitational regulars and are entering two teams in this year’s tournament for the second straight year. Seattle has split their usual playing squad into two fairly even teams, with Slam 1 taking a more hi-lo approach to their line-up and Slam 2 going with balance.

Ranked 21st in the United States Wheelchair Rugby Association (USWRA), Seattle will play at the Western Semifinals in Las Vegas in April.

Seattle Slam 1

Slam 1’s hi-lo means they’ll often have two hi-point players (like Shane Crider and Kaley Dugger) on the court with two low-point players (like Sebastian Broussard and Chris McCarty) on the court together.

McCarty’s age reduction means they also can run a bit of balance and get three ball handlers on the court, with 2.0 Brian Moore joining the two high-pointers.

Ones To Watch

Sebastian Broussard 0.5 – Seattle Slam 1

Seb is back! The young and talented 0.5 moved away and joined the Ability 360 Heat to take his game to the next level, but he’s back with the Slam at the Invitational.

Quick and shifty for a 0.5, Seb was the All-Tournament Low-Pointer last year. He does a fantastic job creating flow, helping his teammates get up and down the court on offense, and containing threats on defense. Seb won’t get the ball much, but he always makes a big impact on the court.

Jeremy Hannaford 1.0 – Seattle Slam 1

The player/coach of the Slam, Jeremy, is integral to everything Seattle does on and off the ball. An incredibly strong picker who’s difficult to get off of.

Hannaford’s ability to play above his classification creates mismatches for his team, and his vocal leadership will help direct traffic on the floor.

Michael Lykins – Seattle Slam 2

We all want to be like Mike. Michael Lykins is an experienced member of the Slam who’s having a banner season in the USWRA. Lykins has won multiple Best Mid-Pointer awards this season and is a big reason why the Slam are in the postseason.

He’s got great speed for a 2.0 and should be one of their primary playmakers at the Oval. Watch out for him to get into plenty of exciting races with opposing defenders.

Jake Wheeler 2.5 – Seattle Slam 2
One of the faces of the Vancouver Invitational who’s been in plenty of most memorable photos in recent years. Jake is an incredibly steady player with great size and distribution skills, making him an ideal post-up player and offensive hub for the Slam off the inbound.

A big hitter with deceptive speed, he’ll be huge in Seattle’s effort to get out of a competitive pool.

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