The Vancouver Invitational is back for its 21st year with six of the best wheelchair rugby teams in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

Come cheer for Team BC and BC Development as they take on rivals from Alberta, Seattle, and Portland.

You can catch all of the action live at the Richmond Olympic Oval starting on Friday, March 6.

Admission is by donation. All spectators will have access to the 2020 IWRF Paralympic Qualification Tournament.

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The Ontario Thunder and Portland Pounders both added another title to their collection as the Vancouver Invitational came to a close on Sunday.

Back-To-Back for the Ontario Thunder!

The Ontario Thunder won their 2nd consecutive Vancouver Invitational title and finished the tournament undefeated following a close 58-56 victory over the Lightning in Sunday’s all-Ontario clash.

Thunder defender Patrice “Pico” Dagenais took home this year’s MVP honors following a fantastic tournament.

Quebec finished in 2nd after a 54-40 win over Team BC, and Alberta powered their way into 3rd place with a 67-59 win over Germany in a high-scoring and fast-paced match to close the tournament. 

Eight’s Great for Portland.

The Portland Pounders are D2 champs after defeating the Seattle Slam 50-42. Portland’s attacking trio of Justin Beaver, Jake Wheeler and Seth McBride proved to be too tough for Seattle to stop in the victory. The Pounders now have a D2 title to go with their seven D1 victories and Pacific Northwest bragging rights heading into their home tournament in April.

In the 3rd-place match, BC Development won 44-32 over the Alberta Bighorns for their win of the tournament. Both squads used their whole bench as they worked to fine-tune line-ups ahead of this summer’s 2019 National Championships-Powered by Vesco, in Ottawa.

Thank You

The Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament wouldn’t be possible without help from our incredible supporters: the Government of British Columbia, Wheelchair Rugby Canada, Richmond Sport Hosting , Richmond Olympic Oval, Sheraton Vancouver Airport, Postmark Brewing, viaSport, Boston Pizza Ackroyd, CLIF BAR, Pomme Natural Market Port Coquitlam, Save-On-Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Nando’s Garden City, Murphy Battista LLP, ChairStuff and Ceilli’s Richmond.

A huge thank you also goes to all of the hardworking volunteers who made the 2019 Vancouver Invitational a great success.

Results and Awards

D1
1. Ontario Thunder (5-0)
2. Quebec (3-2)
3. Alberta Roughnecks (3-2)
4. Germany (2-3)
5.Ontario Lightning (2-3)
6. Team BC (0-5)

D2
1. Portland Pounders (5-0)
2. Seattle Slam (3-2)
3. BC Development (1-4)
4. Alberta Bighorns (1-4)

MVP: Pico Dagenais (Thunder)
Most Heart: Josh Holton (BC Development)
Clutch Performer: Zak Madell (Alberta Roughnecks)
Best Picker: Trevor Hirschfield (Team BC)

After two days of intense competition at the Vancouver Invitational, the Ontario Thunder clinched the D1 title and the Portland Pounders and Seattle Slam booked their place in the D2 final!

D1: Thunder Guaranteed 1st Place with a Day to Play

 

With two more wins on Day 2, the Ontario Thunder clinched the top spot in the round-robin tournament. 

They opened their day with a 50-34 win over Team BC in which all of their players got on the court. Teenage rookie Rio Kovaks had a great game for the Thunder and showcased his potential against his fellow up-and-coming athletes from BC. 

The Thunder had a tougher test in the evening’s feature match-up with Team Germany.  The Germans knew that a win would keep their title hopes alive and brought great intensity to the match. 

Their experience would ultimately prove to be the difference maker, as they used several crucial offensive adjustments to stretch their lead and ended up with a 57-49 win to clinch back-to-back titles. 

Messy Middle

While the D1 title is already decided, a wild Saturday means there are still plenty of bragging rights up for grabs in D1. 

After an 0-2 start on Day 1, the Alberta Roughnecks beat Quebec and BC on Saturday to push their way into the 3rd place with a game left. The team was particularly impressive in a 59-45 win over Team Quebec. 

While the Roughnecks rose, the Lightning crashed on Day 2. They had two tough losses falling 63-52 to Germany and 57-50.

Despite being without a win, Team BC continues to show great improvement. After a couple of lopsided losses on Friday, they put together a pair of gritty performances in competitive matches on Day 2. 

Standings

Team	Wins	Losses	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Differential
Thunder	5	0	279	243	+36
Quebec	3	2	259	242	+17
Germany	2	2	243	202	+41
Alberta	2	2	224	219	+5
Lightning	2	2	224	223	+1
BC	0	5	199	285	-86

D2: Pacific Northwest Rivals Continue to Roll

Portland and Seattle are set to meet in a 2nd consecutive Vancouver Invitational final. Saturday saw Portland defeat BC Development twice, winning 52-28 in their final pool match and 39-35 in a much tighter semifinal.  

After dropping their semifinals, BC Development and the Alberta Bighorns will meet in Sunday’s 3rd place game. 

 

Sponsor Shout-Out 

 

We’d like to send a huge thank you to Murphy Battista LLP and ChairStuff for supporting the Vancouver Invitational and providing Saturday’s lunches for all the athletes and volunteers. 

 

Webcast

 

You can watch yesterday Germany vs Ontario Thunder match here

 

Hey Everyone! You’ve been asking for it and we’re delivering.

We’re partnering with the Richmond Olympic Oval and Playsight to bring you two featured matches from the 2019 Vancouver Invitational.

Canadian Paralympian Byron Green will provide play-by-play and analysis during two of the tournament’s most anticipated match-ups. Tune in on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Saturday Night: Ontario Thunder vs Germany

Tip-off: Saturday, March 9th at 5:30pm PST/8:30pm EST/
Sunday: 02:30 CET (For our European Viewers)

Link (Live at 5pm PST/8:00pm EST/02:00 CET)

The defending champs from Ontario take on our European visitors from Germany in what should be a highly entertaining clash. Can the Thunder avenge the Lightning’s earlier loss or will Germany rise back up the standings? Tune it to find out.

Sunday Afternoon: Alberta vs Germany

Tip-off: Sunday, March 10th at 1:30pm PST/4:30pm EST/22:30 CET

Link (Live at 1pm PST/4pm EST/ 22:00 CET)

The 20th Vancouver Annual got off to a roaring start on Friday and even included an overtime match. Read on to find out about all of the big stories from Day 1.

Ontario Undefeated

It was a fantastic first day for Ontario as both the Thunder (2-0) and Lightning (2-0) powered past their opponents.

David Willsie’s Lightning squad opened the day with a hard-fought 67-59 win over the Alberta Roughnecks. The high-scoring match featured plenty of quick tries and big hits as Ontario’s balanced approach got the best of Alberta’s hi-lo lineups.

They followed up that win with a 54-45 win over the hosts, Team BC.

Not to be outdone, The Thunder also won out on Friday. They opened their title defense with a 59-50 over Quebec and a close 56-51 win over Alberta. The father and son duo of Rio and Nick Kovacks made their debuts in the teams two victories.

Overtime Thriller

Quebec and Germany needed overtime to decide the most exciting match of the day!

Quebec got off to a quick start and had an 8-5 lead early on. Germany buckled now and created a couple crucial turnovers to tie it at 12 by the end of the 1st quarter.

From the point, the two sides exchanged leads and went back and forth, with neither team able to take full control in the 32 minutes of regulation.

In overtime, 1.5 Yanick Racicot came up with a pivotal steal for Quebec. This gave them a two-try lead that they wouldn’t give up, finishing on top 63-61.

For the Germans, Marco Herbst was a real difference maker. He scored plenty of tries and applied tremendous pressure on defense.

For the victors, Anthony Letourneau was a standout player. He continuously attacked the defense and found creative ways to get open in space.

Both teams are now 1-1, with three games left to play.

Portland take control in D2

The Portland Pounders avenged last year’s loss by defeating the Seattle Slam 46-42 on Friday. Both teams used balanced attacks with multiple scores and went back and forth in a closely contested match.

Rookie Justin Beaver has emerged as One to Watch through Portland’s first two games. While he’s still learning the game, he’s already an impact player at this level and was especially impressive in Portland 49-25 rout over the Alberta Bighorns.

Standings

Here are the standings after Day 1

D1

Team	Wins	Losses	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Differential
Thunder	5	0	279	243	+36
Quebec	3	2	259	242	+17
Germany	2	2	243	202	+41
Alberta	2	2	224	219	+5
Lightning	2	2	224	223	+1
BC	0	5	199	285	-86

D2

Team	WINS	LOSSES	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Differential
Portland Pounders	2	0	95	73	+21
Seattle Slam	1	0	90	67	+23
Alberta Bighorns	1	1	71	80	-9
BC Dev	0	2	52	94	-42

Full results and tomorrrow’s schedule are available here

Sponsor Shout-Out

Thank you to Nando’s on Mccleland Road for providing Friday’s fantastic lunches for our athletes and hardworking volunteers.

Last up in our team profiles are the two teams in the black and blue. They’re the ones with the fans in the stands, its the home team. It’s Team BC and BC Development.

History at the Vancouver Invitational

As the hosts, BC has competed at every Vancouver Invitational. In 2014, the team made history by becoming the first Canadian province to win the Vancouver Invitational.

Five-time Paralympian and current head coach Ian Chan led the charge for the title-winning side taking home MVP honors following a 56-53 triumph over Ontario.

After over a decade of contending for titles, Team BC is now in more of a rebuilding phase. The future looks bright though thanks to a group of exciting young players and the pressence of a few skilled veterans.

Watch Out For!

Trevor Hirschfield: The co-captain of Team Canada is one of the world’s best wheelchair rugby players. Opposing playmakers MUST be aware of where he is at all times. Otherwise, he’ll steal the ball before they even know what happened.

Joel Ewert: At only 19-years-old Prince George’s Joel Ewert has already spent four seasons with the provincial team. The NextGen athlete is known for his strong aerial game. Deceptively quick, he rely more on agility than pure speed, but still finds ways to get the job done.

Brandon Perger: The 2018 Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Rookie of the Year is making the step up to D1. The Kelowna native improves with each tournament that he plays in and gives BC another offensive option.

Max Arsenault: Local fans should get to know the 18-year-old from New Brunswick who has quickly become a key player for the BC Development team since moving to Vancouver in September. The NextGen Athlete and UBC student

Learn more

To learn more about BC Wheelchair Rugby, check out www.bcwheelchairsports.com or contact us today

Thank You

Thank you to Murphy Battista LLP. for once again supporting the Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament

After a three-year hiatus, the German National Team has returned to the Vancouver Invitational.

The 11th-ranked Germans are in Vancouver to prepare for this summer’s European Championships where they hope to qualify for the Paralympics for the first time since 2008.

The Germans have a rich history in wheelchair rugby and have competed at multiple Paralympics and World Championships.

Currently in a rebuilding phase, the team has a number of exciting prospects who will be in action at the Invitational.

History at the Vancouver Invitational

Germany is the only European team to have ever competed at the Invitational.

Led by 2014 World Championship all-star Thomas Schuwje, the team finished 6th in 2016. That tournament had an especially tough field that featured Paralympic heavyweights Japan and the United States.

Watch Out For!

Head coach Christoph Werner is bringing a young and hungry team to Vancouver that includes a mix of rookies and established talent. Here are three Germans to watch out for this weekend.

• Britta Kripke: A skilled defender and powerful picker. Kripke is one of several women competing and thriving at the international level. A veteran of the past two European Championships, she’ll be a key player for the team.
• Jens Sauerbier: An experienced class 2.0, who will be asked to provide leadership and playmaking for this youthful group. He’s also the Athlete Representative on the IWRF Board of Directors, ensuring that athletes have a say in the sport’s future.
• Marco Herbst The quick 3.5 class player will likely be Germany’s primary ball-handler. Look for him to have some exciting battles with opposing hi-pointers.

Learn more

To keep up-to-date with Team Germany follow them on Facebook and Instagram

For news about International Wheelchair Rugby including the upcoming European Championships, head over to iwrf.com

Thank You

Thank you to Boston Pizza Ackroyd for their support of the 2019 Vancouver Invitational and wheelchair rugby.

Next up in our team profiles is last year’s runner-up Quebec!

History at the Vancouver Invitational

Quebec has been one of the most consistent teams in the history of the Vancouver Invitational frequently placing in the top 3.

Despite never winning the tournament, they did place in 2007 and 2018. Their 2007 team featured an incredible collection of talent including New Zealand Wheel Blacks legend Dan Buckingham, and Canadian Paralympic medalists Fabien Lavoie, Patrice Simard and Daniel Paradis.

New head coach and boccia superstar Marco Dispaltro will look to Lavoie and Simard to help push Quebec over the line this year.

Watch Out For!

In addition to longtime stars Lavoie and Simard, Anthony Létourneau is another name that you should know. Since making his national debut in 2017, the 23-year-old from Boisbriand has continued to improve. His speed and strength make him a great secondary option for Quebec.

Yanick Racicot is another Quebec player who has worn the Maple Leaf. This year, he was part of the Canadian teams that traveled to Rugbymania in Prague and the King Power Quad Nations in Leicester. Racicot is an agile defender who can turn with the best of them.

Quebec’s opens their tournament against the Ontario Thunder on Friday at 1:30pm.

Learn More

To learn more about Quebec wheelchair rugby, check out Parasports Québec.

Thank You

Thank you to viaSport and Richmond Sport Hosting for their support of the Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament.

A storm is coming to the Richmond Olympic Oval, as the Ontario Thunder and Lightning are set to strike again in 2019.

History at the Vancouver Invitational

Ontario athletes have always competed at the Vancouver Invitational. For the first seven years they played on mixed Wheelchair Rugby Canada teams with players from Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Starting in 2007, Ontario began sending provincial teams to Vancouver. Many wheelchair rugby stars have represented Ontario in Vancouver including:

• IWRF Hall of Famer, Garett Hickling.
• Erika Schmutz, the first woman to score a try in a Paralympic wheelchair rugby match.
• 5x Paralympian and recent AMI-TV star David Willsie (Willsie will also be playing and coaching this weekend)

Last year, Ontario became the second Canadian provincial team to win the Vancouver Invitational. Following that great win, they now have their sights on repeating and securing a 1-2 finish.

Watch Out For

After winning MVP in 2018, Mike Whitehead will once again lead the Thunder’s attack. The national team veteran and TEDx speaker has a commanding physical presence and superb passing skills that make him impossible to ignore on the court.

For the Lightning, look out for Matt Debly. The 24-year-old is part of an exciting group of young players for Team Canada and will certainly light up the scoreboard for the Lightning. His high-intensity style of play is sure to energize even the most casual of fans.

You can watch the Thunder and Lightning in action live, March 8-10th at the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Learn more

For more information about Ontario Wheelchair Rugby, visit the Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association

Thank You
Thank you to the Sheraton Vancouver Airport for their continued support of the Vancouver Invitational and wheelchair rugby.

Next up in our team profiles is another USQRA team, the Portland Pounders.

History at the Vancouver Invitational

Portland has been the most dominant team in the tournament’s history. Led by U.S. Paralympic gold medalists Seth McBride and Will Groulx, the Pounders won seven consecutive titles from 2007-2013, only losing one match during this time.

In addition to McBride and Groulx, Portland’s dominant run featured a revolving door of other international stars including:

• 2x Paralympian Chuck Aoki
• Heavy-hitting Chance Sumner (Check out the 0:40 mark)
• Former Belgium international Lars Mertens
• Colombian superstar Jhon Orozco Nunez.

The team has recently transitioned into a D2 club. However they’re still a strong threat in the lower division and will look to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss to Seattle.

Watch Out For!

Jake Wheeler: A big and powerful player for Portland who should be one of the team’s primary threats. He was a try-scoring machine at last year’s tournament and also dished out a number of big hits on opposing players.

Player/Coach Kip Johnson won Best Picker at last year and was a key player on several of the title-winning teams. Opposing players will aim to avoid his pick at all times.

Learn more

To learn more about the Portland Pounders and follow the team, check out their Facebook page.

Thanks to Pomme Natural Market and Clif Bar who will be supplying snacks to keep all the athletes fueled up and ready to go.