The second day  of the Vancouver Invitational saw the conclusion of pool play and the semifinals.

Division 1

In Division 1, Ontario continued their undefeated run by dispatching Quebec 51-42 in their final pool game. They booked a trip to the final with a convincing 52-35 win over the hosts from BC in the semis.

Alberta got their first win of the tournament against BC. After trailing at the end of the first quarter, Zak Madell and the Roughnecks upped the defensive pressure and won 48-32.

The Roughnecks couldn’t keep the momentum going in their semifinal against Quebec. The game was close for most of the way but, Quebec wore down Alberta as the game went on, and used a strong fourth quarter to propel them to a 55-49 win and set up a rematch with Ontario for gold.

The Quebec-Alberta semifinal was the closest match of the tournament so far. It was very physical and several players hit the floor.

Team BC is still looking for their first win, but this up-and-coming side has played their bench in every game and is making strides as the tournament goes on. They’ll have one last shot at a win tomorrow against Alberta for 3rd place.

Division 2

The Seattle Slam remain undefeated and have the largest point differential of any team in the tournament at +. Their lack of hi-pointer hasn’t slowed them down as player/coach Jeremy Hannaford has his team executing at a high level.

Seattle will be joined in the final by the Portland Pounders who they beat earlier today 47-25.Portland have relied on a number of newer players at this tournament and they’ve responded well. The Pounders beat BC-B 47-25 in their opening game of the day and then finished strong with a 40-32 win over the Alberta Bighorns in the semifinals.

The Alberta Bighorns were a much-improved squad on Day 2. The arrival of Ken Hicks and the leadership he brings made a huge difference. He helped the team to their first victory as they rallied past BC-B 49-31.

BC-B will have a rematch with Alberta B on Sunday at 9:30am as they search for a win. Their rookies are getting valuable experience as the team tested out a number of line-ups and combinations.

Thanks to Hollister for their support of the Vancouver Invitational. Check them out for all of your personal care needs.

Follow BC Wheelchair Sports on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and our very own liveblog (Court 1, Court 2) for updates on tomorrow’s finals.

If you cannot attend the games in person, just a heads up that we have a liveblog! Check out Court 1 and Court 2. Head on over to stay up to date on scores, hits, and all the latest gifs. This morning we saw Team Ontario easily best Team BC while Quebec slowly earned their win against Zak Madell and Team Alberta.

If you are in the area, head on over! We were just listed as one of Vancouver’s hottest events by funnyman Daniel Chai and Daily Hive. Tickets are by donation, and we’re only a Skytrain and a quick walk away.

See you soon!

Last, but certainly not least in our team previews is the home team: Team BC.

The A-Team

The BC A-Team may not have Parasport fan Mr. T, but they do have four-time Paralympian Ian Chan  behind the bench.

Team BC has dealt with some retirements and departures over the past few years and are working hard to develop new talent and climb back up the Canadian wheelchair rugby ranks.

Without a true high-pointer, they’ll rely on a balanced offensive approach and look to national team veterans Trevor Hirschfield and Byron Green for lock-down defence and guidance on court.

17 year-old Joel Ewert of Prince George is a rapidly improving prospect who represented Canada in Prague in 2017. He’s also a member of the junior provincial wheelchair basketball team and uses his strong passing skills in both sports.

Cody Fournie, will likely be catching quite a few of Ewert’s long passes. The speedster moved to BC a few years ago and has been training hard in hopes of making the national team.

Rounding out the squad are long-time BC rugby players Jessica Kruger, Peter Isherwood, Andrew Davis and Kaspar Shouldice.

The B-Team

Many of the BC A Team members got their start playing with the development team, and this year’s B Squad includes a strong mix of youth and experience.

Brandon Perger has only been playing wheelchair rugby for several months, but is already showing great promise and potential. Look for him to form a lethal combination with the experienced Rod Bitz – who has a trophy case full of All-Star and MVP awards.

The B team also has a number of young multi-sport athletes. Josh Holton and Desiree Young both recently came back from the BC Winter Games with medals in wheelchair basketball. They’ll both add energy and youth to the team.

With the tournament only four days away, we’d like to thank Clif Bar for their support of BC Wheelchair Sports and the Vancouver Invitational.

United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA) teams have a history of  success at the Vancouver Invitational and our southern neighbours from Seattle and Portland are back for another shot at the title – This time in Division 2.

Seattle Slam

The Seattle Slam  finished in the top four at the past three Vancouver Invitationals. However, this year they’re without Japanese Import Daisuke Ikezaki and Vancouver Invitational poster-boy Paul Watson,

Despite lacking a high-pointer, player/coach/welder Jeremy Hannaford will have his team  have his team ready to play. With no clear-cut star, the Slam will likely rely on multiple ball-handlers and crisp passing to score.

Portland Pounders

The Portland Pounders have multiple Vancouver Invitational titles and are currently ranked eighth in the USQRA.

For the second straight year, Portland will have some international flair in Colombian Jhon Orozco Nunez, a rolling highlight reel, who expertly combines aggression and agility.

Nunez is using the Vancouver Invitational to prepare next month’s  IWRF World Championship Qualifier in Switzerland.  Where the Colombian national team will attempt to qualify for their first World Wheelchair Rugby Championship.

After missing out on last year’s tournament, Alberta will return to the Vancouver Invitational with their A1 phenom, Zak Madell. Taking time away from the San Diego Sharp Edge, Madell is inarguably the best high-point Canadian player and was the primary offensive producer for the Canadian national team at the London and Rio Paralympics.

While Zak Madell is the sole  representative with Paralympic experience, he’ll be alongside Branden Troutman, a highly touted prospect who carries the same wheelchair basketball background. Troutman will likely be pushing for a national team trip to Tokyo for the Paralympics in 2020. He had an impressive first season with Team Canada, and continues to improve.

Fellow Roughnecks player Denolm Stephens, will be expected to add some youth to their lineup, 2017 Canadian All-Star Rob McIssac will be depended on for strong defense and smart picks/screens.

The Roughnecks are Alberta’s provincial A team. Alberta has a growing wheelchair rugby community, and its been suspected that Red Deer will soon get a regional club. This is a strong group of players, and will have high expectations coming into this  tournament.

Alberta’s B Team, the Bighorns are also competing and will be led by Paralympic medalist Allan Chartrand (who also played in BC for a couple years).

Bonus video: Check out Zak talking about the Vancouver Invitational with recent BCWSA communications hire, Nathan Bragg.

The  London Annihilators and Team Québec are back at the Vancouver Invitational with star-studded squads in Division 1.

London Annihilators 

Representing Ontario comes with serious expectations. The London Annihilators have won six of the past seven Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Championships and are bringing a loaded team to Richmond, including four national team members (or five, if we include head coach and longtime veteran David Willsie).

All eight of the team’s players were part of the 2017-2018 National Team Program and their depth and balance should allow them to play with different combinations and line-ups. This will come to some advantage, as they’re expected to play two games on the opening day. 

Richmond native and former Team BC player Travis Murao moved to Toronto in 2016 and will surely be looking forward to playing in front of family, friends, and former teammates.

Look for longtime veteran Mike Whitehead to dish out some heavy hits to the opposition. He’s a big guy who is often the source of both turnovers and flipped chairs.

Team Québec

Led by Paralympians Patrice Simard and Fabien Lavoie (who trains out of the Richmond Oval), Quebec has a balanced team that will often have speed at all four positions on the court. Lavoie is one of the fastest players in the country and, as Québec’s only high pointer, will be relied upon to produce plenty of goals.

Anthony Létourneau should take some of the pressure off of Lavoie. He’s a fast-rising prospect who made his national team debut at the   2017 IWRF Americas Championships.On the other side of the ball,  Patrice Simard and Yanick Racicot are both great defenders capable of locking down the opposition.

After winning bronze at last year’s national championships, Quebec will be looking to challenge Ontario and make a statement ahead of the 2018 Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Championships at Mount Royal University.

With less than two weeks to go, we’re proud to announce the support of our awesome friends at Postmark Brewing. Look forward to seeing you soon!

Hard-hitting wheelchair rugby returns to the Richmond Olympic Oval from March 9-11th and we need your help to make the event a success.

There are a variety of roles that need filling including:

• Table Officials (Scorekeepers)*
• Food Services
• Transportation
• Serving (Must be 19+)
• Merchandise/Info Table
• Spectator Support (Crowd Control).
• First Aid

To sign up click here  and fill out the form by February 23rd.

* Anyone interested in scorekeeping is encouraged attend a training session. These will be held on Tuesday, February 27th and Tuesday, March 6th from 5:45-8:15pm at Raycam Cooperative Centre.
RSVP to Hannah Macdonald at programs@bcwheelchairsports.com by February 23rd.

 

Japan played fantastically at the tournament, winning every one of their five games. They faced stiff competition on Sunday, facing off against a powerhouse Team Ontario for the final match of the tournament. Ontario held them to a 2 point lead through much of the 1st half, and pressured Japan to make mistakes in their own end. By the end of the 3rd, however, Japan showed the strength of their longer bench and forced a series of pass interceptions that Ontario was unable to recover from. Head coach Kevin Orr was beaming as Yukinobu Ike andMasayuki Haga headed up to collect the coveted trophy.

Team Ontario likely has no regrets about leaving this competition with a second place finish. Under the direction of Team Canada Asssistant Coach and former national team athlete Dave Willsie, they outmanoeuvred tough clubs like the Seattle Slam and the Portland Pounders on their way to the finals. They should head home proud.

In the bronze medal match, the Seattle Slam made quick work of the Portland Pounders. After a closely contested (55-53) win over the Pounders on Friday, they set the tone early by playing aggressively and intercepting a lot of Portland’s inbound passes. Paul Walston and Daisuke Ikezaki were largely responsible for this, and Portland’s defence struggled to contain them.

We’ve had a wonderful time with you ladies and gentlemen over the past three days, and were able to engage many of you here, through our Instagram feed, our Facebook page, and of course, on our website.

As you can imagine, putting on a tournament of this calibre is a real challenge, and we rely on our awesome sponsors to keep things running smoothly. We’d like to acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia. We’d also like to thank Postmark Brewing for keeping the crowds in good spirit and Superstore, Pomme Natural Market, PriceSmart Richmond, Safeway, and Save-On Foods for providing meals to our athletes and volunteers. Thanks so much!

We’d also like to thank Richmond Sport Hosting, Murphy Battista, ViaSport, the Sheraton Hotel, Chair Stuff, Run Inn, Wildwood Landscape, & Maintenance, and Addaday. We couldn’t do this without sponsors like you. Thanks for being part of our team.

See you all next year!

And what a tournament it’s been.

We definitely saw the pack separate a bit in the 2nd day of the Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament, with both Seattle and Ontario obtaining losses. Seattle has looked like the better club, especially with the heavy minutes being put up by Daisuke Ikezaki (of the Japanese national team) who has been playing with his training club. Ontario managed to defeat them 56-46 in their final match of the day, using a deeper lineup with five Canadian national team members including Mike Whitehead, Patrice Dagenais, and and Travis Murao. With the win, Ontario will face off against Team Japan in the gold medal match at 1 PM.

These two clubs have already met; they faced off in an early afternoon match on Saturday, and Japan took a nine point spread for a commanding win. Japan has been dominant throughout the tournament, and is the only team to go undefeated throughout the tournament. Yukibobu Ike, who has played heavy minutes for Japan, was offered some rest by Team Japan yesterday. Head coach Kevin Orr was quick to relieve his starter, as Japan rolled over Portland 61-45.

Portland will face off against Seattle in the bronze medal match. Seattle narrowly defeated Portland on Friday – this battle of American clubs will be one worth watching.  Seattle has only lost once in the tournament; they fell to Team Ontario in their final match yesterday.

Haven’t been out yet? This is the last day to watch some really great teams playing right in Vancouver’s backyard. Come join us! Admission is by donation.

As you can imagine, putting on a tournament of this calibre isn’t easy, and we rely on our awesome sponsors to keep things running smoothly. We’d like to thank Postmark Brewing for keeping the crowds in good spirit and Superstore, Pomme Natural Market, PriceSmart Richmond, Safeway, and Save-On Foods for providing meals to our athletes and volunteers. Thanks guys!