Indoor Pan American Cup: Guyana to battle Argentina, USA on opening day

The Guyana national men’s hockey team will have a challenging opening day in the Indoor Pan American Cup, scheduled to start on the 19th of next month in Priddis, Alberta, Canada.
The Golden Arrows will play regional powerhouses Argentina at 1:15pm local time, before going up against the USA at 6:15pm. They then face Canada on March 20th, before concluding round robin play against Trinidad & Tobago on March 21st. With the semi-finals and finals scheduled for March 22nd.
Traditionally Guyana’s strength, this will be the first time the men’s team would be playing the Indoor Pan Am Cup since they placed 4th on home soil in 2017. Guyana’s best finish at this level was when they won bronze in 2014 in Uruguay.
Speaking about preparations for the tournament, Head Coach of the national men’s programme, Robert Fernandes, said, “Our preparation has not been ideal up to this point. Due to the renovations at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, we’ve had to utilise the St. Stanislaus College auditorium and GCC, both of which are not the size of the surface we’ll be competing on; but we’re making the most of these facilities. We’re also in a transition phase, both in terms of players and coaching staff. The majority of the squad is either under 21 or in their early 20s, and only six of the players have Indoor Pan Am Cup experience.”

Taking over the reins as head coach for this tournament will be former national player and Level 2 FIH coach Shane Samuels. Fernandes commented, “Shane is an exceptional indoor coach. He has a great deal of experience both locally and coaching in England. His success in indoor hockey, both as a player and coach at the club level, made him the best candidate for this role. Although we would have liked to have given him a longer preparation period, he is committed to the task and will put the boys in the best position to succeed.”
The final team of 12 players will be selected from the 17- man squad presently in training. The squad includes three overseas players in England-based Jamarj Assanah and Andrew Stewart, and USA-based Aroydy Branford. The local players include veteran captain Robert France, Medroy Scotland, Paul D’Andrade, Raoul Whittaker, Jabari Lovell, Kareem McKenzie, Meshach Sargeant, Omar Hopkinson, Shakeem Fausette, Shaquon Favorite, Shomere Garnett, Simeon Moore, Tahrea Garnett and Warren Williams.
The team is scheduled to depart on March 16th, pending the approval of their Canadian visas.