Canada’s field hockey teams announced for Santiago 2023
TORONTO (September 26, 2023) – Field Hockey Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced Canada’s field hockey team nominated to compete at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
The Team Canada field hockey team for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games is:
Athletes:
Women’s Roster:
Jordyn Faiczak (Waterloo, Ont.)
Kenzie Girgis (Ottawa, Ont.)
Sara Goodman (Duncan, B.C.)
Rowan Harris (Ottawa, Ont.)
Karli Johansen (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Kathleen Leahy (Victoria, B.C.)
Sam McCrory (Kitchener, Ont.)
Sara McManus (Tsawwassen, B.C.)
Anna Mollenhauer (Victoria, B.C.)
Thora Rae (Vancouver, B.C.)
Audrey Sawers (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Melanie Scholz (Calgary, Alta.)
Natalie Sourisseau (Kelowna, B.C.)
Madison Thompson (Waterloo, Ont.)
Chloe Walton (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Elise Wong (Vancouver, B.C.)
Men’s Roster:
Brenden Bissett (New Westminster, B.C.)
Findlay Boothroyd (West Vancouver, B.C.)
Sam Cabral (Vancouver, B.C.)
Taylor Curran (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Sean Davis (Marondera, Zimbabwe)
Brendan Guraliuk (Tsawwassen, B.C.)
Thomson Harris (Vancouver, B.C.)
Gordon Johnston (Vancouver, B.C.)
James Kirkpatrick (Victoria, B.C.)
Ethan McTavish (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Devohn Noronha Teixeira (Mississauga, Ont.)
Balraj Panesar (Surrey, B.C.)
Keegan Pereira (Pickering, Ont.)
Matthew Sarmento (Vancouver, B.C.)
Oliver Scholfield (Scarborough, Ont.)
Floris van Son (Vancouver, B.C.)
Both Canadian teams qualified for Santiago 2023 by virtue of their bronze medal performances at the Pan American Cup in January 2022.
The women’s national team, nicknamed the Canadian Wolf Pack, includes five athletes who competed at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, and ten members of Canada’s 2022 FIH Hockey World Cup roster. Earlier this year, the team brought aboard Danny Kerry as head coach and Kate Richardson-Walsh as assistant coach. Kerry coached the British women’s team that was captained by Richardson-Walsh to a historic Olympic gold at Rio 2016. The Canadian women’s team is currently ranked 15th in the FIH world rankings and are the number three team in the Pan American region.
Natalie Sourisseau, veteran midfielder and team captain, will compete at her fourth consecutive Pan American Games. For Sourisseau, representing Canada at major multi-sport Games is a privilege and a unique experience.
“There aren’t many individuals who get to represent their country, and we are immensely grateful for the opportunity to wear the maple leaf. To experience the energy of this type of event, and to share the experience with so many other Canadian athletes across sporting disciplines, is incredible,” said Sourisseau. “For a number of our athletes this will be their first Pan Am Games. We are looking forward to the experience, to putting into practice all of the things we have been working on, and to getting to compete in a tournament for the first time in over a year.”
The women’s team will open the group stage with a match against Cuba on October 26. Host nation Chile and Mexico are the other two teams in Canada’s pool.
The men’s national team, nicknamed the Red Caribou, is looking to upgrade their silver medal from Lima 2019 into gold, as they have come second to Argentina at the last three Pan American Games. The men’s team, a mix of youth and experience, includes seven players who competed at Lima 2019 and 10 members of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team.
The Canadian men’s team currently sits 16th in the FIH world rankings and are the number two team in the Pan American region.
Team captain Gordon Johnston is no stranger to top international competitions. Johnston, who has participated in two Pan American Games, two Olympic Games and an FIH Hockey World Cup, notes that the Pan American Games represents a specific challenge and opportunity.
“It is always incredibly special to represent Canada at a major Games. The stakes are high and the competition is tough,” said Johnston. “Playing meaningful games like this is what it’s all about. There is a great sense of excitement in the group, everyone has their eyes set on Olympic qualification and are ready to fight for it.”
Team Canada’s women’s and men’s team both won silver at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. At Santiago 2023, the teams who win gold will earn direct qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“The Pan American Games presents an amazing opportunity for our athletes and staff,” said Emma Bray, High Performance Director at Field Hockey Canada. “It’s an incredible multi-sport Games and of course, with Olympic qualification on the line, a high stakes hockey competition. I believe our teams have what it takes to be right there at the end of the tournament. I speak on behalf of our organization and hockey community when I say how excited I am to support and spur on our incredible teams.”
Field hockey will take place October 25 to November 4 (Days 5 to 15) at the Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped within the Estadio Nacional.
“I’m excited to welcome the men’s and women’s field hockey teams to Team Canada for Santiago 2023! With every flick of the stick, they inspire each other and inspire us, showcasing teamwork, and creating a legacy that resonates far beyond this field,” said Christine Girard, Team Canada’s Santiago 2023 Chef de Mission.
Team Canada’s field hockey team alternate athletes and coaches for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games are:
Alternate Athletes (Travelling)
Zachary Coombs (Chelsea, Que.)
Alexis de Armond (Victoria, B.C.)
Marcia LaPlante (Wassis, N.B.)
Harbir Sidhu (Victoria, B.C.)
Coaches
Danny Kerry (Norfolk, England) – Women’s Head Coach
Geoff Matthews (North Vancouver, B.C.) – Men’s Assistant Coach
Kate Richardson-Walsh (London, England) – Women’s Assistant Coach
Patrick Tshutshani (Lady Grey, South Africa) – Men’s Head Coach
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organisations.
The latest Team Canada Santiago 2023 roster can be found here.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kevin Underhill, Manager, Communications
Field Hockey Canada
C: 604-868-7189
E: kunderhill@fieldhockey.ca
Tara MacBournie, Team Canada Santiago 2023 Sport Communications Lead
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca