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)
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
Next up in our team profiles are the two teams from Alberta.
Alberta Roughnecks (D1)
Alberta are on the rise. They finished in 2nd at the 2018 Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Championships and will look to do one better and make a statement at the Invitational.
Wheelchair rugby is booming in Alberta and all of their A Team players have experience with the national or NextGen programs.
Watch Out For!
The Dynamic Duo: Zak Madell and Branden Troutman
These two are FAST!!!!
Speedy Zak Madell led Team Canada in scoring at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics. Although retired from international play, the silver medalist from Okotoks is still one of the country’s most talented rugby players. Defenders will have to keep their hands on their wheels to have any hope of keeping up with his pace.
Try not to blink when watching this team, or you might miss a try!
Alberta Bighorns (D2)
Alberta also has a D2 team in the competition. The Bighorns have a number of newer players and will be aiming to improve on last year’s 4th place finish.
Para- rower Kyle Riva is a recent convert to wheelchair rugby and is a rookie to keep an eye out for.
Fun Facts
Alberta’s best ever finish at the Vancouver Invitational was 3rd in 2017.
Alberta has the most women competing at the Invitational of any province with four. Kendall Winter and Ashley Munroe on the Roughnecks and Kasey Aiello and Lana Cicko on the Bighorns.
Seattle is the only team other than BC to compete at every Vancouver Invitational. Our southern neighbours have a rich history at the tournament. They won back-to-back D2 title in 2008 and 2009 and won last year’s D2 Championship in 2OT vs Portland.
In addition to their successful D2 campaigns, Seattle has also been a D1 contender. From 2015-2017, Japanese import and world champion Daisuke Ikezaki led the team to three top-four finishes. During this run, the Slam posted impressive victories over established teams like Germany, BC and Quebec.
Watch Out For?
Seattle’s captain and head-coach Jeremy Hannaford is one to look out for. However, as a picker, his impact might not be obvious to the casual fan.
Hannaford’s a tough defender who does a fantastic job of opening up lanes for his teammates and clamping down on opponents.
The Slam won’t have one clear go-to scorer. Instead, they have four or five guys who will all be expected to carry the ball and make decisions, whether that means firing off a pass or turning on the jets and burning someone for the try.
For the 2018/2019 season, Seattle imported BC’s Andrew Davis for their domestic competitions. Canadians Rod Bitz and Fabien Lavoie have also played for the team in previous years.
For more information on the Seattle Slam, you can follow them on Facebook here.
To stay up-to-date on all things Vancouver Invitational and Wheelchair Rugby, keep checking this site. Additionally be sure to follow BC Wheelchair Sportson Facebook, InstagramandTwitter for more content leading up to and during the tournament.
High-octane Wheelchair Rugby action is returning at the Richmond Olympic Oval from March 8-10, 2019 for the 20th Annual Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament.
The three day event will see intense competition across two divisions and feature teams from Canada and the United States, as well as the German National Team.
Confirmed teams for the 2019 Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament are as follows:
D1
Team BC
Alberta
Ontario
Quebec
Germany
D2
BC Development
Alberta
Seattle Slam
Portland Pounders
The tournament organizing committee has also received letters of intent from the following D1 teams
