We had an awesome final day at the 2018 Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. Things got off to a great start with Team-B winning the opening game of the day. Jeff Scott helped Rod “The Bod” Bitz and prospect Brandon Perger get their first win of the tournament over the Alberta club that had beaten them on Saturday afternoon.

In the afternoon, BC-A just couldn’t keep up with Alberta’s A squad, but the tournament provided some very good looks of up-and-coming prospect Joel Ewert. On the other court, the Seattle Slam won a very narrow victory in double overtime against the Portland Pounders. This USQRA standoff was a highlight of the tournament and drew a large and loud crowd. Seattle manages to leave the tournament unscathed with a 4-0 record.

Thanks to Nando’s for providing today’s (awesome) lunch.

The final match of the game featured Team Ontario and Team Quebec; both clubs are stacked with Canadian national players looking to hold bragging rights over one another. Quebec managed to stay right alongside Ontario for the first half, but Ontario’s longer bench allowed them to dictate the tempo and control much of the play though the 2nd. Congratulations to head coach David Willsie and his squad for their A-division tournament victory.

At the conclusion of the tournament, awards were given to Kip Johnson of the Portland Pounders (Best Picker), Jeff Scott of Team BC (Most Heart), Trevor Hirschfield of Team BC (Clutch Performer), and, of course, Patrice Simard of Team Quebec as the Vancouver Invitational’s Most Valuable Player.

We could not put on a tournament of this calibre without the generous aid of our supporters. We can’t thank them enough for being part of the parasport community, and are in their debt. Thanks so much to Postmark Brewing, Ceilis Modern Irish Pub, Viasport, Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Richmond Sport Hosting, Hollister International, Chairstuff, Save On Foods, Clif, Cobs Bread, Freshii, Nando’s, Murphy Bautista, the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association, Costco, Superstore, Canadian Tire, and, of course, we would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

Thank you all, and we look forward to seeing you again at the 2018 Canada Cup Wheelchair Rugby Tournament.

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.