The tournament got off to a bang on Sunday, as clubs sprung forward to play 2 games at 10 AM on Sunday. The Slam were prepared for a tough game, as BC Development was eagerly attempting to gain their first tournament win. The Slam jumped up by 6 points to end the 1st half, and never looked back.

On the other court, both Alberta teams faced off in a Battle of Alberta. Harvey the Hound couldn’t make it, so the appearance of multisport coach Saskia Bjornson at the sidelines had to suffice. The clubs played a low-contact game as both understood their respective roles; to conserve themselves for the ranked/medal games to follow.

The third match of the day featured an all-female officiating crew; the sport has been working to encourage a more diverse range of officiants, and it was great to see on International Women’s Day. Team BC started out strong and took a three point lead briefly in the opening minutes, but a series of errors ultimately forced them to spend the rest of the game chasing Denolm Stephens and the rest of the Bighorn squad.

The Final
The Portland Pounders and the Alberta Roughnecks had yet to face each other during the tournament, as the Pounders’ strong Friday meant they didn’t play at all on Saturday. Both clubs were practically perfect during the opening half and traded goals in a fast and wide open game. Alberta utilized Branden Troutman for the entire game while alternating between lines of Rob MacIssac – Ken Hicks – Jeff Dow and an all-female lineup of Ashley Munroe – Kasey Aiello – Lana Cicko. Alberta effectively shut the door in the 4th quarter as the latter line contained Portland’s Justin Beaver and made transitioning into the offensive zone a new kind of nightmare. Brendan Troutman was involved in the majority of Portland’s turnovers and he proved himself to be the impact player of the tournament. 

As always, this tournament could not happen without our fans, the generous work of volunteers, the organizing committee, and considerable logistic support. 

Awards
MVP – Branden Troutman
Troutman’s speed and defensive awareness was tough to contain. He read the play well and quashed offences consistently, and was a strong component of the line that ultimately won the Alberta Roughnecks the tournament.

High Pointer – Justin Beaver
Justin Beaver maneuvers well in his chair and accelerates quickly. He is very difficult to contain and can hit hard enough (and with enough frequency) to rattle opposing players.

Low Pointer – Kasey Aiello
Aiello read the play well, joined the offence reliably, and made very very few errors. She created space for offence and supported well.

Clutch – Joel Ewert
Joel Ewert’s BC squad probably didn’t excel as they’d hoped, but he was a big part of the lineup that remained competitive despite their tough schedule. He was incredibly impactful in their back-to-back games and that’s why he’s our clutch player of the tournament.

Thanks so much to all our sponsors and supporters, Save On Foods, Haus, Murphy Battista, Nandos, Richmond Sport Hosting, Clif, BC Rehab Foundation, Wheelchair Rugby Canada, Chairstuff, viaSport, Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, and PriceSmart.

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you again next year!