Before they have even finished their first season, a Vancouver Island ball hockey team has been invited to compete in provincials this weekend.
It is a big feat for the North Island Jets, who are a part of the Comox Valley Ball Hockey League that is only in its second year of existence. However, after their team was put together, they had a lot of success in small tournaments locally and around the province.
“We played in the Comox Valley Social Club League where we went undefeated and then we played a really cool tournament in Lillooet Nation’s Unity Cup in Pemberton,” said Darcy McNeil, one of the team’s coaches and organizers.
“We had a really great first run at that tournament where we went undefeated and one goalie we ended up beating was a Team Canada goalie.”
Their track record led to an invite for them to compete at provincials in Victoria. However, that brings a new challenge with the number of players who they can choose from.
“This is a big unknown, we’ve just played up in the Comox Valley in a few tournaments so far, so we haven’t really tested ourselves very much,” said McNeil. “We’re drawing from a very small group of players, maybe 80 to 100, whereas many of the teams are drawing from 700 to 800 players.”
However, McNeil says the area has been attracting a lot of new people to the area and many are good ball hockey players including Shawn Phair who is a top end player for Masters Team Canada, music producer Brian Howes and Luc Pelletier and Kyle Crewe who are junior players.
As a player, McNeil says playing the sport highlights its importance not only because it is an extension of one of Canada’s favourite sports, but it also provides more accessibility to people who otherwise cannot play hockey.
“Ball hockey is something that is really underappreciated in Canadian culture. It’s what I call the gateway sport to hockey at large,” said McNeil. “How many NHL players when the first picked up a stick, probably started playing with a ball before anything else.
“Ball hockey is a competitive extension of that. It’s cheaper, it’s more accessible, it’s much easier for immigrant and new families to engage in Canada’s favourite sport and it’s far easier to play on a street or a gym floor.”
He adds the best part of playing on the team is the comradery and spirit of playing with different people from different backgrounds and provides a lot of action for teammates.
The team is playing in the B provincials, with the first game on Friday against the Victoria Dragons.
