By Victoria Klassen
The Nepean Nighthawks boys’ field hockey team came away with a historic bronze medal from the Field Hockey Canada Under-16 National Championships July 20-24 in Calgary.
While individual Nighthawks players had won national medals before for Team Ontario, this marked the first occasion that their full team, playing as Ontario White, earned a place on the podium.
“The Ottawa boys played their hearts out on the field,” underlines coach Rohan Chopra. “They went into a tournament for provincial teams as a club team, and coming out with a bronze medal is huge for them. It means a lot to the club and to everyone in Ottawa. We are all very proud of them.”
Though he’s known many of the players for years and helped train and teach them skills in the past, this was Chopra’s first year serving as the team’s head coach, bringing with him knowledge of the most up-to-date systems in the sport. At a May tournament in Toronto, the 19-year-old junior national team member helped Canada win a Junior Men’s Field Hockey World Cup berth.
There is another player with international flavour on the team’s roster and that’s Joshua Kuempel. Born in Canada (and thus eligible to play in nationals), Kuempel grew up in Germany, but has come back to the farm his family still owns in Arnprior in recent summers. The 6-foot-tall teen plays field hockey during Germany’s regular winter season, enjoying greater exposure to the sport at a high level than in Canada.
“Having him come in and be part of the team is a huge help,” notes Chopra. “We already had 14 strong players, and just to have a 15th who has a little more experience, a little bit stronger on the ball, it was really able to help our game.”
At the nationals, the Nighthawks opened with a 5-4 win over Alberta 5-4, followed by a 2-0 defeat to B.C. and a 2-0 victory over Quebec 2-0. They then earned a highly satisfying 3-1 win over Ontario Red’s lineup of GTA players to send them into the semi-final.
Nepean lost the semi 7-3 in a rematch with Alberta, but bounced back to claim bronze with a 2-1 shootout victory after a 3-3 regulation tie with Quebec.
“They were tough, good opponents,” signals Jeremie Fradette-Roy, who’s enjoyed learning a new, less-common sport in his five years with the Nighthawks.
“I like our team, the chemistry and how it brings us together,” adds the 15-year-old.
With the historic bronze in their back pocket, the Nighthawks boys will chase more hardware yet this summer, set to cap their season with the Aug. 11-14 Ontario Summer Games in Mississauga.
Chopra sees a young group poised for big things and is excited about the prospects for the 2017 nationals when they have another year’s worth of experience under their belt.
“In a U16 tournament, we only had two 16-year-olds,” Chopra underlines, noting all other players will be eligible to return next year. “As a young team, they were forced to play against these older boys but they really stood up and showed their strength and intensity. You couldn’t tell that they were younger.”