Green and Gold Time!

In every sport that anyone plays in there is a goal and an end result which you strive for. It is often the motivation for early morning practices, grueling gym sessions and playing through pain. South Africa may not be the most notable hockey country competing on the world stage but one thing is true... No matter what the sport and no matter what the circumstance pulling on the Green and Gold is a privilege and an honor. For some it is new, for others it is there 70th, 80th or 100th time, the feeling does not change. In a few weeks the U18 Team leaves for Bulgaria, the ladies leave for Korea and a bit later in March the Senior National Team also departs for Bulgaria all with the purpose of representing South Africa on the world stage.

With the new IIHF ranking system in place, teams are now competing to at best retain their world ranking however for us as South African's this is not enough however, we want to improve and begin a climb up the ladder. All the teams are tasked with a tough battle ahead. In tournaments past our teams would leave for a 5 match tournament knowing that there would be a victory earmarked in the tournament, a game a team should win however this time it is different. The competition has never been tougher. Our U18 Team is a team comprised of many first time campaigners and under the leadership of the veteran player and coach Alan Verwey the team is a hungry one. The team has been preparing for 4 months with a game against decent opposition every week. Led by Captain Xander Botha, who is in his 3rd tournament at this age group level the desire to compete is big. With a good team spirit and some gutsy players it will be interesting to see how they do. The Ladies Team like the Men's Team have had their preparation jolted slightly by off the ice issues which have been resolved for what the players feel is for the better. In any sport there are conflicts of interest and hockey is no different. The ladies have changed coach and are now under the leadership of veteran South African Nicky Beukes. Nicky has had a tough task over the past month picking up from where the previous coach left off but in difficult circumstances he has consulted coaches from around the country for their input and has not attempted to 're-invent the wheel', so to speak. The ladies team has some experienced campaigners in their line up and should do very well in their up coming adventure to Korea. The Captain and Assistants will be announced shortly and we excitedly usher in a new era in the ladies game in our country.

The Men's Senior National Team is a team now raring to go after a tough year for the management, coach and players. After last years silver medal on home soil in Div III there were issues which needed to be ironed out. In a year where the President of the Association has changed and new structures have been implemented there were bound to be detractors. The back room issues have been dealt with and if at one stage it seemed as if the National Team was destined for a catastrophe it is now done a complete about turn into a position where the sky is the limit. The South African Ice Hockey Association has employed the services of Bob Mancini from USA Hockey to assist Ronnie Wood in the preparation of the team for the next three years. Bob has been involved with the University of Wisconsin, USA Hockey and no less the Edmonton Oilers over his career, to name a few. There are one or two key players missing from the roster for personal reasons and work commitments however South Africa will be sending one of their most competitive teams to the tournament for many a year. In the line up this year will be the likes of Josh Reinecke and Cameron Birrell who both play offshore. Birrell left the country last year to compete in the UK and has performed admirably for the Cardiff Devils and Oxford Stars. Josh is a player who has been in the wilderness for several years however his calibre is unquestionable. With these players and the inclusion of the experienced guard, who have been the back bone of this unit since 2008: Lyon, Valadas, Giot, Magmoed, Marais, Matthews, Cordosa, Bock, Watson to name a few, the team is as hungry as ever to stay in Div II where they face old rivals Mexico and Israel.

South African ice hockey is on the up again. Gusto Hockey sees many of the National players on a Wednesday and a Saturday participating in their games and we wish these guys well in their upcoming tournaments.

Good luck U18, Ladies and Men's National Teams!

Gusto Hockey.