When you’re called the West Coast Express, you expect a quick trip to reach your destination – and if you happen to be a hockey team, you do it with flair.
Unlike the old Vancouver Canucks line, this hockey team got the job done on the floor.
The Express, a collection of 20 under-15 B.C. ball hockey players, motored through the competition at last month’s Plzen Cup in the Czech Republic and bagged a title.
The team, which includes four Burnaby players, dominated the tourney but had a few close calls – including the final where a late penalty provided an element of urgency but was solved by a last-
second insurance goal.
“I knew going in to this tourney we had a strong team on the floor and off the floor,” remarked coach and organizer Gary Slavin, who has made 10 trips to the Czech Republic for ball hockey tournaments. “Respect, dignity and focus was seen with every player. As many of my groups overseas have been from u16 right up to master men’s, this was the first u15 team taken over and I was very happy with the entire trip from both players and parents.”
The Canadians outlasted the host Plzen HBC 3-1 in the final, successfully killing a penalty during the final minutes when only one goal separated the teams. The last goal was scored by Burnaby’s Kaiden Johnson, who beat the buzzer with an empty-net marker.
For the players, the journey that ended in a championship unfolded almost like a dream.
“The highlight (of) the trip for me was just being around the team both on and off the floor,” said forward Trevor O’Reilly, a Burnaby North Grade 9 student. “The whole experience was amazing and by the end of the trip I felt like I had known my teammates for years. The best time had to be the gold medal game when we won and the whole team went crazy when the final buzzer went.”
The win was a product of team toil, sweat and determination. Getting to the final saw the Express reel off five games in less than 48 hours, trumping Plzen HBC 3-1 in the opener, the Czech national squad 10-0, and 4-1 over the Slovakian Gajary Flames. They wrapped up the round robin with a 4-0 win over TJ Blatna, setting the stage for a rematch with Plzen.
All four Burnaby players – Dante Ballarin, Daniel Juca, Johnson and O’Reilly – made major contributions. As the team was selected in March and been playing together since April, team chemistry was critical. All the pieces fell into place quickly, said Slavin.
“Our Burnaby players were great leaders in communication with other players and one was recognized for that as we named Dante Ballarin as one of our assistant captains,” he said. “Dante was one of our top defenseman on both sides of the ball. Kaiden and Trevor were great in the goal scoring department and Daniel is a solid set-up winger and played the first power play line. Their style of play easily was adapted to the style of play that is needed overseas.”
Players were scouted and recommended by various Lower Mainland ball hockey leagues, with the process also requiring families who were interested in such a costly trip.
Slavin said the preparation, both before the tourney and during, made the end result possible.
“It truly is a different world there and for a majority that have never travelled to Europe, those first days were crucial in preparing the team,” said Slavin. “The biggest adjustment for the players was playing on a plastic tile floor. All are use to playing on arena concrete floors. The ball moves faster on the tile, as well the shots come off the floor different.”
Ballarin said that while there was a general, road-trip feel on the flight to Prague, once they landed and began the process of preparing for that first game, the target became clear.
“Once we landed and visited Prague (before the tournament) I think everyone began to really think about it,” said the Notre Dame student and Burnaby minor hockey player. “I think we went over there thinking we were playing for Canada… Whether (the jersey read) West Coast Express, we thought we were Team Canada and that was an incredible special feeling.”
“I felt a part of the team from the first practice we had, we were already joking around and the bonding started there. At that moment I knew it was going to be a good experience,” said O’Reilly.
For Juca, the very first game of the tournament was where a fun trip became a special mission.
“The highlight of my trip was definitely the first game of the tournament,” said Juca. “We had been preparing for months, and for the whole time we were visiting Prague it was all we would talk about. The hype around this first game was immense, and we ended up winning (3-1 over host Plzen). Because it was my first ball hockey game not played in Canada, and because I had been waiting for that moment for months, it has to be the highlight of my trip.”
All four Burnaby players are sticking together to represent B.C., as well as nine other members from the Express, for the upcoming nationals.
Slavin said the u15 trip went so well plans are already being made for a repeat trip. Coaches, players and parents interested in learning more about it can contact him at [email protected].
