Three local field hockey players will be joining the Canadian national men's field hockey team at the Champions Challenge in Argentina later this month.
It will be the first competition for junior team members Gabriel Garcia-Ho of Burnaby and New Westminster twin brothers Stephen and Matthew Bissett since they helped Canada qualify for the junior World Cup in Mexico last month.
"It's nice to have some of the under-21 athletes return to training with the senior squad," senior national team member Scott Tupper said in an online press release. "They've brought some good energy and we look forward to the potential impact they will have for Canada at this tournament."
Canada will compete in Pool A against Korea, Malaysia and Poland. Pool B includes South Africa, Ireland, Japan and Canada's Pan American rival Argentina.
All eight teams will play in a quarterfinal game with the first-place pool finishers taking on the last-place team from the other groups. The second-and third-place teams play in a similar crossover.
The winners will move on to the semi-finals, while the losers will play for placement. The tournament winner will automatically qualify for the next edition of the men's Champions Trophy. Teams will also be competing for World Ranking points.
"Champions Challenge is important for us as we continue to build on the professionalism of our program on and off the pitch, especially in our daily training environment," said national team head coach Anthony Farry.
The Canadian men have not fared well at earlier Champions Challenges, finishing in eighth place in 2009 and last year.
