By Travis Seymour
In the 2024 edition of the Pan American Indoor Cup held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Guyana’s National Men’s Hockey team faced challenging matches against formidable opponents, the USA and Argentina.
In their opening match against the USA, Guyana struggled to maintain possession as Ajai Dhadwal swiftly converted a penalty corner just three minutes into the game.
Despite their efforts, Guyana found themselves trailing 2-0 at halftime after another goal by USA’s Jeroen Dijkema.
The Americans extended their lead to 3-0 with another field goal from Jack Weitzman after the break.
Guyana showed resilience as Shaquon Favorite scored to narrow the deficit to 3-1, igniting hopes of a comeback.
However, USA’s Dhadwal capitalized on defensive lapses to complete a hat-trick with two more penalty corner goals, extending their lead to 5-1.
Guyana’s Aroydy Bradford managed to pull two goals back with successful penalty corners, but the final score stood at 5-3 in favor of the USA.
Despite the loss, National Coach Shane Samuels praised his team’s performance, highlighting their determination against tough opposition.
He emphasized the need to capitalize on scoring opportunities and expressed confidence in their upcoming matches.
In their opener against Argentina, Guyana faced a heavy 9-5 defeat despite notable performances from Robert France and Jamarj Assanah, who scored doubles.
Looking ahead, Guyana will strive to bounce back in their upcoming matches against Canada and Trinidad and Tobago.