9 NL players lead Canada to gold at the World Junior Ball Hockey Championships
Nine young athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador had a ball at the 2023 World Junior Ball Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic, taking home the gold medal along the way.
The Canada team won 1-0 against Slovakia on Thursday to become the national champion.
Cassie Drover, 18, says she has been playing ice hockey for 15 years and was scouted for Team Canada in 2022 after winning gold at the national championships in Winnipeg.
But this game, she said, was “matchless”.
“I can’t even put into words how it felt to even get the chance to go. But to come home with a gold medal is just… it’s incredible for me,” she said.
“I think I’m still in shock, like it doesn’t feel real.”
Danielle Close, the team’s general manager, helped them get there. A youth athlete himself, Close is all too aware of the challenges of sport, as well as the triumphs that can come with it.
She described the win as “surreal.”
“I’m 47 years old, so I come from a place in the sport where I haven’t been told more than I’ve been told in regards to playing,” she said.
“I didn’t have the opportunities these girls had. So for me, winning gold was just that. It was just that last feeling of ‘yeah, I did it, and finally. I finally did it’.” And I’m here .’ And these girls believed in me for four years.”
Close said it’s important that female athletes have these opportunities. Her advice to anyone who wants to exercise is “never stop”.
All-round support
But there’s more to the game than just how to win.
In the semi-finals, Team Canada defeated Great Britain 18-0. Close said the teams posed for photos together and supported each other.
“Every goal scored against those goalkeepers, all eighteen goals. Those goalkeepers, those two had 63 shots on their own in the game. That’s unheard of,” she said.
Drover said the support from other teams was heartwarming. She said they had built relationships with the British and American teams.
Before the gold medal game, both teams wore Canadian shirts to cheer them on.
“They supported us all game and it was just crazy to see all that support,” said Drover.
‘There’s just so much heart’
Drover said representing the province and representing Canada was “everything”.
“After every game, the winning team was on the blue line and they played your national anthem. And to just stand there with 22 of my closest friends I just met… it was a crazy feeling and it’s not too bad equal.”
And since a large portion of the team is from this province, Close said the number of athletes coming from Newfoundland and Labrador on those teams is growing.
“Frankly, the nine players are from Newfoundland … they are like nothing else. The families, the players … these families just believe in their children and they believe in the program,” she said.
“There’s just so much heart.”
The nine members of Team Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador are
- Brooke Lannon, Placentia
- Jenni Simpson, Glovertown
- Renee Falkner, St John’s
- Ashley Hayley, St John’s
- Julia Butler, Portugal Cove-St Philips
- Jayme Guy, Arnold’s Cove
- Cassie Drover, Upper Island Cove
- Alyson Thomas, L’Anse au Clair; And
- Maggie Jones, Marystown
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