News and Announcements

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Boosted by the addition of several of the club’s recreational players, including goalkeeper Kelvin Kum, the Mutineers recorded their first win of the season in Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association play Sunday on the turf at UVic.
With Kum coming up huge and fearlessly turning aside multiple quality chances by the Vikes, the men in green shut out UVic 2-0. Neil Barr, with a nifty first-half tip-in, and Chase Stiles, with an insurance goal later on, scored for the winners.
The Mutineers have gone 1-1-1 to start 2023, after losing their first seven games in the fall.
The Vikes, who competed two players short in the game, were unable to recreate the magic from the week before, when they tied the undefeated Tigers with just six players and a goalie.
The day’s other competitive division game saw Tigers jump out to a 3-0 lead early and roll to a 6-2 win over Rebels 1 to improve to 8-0-3 on the season.
Derrick Norton scored twice in the win, while Josh Brown, Rajiv Dillon, Lukas Grbic and Parm Sahota added singles. Ethan Picard and Gavin O’Halloran scored for Rebels (5-5-1).
The three rec division teams divided into four sides for their monthly jamboree play Sunday, featuring seven-a-side games on half fields.
Next weekend kicks off with Hawks playing Marauders in recreational action at 10:30 a.m., followed by Mutineers vs. Tigers at noon and Rebels 1 vs. Vikes at 1:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy Chris Wilson of Island Wave Photography, find more photos from the Mutineers vs. Vikes game in a gallery at * https://www.islandwavephotography.com/Field-Hockey/Uvic-v-Mutineers-Jan-22-2023/ *

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When it comes to playing the UVic Vikes men, the Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association competitive division-leading Tigers are fit to be tied.
Sunday (Jan. 15) on the turf at UVic, a significantly outnumbered Vikes team held the powerful Tigers to a second straight tie, this time 3-3.
Choosing to play with just six players and a goalkeeper rather than forfeit a win to Tigers and play a friendly match, the Vikes held their own and even shocked their opponent by jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.
Jesse Kaloti scored twice to lead the Tigers’ attack, while Harbir Sidhu, a national teamer and former Tiger back home for the weekend, added a single. Finley O’Callaghan, Caelan Ostrosser and Simon Johns scored for Vikes.
Despite earning a single point and preventing Tigers (7-0-3) from widening the gap in the standings, the Vikes (3-3-3) were unable to gain ground on Rebels 1 (5-4-1), who edged Mutineers 4-3 in Sunday’s other competitive division match.
Michael Bryan and Gavin O’Halloran each scored twice in the win, which increased the Rebels’ margin in second to four points over UVic.
Stuart Wylie, Neil Barr and Iosvani Marrero found the net for Mutineers, who had recorded their first point of the season the week before in a 3-3 tie against Rebels.
The day began with Rebels 2 defeating Marauders 3-0, marking a return to recreational division action after the winter break.
Simon Lightbody bagged a pair of goals for the winners while Scotty Carnes added a single. Owen Dahl, not tested often by the Marauders’ attack, picked up the shutout in net.
While possession appeared fairly even between the teams, Rebels (3-2-0) capitalized on their opportunities better. The result left them atop the standings, while third-place Marauders fell to 1-3-1 heading into this month’s jamboree seven-a-side games on Jan. 22 starting at 10:30 a.m.
Later games this coming weekend see Mutineers take on Vikes at noon, followed by Tigers vs. Rebels 1 at 1:30 p.m.

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The Victoria Junior Field Hockey Association (VJFHA) are hosting their annual open session for all new youth players to come try the game for free!

How you can help:
(1) Let your friends, family, neighbours or other community members know!
(2) Volunteer at the session as a coach

Who: Youth players aged 5-18 (no experience necessary)
Date: Sunday, February 5, 2023
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: UVic Field 3 (rubber-based)
Please check in at 12:50 p.m. to get sized for a stick and be put in your correct age groups.

If your child is between the age of 5-18, and would like to try a new sport for FREE we look forward to seeing you. Please feel free to bring a friend but we encourage registration per participant to help with planning. Current players are welcome, too, but this session is geared at growing the game.

Please bring shin pads and mouth guards if you have them. No cleats. Sticks, balls, coaching and fun will be provided.

Online registration is required at: http://victoriajuniorfieldhockey.ca/forms/24747-COME-TRY-IT-FREE-DAY-SUNDAY-FEBRUARY-5-2023

Registration for the event closes on February 1, 2023.

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If you are interested and available to coach at the session (practice plan provided), please sign up at: https://forms.gle/MNiQXMjkoBkzSahd6

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The 2023 VJFHA Season runs April 11 to June 25, 2023. Registration for the league opens on Monday, February 13 at 7:00 am.
For detailed schedules per age groups visit: http://vjfha.victoriajuniorfieldhockey.ca/clubs/393/pages/6257

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For questions please reach out to info@victoriajuniorfieldhockey.ca

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A pair of players with top-level international experience faced off at the University of Victoria as the Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association returned to play Sunday (Jan. 8).
Rebels 1’s Johnny Jacoby, a quality attacker in recent years for Canada’s junior men’s team, and the Mutineers’ Gordie Johnston, a veteran defender for this country’s senior nationals, were on opposite sides of the turf, anchoring competitive division teams looking to get back into game shape after the one-month holiday break.
Both players showed flashes of brilliance with breathtaking carries into the opposing half, with Johnston particularly executing pinpoint passes and well-timed scoops that relieved the pressure. Each got onto the scorecard in the 3-3 tie, with Johnston popping in two goals for Mutineers and Jacoby one for Rebels.
But it was defender Ben Wheatley who wielded the dagger for Rebels (4-4-1) in the game’s dying moments. Having raced to the goalmouth during a short corner play, he tipped a perfectly placed pass behind keeper Colby Gerber to salvage a point for the men in red.
Mutineers led for most of the well-played game, putting together what some considered their best overall outing of the season and earning their first point in eight starts.
Dash Nelson scored the other goal for Rebels while Iosvani Marrero also tallied for Mutineers.
The game was rescheduled from early November, when the U Sports women’s national championships was hosted (and won) by the UVic Vikes.
This weekend’s (Jan. 15) full slate of games opens with Rebels 2 taking on Marauders in a recreational division game at 10:30 a.m. That’s followed by a pair of competitive division contests, Tigers vs. UVic Vikes at noon and a rematch of Mutineers vs. Rebels at 1:30 p.m.
Tigers continue to hold a hammerlock on first, with seven wins and two ties, while yesterday’s tie gave Rebels a two-point margin on the Vikes (3-3-2) for second.

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Heading into the final weekend of the fall season in Vancouver Island Field Hockey Association play, defending league and playoff champion Tigers continue to keep opponents at bay, remaining undefeated in eight starts.
But there are signs other teams are getting closer to solving the Tigers riddle.
On Sunday (Dec. 4) the champs scored a slim 4-3 win over Rebels 1 to bolster their lead atop the competitive division standings.
Josh Brown extended his goal-scoring streak to three games since returning to the Tigers roster in November, putting two shots past Rebels keeper Felix Randall to lead the attack. Brown now has five goals on the season.
The winners also got singles from Jesse Kaloti and Vardeep Gill. National program member Johnny Jacoby, making a rare appearance this season, notched a pair to lead Rebels, while Gavin O’Halloran scored once.
For Tigers (6-0-2), the win followed a rare 0-0 draw against UVic Vikes on Nov. 27.
The combination of the Rebels loss and the Vikes’ 4-1 victory over Mutineers pushed UVic (3-2-2) ahead of Rebels into second place.
Grant Simpson scored twice for the Vikes in the win, with singles contributed by Finlay O’Callaghan and Ralph Rietveld.
Mutineers, their depleted numbers boosted with the addition of four players from the club’s Marauders recreational team, were outrun by the young students for most of the game but did manage to score on a short corner when Mark Baggott put one past Colbey Geber.
This Sunday’s matches on the turf at UVic see Rebels 2 take on Hawks in the rec division at 10:30 a.m., followed by Rebels 1 vs. Vikes at noon and Tigers vs. Mutineers at 1:30 p.m.
– Don Descoteau