2008 Pan American Junior Championships
Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
October 17-26

(9-10) Jamaica - Brazil : 0 - 3

Brazil completed their stint in the 2008 Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament in ninth-position following an easy 3-0 win over Jamaica on Sunday morning - the final day of tournament - at the National Hockey Centre Tacarigua here in Trinidad and Tobago. All three goals were scored in the second part of the game, with an item each coming off the sticks of Patrick Heijden, Yuri Heijden and Rogerio Cantarino in the win for the Brazilians.

Following a rare goal less first-half of this competition, the two countries engaging one another to finish in front of the next, failed to dominate each other as far as ball possession and chances created were concern. Both categories were evenly distributed in the first 35 minutes. However, the Brazilian nearly changed the face of the scoreline from a penalty corner on the stroke of intermission, but they were denied by the brilliance of Niijon Sanford between the Jamaicans' upright. The big six-foot plus keeper had to advance and at the same time jump to his left to parry the white ball to safety.

On the resumption, it was very clear that the South American - in yellow and green, had moved into another gear, and after five minutes of occupying just outside the 180 degree making of the opponents half of the park, on the northern side of a sunny NHC, the Brazilians struck twice in the space of two minutes to suddenly transformed a previously evenly-played contest to an unbalance one at the start of the second stanza and then all the way to the final whistle.

First to penciled his name on the scorecard was Heijden (P),who had the simplest of task to tap in a field goal after 41 minutes, following a good move that involved a couple of players. Soon after, in the 42nd, Heijden (Y) stepped up to convert a penalty stroke to almost seal the ninth-spot for Brazil in the Ninth Edition of the tournament. Nine minutes later -after added pressure from Brazil-, Cantarino ensured that Brazil do not conclude the campaign lower than ninth on the final standings list, when he danced his way between a bunch of defenders into the scoring zone to sweetly beat keeper Sanford on his near post.

The strike leave the Caribbean side fighting to score a consolation item to add to the seven they already had in five previous games. Those goals came in a 7-0 victory over their Caribbean neighbours Guyana in the play-offs stage last Friday. Jamaica exited the tournament with one win from six matches, while scoring seven items and conceding 33. On the other hand, Puerto Rico ended with one success in a dozen outings. They had 19 goals registered against them and 11 for.

(7-8) Trinidad & Tobago - Puerto Rico : 6 - 1

Mickel Pierre notched a hat-trick as host nation Trinidad and Tobago beat Puerto Rico handsomely by a 6-1 spread to claim seventh-place at the 2008 Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey on the final day at the National Hockey Centre here in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday morning. Pierre crowned an excellent tournament with three field goals to the enjoyment of the few local die-hard hearts that made themselves available to see the home boys finished the tournament on a high.

The tall Defence Force stickman and captain Pierre had them in the 16th, 21st, and 48th minutes to push his personal to four from six encounters. He was unquestionable the best player on the local squad on the back of a disappointing campaign for the host, who failed to make the cut to the semi-finals.

T&T, who suffered a shock, surprised 8-3 drubbing at the hands of their old-time rivals Barbados, who will play Mexico for the fifth and sixth in the next affair, were not able to improve on their best-placing (fifth-place, in Orlando, USA, 2005) in the 30-year-old Under-21 competition.

Pierre's first double was responsible for his country 2-1 advantage at the break against a team they were beating for the second time in this tournament. T&T won the Pool A meeting 3-1. A Manuel Fernandez Colon scored the first item in the game for seventh and eighth spot as early as the eighth minute, before Pierre performed his one-man assignment to savage some pride for the local contingent.

The host ended the first session the better team in all department of the game and should have enjoyed a wider scoreline then the half-time had indicated. But their poor finishing and composure inside the "D" during the tournament were still handing around the NHC, causing them to muffled several easy opportunities to enhanced their goal's column.

Cogie Bulter found the net in the 43rd minute for T&T , before his skipper Trim Toussaint, who had a disappointing occasion to his standard, netted his second goal from five games in the 54th, while Evan Farrell came in as a sub to put his name in the scorebook after 58th minutes.

(5-6) Barbados - Mexico : 2 - 4

Mexico captured the fifth –position at the Ninth Junior Pan Am Men’s Hockey Toiurnament, following a hard-fought 4-2 win over a gritty Barbados outfit on the final day of competition at the National Hockey Centre here in Trinidad and Tobago, today (Sunday). Fransisco Montoya Aguilar accumulated a doubles for the Mexicans, who turned around a corresponding result eight years-ago (2000) in Santiago, Chile and for the same position-fifth and sixth.That fifth place, back then, is Barbados best rating in the competition, to date.

The tall figure of Aguilar notched his first item in the 14th minute, after Barbados’ skipper Dario Jordan provided the first part of a two-goal effort to square the contest at 1-1, when he cleverly put away a field goal in the fifth minute, following a penalty corner via Mexico’s Ismael Enriquez Vasquez ,two minutes after the flick-off. The double netted by Aguilar pushed his total for the tournament to16 (eight each in field goals and penalty corners) as the winners held a narrow 3-2 lead at the end of the first-half.

Aguilar drilled home a penalty corner to restore the lead for the South Americans, while Vasquez increased the lead on Barbados with his second in the 15th minute for a 3-1 advantage. After a good spell for about five minute, leader Jordan completed his brace when he squeezed one over the line in the 24th minute to cut the lead down to 3-2 nearing the end of the half.

The scoreline remained unchanged for the last moments of the opening exchanges, which was shared squarely in terms of time with the ball and opportunities created.

The second-half was not as enterprising as the first, which resulted in one goal for Aguilar in the 42nd minute for him to count his sixteen of the tournament for Mexico, who also occupied fifth-spot in 1996, and ironically on Caribbean soil as well. Their best offering in the Under-21 tournament is third- place in Cuba, 2005

(3-4) Canada - USA : 2 - 2 (penalty-strokes: 5-6)

United States of America clinched third-spot over Canada (6-5) on penalty stroke shoot out in the penultimate game of the Ninth Edition of the Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua Trinidad and Tobago last night (Sunday). Following a very interesting 85minutes of almost end-to-end stuff which resulted in a fair 2-2 draw, the USA went ahead and bettered their previous five fouth places in the tournament.

During normal play, including the 15 minutes extra time, USA prefer to build slowly from the back ,while using the long ball to start their attack. On the other side, the Canadians were contended to swing the ball from side-to-side in an effort to stretch the opposition, while attacking in numbers from both sides and down the middle of the USA's defence.

It was no surprise when the USA took the lead via one of their many moves that earned them a penalty corner that resulted in the 14th minute item. Unlikely source, Taylor Self had the last touch of a set play from a penalty corner, before placing his effort powerfully away from the keeper for a 1-0 lead to Canada, who was finishing in fourth-place for the first time.

The Canadians also have a handful of third spots plus a second place to name in the Under-21 tournament. Not very long after, the USA were back on level term through their most potent striker, Will Holt,who netted the first of the Americans' goals, when he too, clinically put away a penalty corner in the 18th minute to tie the score at 1-1.

In the remaining time before the period, USA and Canada had chances of adding to their total, but both keepers handled their task efficiently to keep the contest delicately set at 1-1 to start the second half. On the resumption, the pace the encounter carried in the opening session dropped somewhat, resulting in no more goals until the last four minutes.

Holt hit his 11th goals of the season that looked like taking the USA to safety with four minutes to full time of the 70-minute affair. But, when Derrick Norton scrambled the ball over the line for a goal in the 68th minute to send the lively encounter between two evenly balanced sides into extra time, the drama was yet to come. The rest is now history.

(Final) Argentina - Chile : 3 - 0

Alejandra Augustin Mazzilli produced a two-goal strike for champions Argentina to get past Chile in the final of the 2008 Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament at the National Hockey Centre here in Trinidad and Tobago last night (Sunday). The result was an expected one for the Argentines, who have now won all nine Under-21 tournaments since its inception, 1978, Mexico City, where Chile also finished second. In addition to that, this is the third time the Chileans occupied the runners-up spot in three consecutively tournaments. And credit must be given to them for the gusty attitude they exhibited throughout the game, especially knowing the odds were against them of an upset.

At the beginning, they were the ones to seize the early points, as far as ball possession was concern, constructing from the back without creating any serious threat in offence. However, Chile were the team to fine the first good opportunity of the game at its early stage during seventh minute. Martin Rodriguez attempt from a one-and-one situation was nicely blocked by Daniel Federico Bermejillo between the champs' upright.

Three minutes later, as the action swung down to the southern side of the park, Chile's custodian Daniel Olivares was called upon to throw his body at the stick of Mazzilli in situation similar to that of Rodriguez' moments before. Apparently, that missed by Rodriguez was a wake up call for the boys in their traditional blue and white stripe kit as they took controlled of the game and never looked back.

The next 19 minutes of the game belong to them, and it was no surprise to the second largest turn crowd of the season when they took the led in the 29th minute courtesy of a low drive from Mazzilli, after the Chile's defence made a poor clearance. Before their fans could end their celebration, Miguel Santiago Montelli increased it when he pounced on a loose ball inside the top of the "D" to place a powerful effort high into the net, with keeper Olivares a spectator-like many others around him.

In the last four minutes of the half, Leandro Tolini, who ended the tournament as the leading scorer with 17 goals, including 16 penalty corners, and Player-of the-Tournament, clashed a penalty corner against the upright with the keeper well beaten. His effort had goal written all over it until the upright came in the way to deny him of his 17th penalty corner and his 18th goal of the campaign

There were no more goals in the first period which went the way of the Argentines in all categories.

The second session was very much the same with the quality of the Argentines hockey taking centre stage as they romped home to a convincing ninth silverware. Mazzilli netted his second four minutes from time in the 66th minute of a decent final, taking into consideration the gallant effort displayed by the Chileans.