Birmingham — Continued crowdfunding and Canada women have ended consecutive Commonwealth Games in fifth place after beating Scotland in their final classification game.
The hockey gods weren’t with Canada against India in their final pool game, edged out in attempting to reach the final four on either gender for the first time. A draw would have made history, but India squeezed through. Against Scotland, they were indebted to Hannah Haughn’s double to finish on a high.
“We don’t have a lot of money and the girls do a lot of fundraising,” said the Wolf Pack coach Rob Short.
“We do get support from Sport Canada and we are doing the most with what we’ve got. It’s just the way it is. It is the same when I used to play and it brings the group together. They’ve worked really hard to make the World Cup and we will move forward with any money we have.”
They ran out 3-1 winners against the Scots. They will next compete in the FIH Nations Cup in Valencia in December, where the winners are promoted to the FIH Pro League. The global league has been a moot point for those outside the world’s top 10, Short included.
“It’s hard to watch the Pro League if I’m totally honest. Everyone is getting games and it’s hard to keep up with that,” he said.
Canada women have a few players in US college hockey, while most are based in Vancouver and in Toronto. “It’s not easy on them with a five-hour flight and costs going up, so we try and base in Vancouver most of the year,” added Short.
“I’d like to find a solution to train at both sides but it’s not ideal. Yet, they are putting their heads down and challenging very good sides.”
Canada finished a record fifth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia as Gilles Bonnet led the team before his contract was terminated in 2019. There was a lull in the hot seat before Short took over last September.
“I basically started from scratch,” said Short. “We didn’t make the Olympics but made the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. This is a whole new package. “
