Hockey players stay tuned up for the coming season in a variety of ways and for several, playing inline hockey has not only kept them in shape, it's earned them some hardware too.
Canada's entry into the 2011 Inline Hockey World Championship in Pardubice, Czech Republic featured three players who were in the BCHL last season as well as one graduate who is now in the university ranks.
Coquitlam Express defencemen Jared Eng and Matt Hutchinson joined Alberni Valley Bulldogs forward Dylan Nowakowski and Penticton Vees alum Max Grassi -who is now at the University of British Columbia – on Team Canada which took the Elite Pool's bronze medal Saturday with a 13-7 win over Sweden.
The squad played six games in all scoring wins over Slovakia, Finland and Sweden for the bronze. They dropped games to Slovenia and the eventual silver-medalist U.S. side twice. The Czech Republic won the event with a 3-2 win over the Americans.
Grassi led the BCHL contingent for Canada with three goals and eight assists while Nowakowski had a goal and two assists, Eng had one goal and Hutchinson had one helper.
