The Junior Pan American Championships, which were held in Bridgetown, Barbados, from April 10–18, 2023, featured the top young Pan American hockey teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions, with three slots in each gender up for grabs in the next FIH Junior World Cups. USA defeated Argentina in the finals to win the women’s championship, and Chile took home the bronze. Argentina, the defending junior world champions, dominated the men’s competition from start to finish, scoring 31 goals in 4 games and defeating Canada 6-1 in the championship match. Chile came in third.
Argentina and Chile finished first in Pool A and Pool B of the women’s competition, respectively. The largest impact was made by Chile, who won all three of their games by a combined score of 31 goals. While Canada placed second in Pool B with two victories and one defeat to Chile, the USA finished second in Pool A with their lone loss coming in a closely contested match against Argentina. In the semifinal match, Argentina defeated Canada 1-0, while the United States required penalty shootouts to defeat Chile and get to the championships. Once again, the finals were tight, but the USA proved their superiority in the penalty shootouts, defeating Argentina by a score of 4-1.The hosts Chile, together with the United States, Argentina, and Canada, have qualified for the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2023, which will take place in Santiago, Chile later this year.
“We are really happy to qualify to the Junior World Cup 2023,” said Tracy Paul, head coach of the winning USA team, in reference to her team’s achievement. “This is another opportunity for our team to perform at a major tournament, international tournament as they work themselves through the high performance pathway.”
Argentina and Canada both finished first in their respective pools during the men’s tournament’s group stage, winning all of their games with ease. With their only defeats coming at the hands of Argentina and Canada, respectively, Chile in Pool A and the USA in Pool B both ended in second place. The USA was easily defeated by Argentina 7-0 in the semi-finals, while Canada and Chile battled it out in a nail-biting match that required shootouts before Canada emerged victorious. Argentina won the gold medal match with a commanding 6-1 victory, demonstrating their continued domination in the competition. In the bronze medal game, Chile overcame USA to secure their place in the FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup, which will take place later this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
When his side won the championship, Argentina’s coach, Juan Gilardi, had the following to say: “We had two goals when we came here, and we achieved both. We have a lot of pride in the squad. Despite the fact that we still have a long way to go, we are excited to be a part of the World Cup.”