The 2026 Canadian Wheelchair Floorball Hockey Championship was hosted at the Richmond Olympic Oval and proudly sponsored by Connect/Connect Partners, Hockeyball, and the Vancouver Canucks.
This year featured a Round-Robin tournament with 20 total players rostering three Canadian national teams including the Connect Warriors, the Phantoms, and the Grizzlies competing for the coveted “Cherry Cup”!!
On day one, the Grizzlies went 1-0-1 as they beat the Warriors 8-4 and tied the Phantoms 7-7. The Phantoms also went 1-0-1 taking the Warriors by a score of 9-4 and tying the Grizzlies 7-7. The Warriors took two losses on the first day of competition but stayed in each game scoring 4 goals in each of their two matches, which meant the Warriors ended up with a 0-2-0 record.
On day two of the competition, the Grizzlies played the Phantoms for a trip to the Final. Grizzlies ended up winning over the Phantoms by a score of 8-4 where Manny Sanghera played like a man possessed scoring 7 of his team’s 8 goals. This win for the Grizzlies put them in a position for a bye to the final. The Grizzlies deferred the bye to the Phantoms as the Grizz wanted to play against the Warriors in the Semi-Final. The Grizzlies knocked out the Warriors from competition beating them by a score of 6-2 giving them a shot at the Cherry Cup in the final game.
In the Championship matchup, the Connect Warriors were equally drafted to the Phantoms and Grizzlies teams, which brought about two lines for each team. In the first period, Beekyie scored two of the Phantoms’ goals while Kyle potted one. Manny ended up scoring the first for his team in the first. In the second period, the Grizzlies notched 4 BIG ONES with Manny having another 3 rip the twine while Shaun Mills ripped a big one. Philip Torresos got one in the second making it 5-4 for the Grizzlies. In the third and final period, the first liner Nicki Doydora scored so fast, the referee missed it going in and out of the net and eventually called a goal after video review. This meant it was 5-5 while the second lines of each team came off the bench for the last 10 minutes of play. This period, it was Carol Martin standing on her head making save after save to keep her team from going down one goal. In the end, it was a pass from Shaun to Victor Maucout who barely squeaked one past Phil Bonnot to give the Grizzlies the 6-5 lead and eventual victory for the Canadian Wheelchair Floorball-Hockey Championship.
Top Scorer and Player of the Tournament went to Manny Sanghera who scored 17 times and had 5 helpers for a total of 22. Shaun Mills was 2nd in scoring with 8 goals and 12 assists finishing with 20 points who usually has more goals than assists. Newcomer and Rookie of the Tournament, Victor Maucout was 3rd potting 9 plants of his own and helping with 10 others for 19 total points. The Grizzlies had one extra game against the Warriors, which meant their totals were a bit inflated compared to the Phantoms who played one less game. Quin Gieni ended up 4th in scoring with 10 goals and 6 supporting passes for 16 total. Brother Kyle Gieni notched 4 and helped with 11 other goals to secure 15 total points for 5th. Teammate Riley Molnar tied Beekyie at 10 points for 6th in scoring. Riley had 3 goals with 7 apples, while Beekyie notched 8 and helped with 2. Nicki Doydora stood alone in 8th with 7 total points. She scored 5 goals in her first game and ended up with 6 total and 1 assist. Philip Torresos refed two great games back-to-back and was 9th in scoring, potting 2 trees and helping plant 3 others for 5 total points. Tommy Awlo, Daryl Yuen, and Suki Sanghera all tied for 10th in scoring, all getting 1 and helping with 2 others for a total of 3 each. Goalie Philipe Bonnot was actually 13th in scoring, channeling his inner Martin Brodeur and acting as a third defence at times. Philipe had 2 points making two great passes for 2 assists. Jordan Mitchell also tied for 13th as he had 1 goal and 1 helper for 2 points in 2 games. Rounding out the players saw Claudia Iezama, Moises Solorzano, and Abidemi Tejumoy tie for 15th in scoring each getting one assist for their respective teams. Goalies Chris and Danny played their hearts out for the Connect Warriors and made some great saves keeping their team in the games and giving them a chance to win the entire tournament. Goalie of the tournament goes to Carol Martin who won her 4th National Championship of the 7 Canadian tournaments in history. And ONE BIG ASSIST goes to David Fletcher for putting together the entire team of Connect Warriors that were in the mix for the second consecutive year.
Once again, a very special thanks goes out to the score keepers and sandwich makers Kerri Jang and Shirley Giofu, making delicious lunches for the last 5 years and making sure the games run smoothly!! Also to Greg Beaudin for always supplying the boards, sticks and balls care of Hockeyball!!
See everyone next year in 2027 for another installment of the Canadian Wheelchair Floorball Hockey Championship!!
BC WHEELCHAIR FLOORBALL ASSOCIATION 