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

USA - Argentina : 0 - 9

Argentina continued their long unbeaten run in Junior Men's Hockey tournament when they humiliated USA 9-0 at the Ninth Edition of the tournament here in Trinidad and Tobago at the National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua,today. The Argentines, who have won the eight previous tournaments, controlled the game from the start to the finish to put the Pool A out of the reach of the Americans, after they took a commanding 5-0 lead at the break.

They then went on to add a handful more in the second period as the USA adapted a more defensive approached in the second 35 minutes. The losers must also thank their custodian Kevin Segeren for preventing more damaging scoresheet. Segeren was called upon to make several saves to deny the probing champs another double digits success.

Argentina won their first two games of the campaign 15-0 over Jamaica and 9-1 against the Puerto Ricans.

Earlier, in a contest that many thought would have been a closer one the final scoreline suggested, Leandro Tolini took his tally to ten when he netted a first hat-trick. All his efforts came courtesy of penalty corners in the 18th, 30th and in the 35th minutes. Before Tolini strikers, Gabriel Alan Andino, who grabbed a brace, opened the score for the winners in 12th minute when he tapped in a Santiago Pando Camacho's left side square back. Gabriel completed his day's work when he provided the ninth item in the victory for Argentina, who made it three-in-three.

Santiago Ignacio Salas extended the lead for the lads in blue and white to 2-0 in the 15th minute, following a low and hard back-hand shot past the USA's keeper, who had earlier made one of his excellent saves from penalty corner set-ups, where the Argentines are proving to be very dangerous from.

In the second half, the all-time champs continued from where they left off in the previous session by stroking the ball sweetly all over the park. The USA were kept deep in their half on the northern side of the NHC for most of the last 35 minutes, as was the case in the first period.

Other scores for Argentina in the one-traffic affair were Cruz Juan Aulleiro, who counted a double in the 58th (field goal) and 60th minute via a penalty corner, and Alejandro Augustin Mazzilli with a field item in the 62nd minute.

Jamaica - Trinidad & Tobago : 0 - 6

Host nation Trinidad and Tobago beat Jamaica 6-0 in a Caribbean derby match of the Ninth Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament to stay on track for a spot in the next round of competition, being played at the National Hockey Centre here in Trinidad and Tobago.

Following an unimpressive opening period, when the local boys lack composure inside the "D" to miss a couple of easy goal scoring opportunities. However, they were still able to hold a very slim 1-0 advantage after one-half of play, via a penalty corner conversion from Akim Toussaint in the 31st minute, after Jamaica's Jerome Davis penalty shot was parried away by Paradise's keeper Karlos Stephen, who had an easy time between the uprights. Skipper Toussaint opener came when he got a second bite of the cherry after his previous effort from the same situation was brilliantly saved by Niijon Sanford.

On the restart, the T&T player looked a totally different unit that were on the pitch in the first period, and apparently coach Anthony Marcano's half- time talk registered on his young charges minds. The lads in red and white took hold of the second-half and opened the second half flood gate within four minutes of the resumption through Dominic Jaikaransingh with a field item in the 37th minute.

The remaining moments of the half was actually a one-sided affair as the host romped home to a big success on the back of a pleasing last 35 minutes against their Caribbean neighbours, who were losing for the third straight time, while conceding 28 goals and without scoring any. Andrew Vieira then struck a second-half double in the 43rd and 58th minute to seal the win against a Jamaica squad who were resolute in their effort.

Cogie checked his second item on the campaign when he closed off the scoring for the winners in the 64th minute. The triumph was a timely for the winners, following USA's 9-0 lost to champs Argentina, earlier in the day, following Sunday's rest day.

T&T and USA will be playing for the second-spot in Pool A to move on to the semi-finals round along with eight-time title-holders Argentina.

Brazil - Barbados : 9 - 0

An inspired Barbados line-up collected their first triumph of the Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament on Day Three, following a pleasant 9-0 victory over Brazil in Pool B action at the National Hockey Centre here in Trinidad and Tobago on Monday afternoon. Coming off a hard-fought 3-2 lost to Canada last Saturday morning, the youngsters from Barbados played with confident and composure to overwhelm the South American, who are yet to taste success after three attempts.

The main contributors for the boys in the yellow and blue uniform were Ramon V Leacock and Dario Jordan - both achieved double strikes in their team's maiden victory. Leacock netted his first and his country's third when he tapped home from near-up, following two earlier efforts from Jabari Walcott and Che Warner through field goals in the 15th and 25th minutes, respectively. Captain Jordan registered his victorious brace in the 53rd and 65th minutes.

The winners led by 3-0 at the conclusion of the first 35-minute of the 70-minute contest. In the second stanza there was no change to the contest in term of dominance as the Bajians upped the tempo and hit half-dozen more past Rodrigo Faustin in the winless Brazil goalpost.

Putting their on the scoreboard for the winners in the last half were Jemar Small (38th), Errol Clarke (43rd) and Dario Lewis who put the lid on things in 64th minute. Eight of the nine items for the victors came from field goals.

Guyana - Chile : 0 - 19

Chile scored the most goals (19-0) as a team, to date, when they hit 19 past Guyana without reply in the Ninth Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament going here in Trinidad and Tobago at National Hockey Centre in Tacarigua. Action was on Day Three of play in a tournament that has been a high scoring affair, thus far.

On Monday evening, Jan Richter found the back of the net on four occasions, while a handful of his teammates grabbed doubles to pushed Chile to the top of Pool B with nine points from three triumphs, and very close to a place in the semis. The Chileans, who occupied second-place in the last two campaigns and who have not finished out the top five spots before, led by a five-goal margin at the end of the first period.

Chile will now look to confirm their passage to next the phase with meetings against two countries that are also vying for a seat among the last four teams. First, they will have an engagement with Canada in the big match of Day Four action, while they close off the Pool stage with other tough affair against Mexico on Thursday afternoon, following Wednesday's rest day.

Credit must be given to the young Caribbean squad as they never dropped their heads despite of what was going around them at the lovely NHC surroundings. Their next two games of the round will be against Brazil on Tuesday night, while their run in the competition will come to an end on Thursday morning with a Caribbean derby against Barbados

Mexico - Canada : 1 - 0

Mexico beat Canada with a late item eight minutes from time to score an impressive 1-0 win a top-of the table clash in Pool B as action in Ninth Junior Pan Am Men's Hockey Tournament continued at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua, here in Trinidad and Tobago on Monday night.

The winning effort came off the skillful strike of Fransisco Montoya Aguilar, who collected a long from distant ahead of the last defender, before cleverly side stepping goalkeeper Hudson Stewart to roll the ball over the line ahead of a cluster of retreating defenders in red. It was Aguilar tenth goal of the tournament, putting him in joint second-place with Jan Richter of Chile. Leadro Tolini of Argentina lead the goal-scoring race with 11.

The victory pushed Mexico (nine points) into second-berth on goal different behind Chile, who were 19-0 winners over Guyana in an earlier game, from three matches apiece.

On the other side, the defeat leaves Canada with lots of work to do in their remaining two matches-one of them being Chile and the other Brazil, who are not having a good time, up to this points.

Earlier in the game, both counties entertained the 200-plus spectators with hard and competitive hockey, with the goalkeeper of making excellent saves to keep the various scoresheet blank. When the first end goal less and quite correctly so, it was the first time in the 15 games played some far that any contest went without a goal at the half-time break.