Canadian men’s team edged the Netherlands in the Feature Game

Team Canada defeated the Dutch 57-56 on Saturday

[Link]

Team Canada wrapped up a four-game series against the Netherlands with a 57-56 victory on Saturday in the Feature Game presented by Toyota at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

Canada opened the set of friendlies with a 73-67 loss to the Dutch and then fell 72-41 before losing a close 65-58 game on Friday.

"We needed the win for team morale," said Nik Goncin. "Arguably, there's no better competition than the Netherlands. They finished first in Europe, so we got the best team to come play us. Everybody gave it something today, so feeling pretty good. It's different when it is one or two guys, but when it's 12, it felt like a team win today."

The series against the Netherlands served as part of Team Canada's preparation for the IWBF Americas Cup in São Paulo, Brazil, where Canada will compete in qualifying for the IWBF World Championships.

The Americas Cup (July 13-18) will see Canada's men's team play in Group B with Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. The top four men's teams will earn the right to represent the IWBF Americas in Dubai at the World Championships (Nov. 16-27, 2022).