Team India soaks it all in against the Beast
http://www.mississauga.com/sports-story/5955106-team-india-soaks-it-all-in-against-the-beast/
Brampton Guardian By Iain Colpitts
Oct 10th 2015
Never in his wildest dreams did Manraj Mann believe he'd play against
professional hockey players, but he enjoyed that opportunity Friday night.
The Malton native, now living in Brampton, joined the National Ice
Hockey Team of India for their exhibition game against the Brampton
Beast at the Powerade Centre. He loved the experience and did his best
to soak it all in.
"It's been a surprise to see there is (ice) hockey in India," said Mann,
a 27-year-old law school graduate.
"There are a lot of Indian kids that play here, but to see that these
guys came all the way from India to play here is great. We're lucky
enough to have the Beast host us and give us this opportunity."
Half of the team is part of India while the rest of the squad was
rounded out with players of Indian decent through a tryout last weekend.
Coach Adam Sherlip admitted the team probably had the talent level of a
bantam AAA club, so the Beast mixed up the teams with both Brampton and
India players once the ECHL club jumped out to a 5-0 lead less than six
minutes in.
They were then divided into team white and blue, with team blue winning
12-11 on a breakaway goal from Iqbal Lehal with six seconds left.
It was India's first experience against a professional squad.
Mann, playing for team white, scored a pair of goals in quick succession
in the second period. He was just one of several players from Peel who
made Team India. Also making it through the tryouts were Brampton's
Lehal, Naeem Khan, Karndeep Natt, Navdeep Chinzer and Gavin Fernandez
along with Sandeep Banwatt of Mississauga.
"There's actually good hockey players that came out of Malton," said
Mann, who played rep hockey with the Malton Ice Bears, who went on to
become the Credit Valley Wolves.
"I was lucky enough to have a coach, Mike Dunslow, who took a bunch of
us Indian kids and kept us together."
Mann still plays recreational hockey twice a week and played at school
while studying at the University of Birmingham in England.
He wasn't the only one surprised by how good the players from India
were. Former Mississauga St. Michael's Major Jamie Wise, now trying out
for the Beast, was impressed as well.
Wise, who split last season with the ECHL's Indy Fuel and the American
Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs, enjoyed seeing the visitors celebrate
on the ice, carrying the Indian flag around after the game.
"The smiles on their faces, you would have thought they had just won the
Stanley Cup," he said. "It was unbelievable."
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Original article includes photos: by Bryon Johnson
Photo: Gian Bajwa (Number 44) and Jay Sidhu (99), both from Team India,
jostle for position in the exhibition game against the Brampton Beast at
the Powerade Centre on Friday October 9. The teams had decided at one
point in the game to mix the teams up with players from the Beast and
players from Team India playing together to even out the contest
Photo: Local members of the India team include Gian Bajwa (Number 44),
Manraj Mann (66), Gavin Fernandez (15), Sundeep Banwatt (22), Navdeep
Chinzer (4), Karndeep Natt (19) and Iqbal Lehal (91).
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Albert Peres
afpe...@3129.ca
416.660.0847 cell
