After a significant rain delay the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation Masters World Championships started at Pembroke Community Club on Tuesday afternoon.

The United States set the ball rolling by defeating Haiti 3-0 in the tournament’s opening fixture with goals from Donald Kleckner, John Frank and Andrew Hildreth. It was then the turn of local favourites Bermuda to take to the rink against Saskatchewan, from Canada, with the match ending 9-0 to the visiting team.

Joel Thompson, the Saskatchewan MVP, notched a hat-trick, Kiefer Smiley scored twice, while Keith Mitchell, Evan Pasternak, Justin Monaghan and Brock Harrison were also on target for the victorious side.

Bermuda’s defence, with Yan Leclerc in goal, was breached twice in the first period. Saskatchewan scored six goals in the second before the Bermudian backline held firm in the last stage of the match, conceding only once with Derrick Holmes in the goal.

Jeremy Estey, the Bermuda captain, was frank in his assessment of their performance in the opening match.

“We didn't deserve to win the game because we can play a lot better than that,” Estey told The Royal Gazette.

“We just have to work a little harder in the corner. We have to be stronger, get opportunities to win battles and get the ball.

“It’s a pretty simple hockey analogy, but you ought to get the ball deep and then you have to go get it.”

Richard Campbell, who was named MVP for Bermuda, believes his side will make a strong recovery and still be competitive in the tournament.

“It was tough and the team’s disappointed but we’ll bounce back,” he said.

“They had the ball a lot, they were in our zone quite a bit so it was a lot of running. Every time we throw the ball down their end without touching it, it comes back down for icing and we have to start again in our zone.

“I think the physicality got us early in the game. Not too many of our guys play in these international tournaments against that kind of opposition all the time.

“Our goaltending was outstanding, but we could have done better in front of them. I’d say we’ve got to give it up to our two goalies that we didn’t protect them enough as a unit, not just the defence but the forwards as well; we did them a disservice.”

Leclerc gave his perspective on the two periods he played as the last line of defence.

“I think we could have obviously had a better start,” he said.

“Guys were playing pretty hard but this team was just a lot faster than us. They got a few quick goals that really put us on the back foot for the rest of the game and they just kept building momentum from there.

“That was a good eye-opener for us to start the tournament and will help us in our remaining matches. There’s a lot to learn from that game for us and just sticking with our simple game plans, not overcomplicating anything and we’ll correct that for the next game.

“We knew they were really strong since they’ve won tournaments in Canada. We’ve seen them before and that's the same sort of outcome we had.

“We knew we were in for a battle here and we got the battle. Now that we got the tournament started, it’s time to get our emotions balanced, get back at it and work hard from here.”

Thursday will be a crucial day in the tournament when Bermuda will play for a spot in the semi-finals and Estey is aiming to be in contention for some silverware come the weekend.

“Our goal is to be playing for a medal on the last day of the tournament,” the Bermuda team leader said.

“We want to be in the semi-finals on Friday and have a chance to play for a medal on Saturday.’’

Meanwhile, a number of charitable organisations are set to benefit from the hosting of the global event on the island, with entry free.

“The Bermuda Ball Hockey Association is proud to announce a delicious way to give back to the community,” the BBHA said.

“During this year’s ISBHF Men’s Masters World Ball Hockey Championship, local charities will be taking over the food stall to raise funds for their causes,” a BBHA statement read

“Each day, a different charity will run the booth, serving up great food and even better community spirit. The charity that brings in the biggest haul will win a $1,000 donation from the BBHA.

“Because community is at the heart of it all, the BBHA will cover all underlying food costs, ensuring that 100 per cent of the sales proceeds go directly to the charities.”