The North Island Jets have raised some eyebrows in their first ball hockey season.

The Comox Valley squad posted a 24-3 record this spring, earning them a berth in the B Provincial Ball Hockey Championships, in Victoria.

Darcy McNeil says his teammates know they will be considered underdogs at the provincial championships, but is confident they will do well.

鈥淔or context, we are making our team from a pool of merely some 80 (or so) players,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t provincials, we will go against teams that are drawing from a pool of 725 players. And, in spite of those grim-looking odds, we have a very very good chance to do quite well, and make the North Island proud.鈥�

The Jets are a typical men鈥檚 sports team - a collaboration of athletes from different walks of life, who get together in. the name of competition.

While there are some accomplished athletes in the group, others have a variety of 鈥榙ay jobs.鈥�

鈥淚 have a background in social work and our other two founders are Sean Phair who is a Masters Team Canada all-star, and, Brian Brian Howes, a Juno Award-winning producer,鈥� said McNeil.

鈥淲e have a collection of young (and not so young) men who have built an organization that strives to combine national-level talent with high-quality character in a way that both lets us enjoy the game of ball hockey, model principled behaviour to our younger players, and grow the game by introducing new players to it.鈥�

The B Provincial Ball Hockey Championships run July 7-9 at several Victoria arenas.

To follow along and see how the Jets are faring, visit