Courtesy of the CBC
DELHI, IN - Goalkeeper Antoni Kindler made some spectacular saves Thursday, helping Canada to a 1-1 draw with England in men's field hockey at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.
Vancouver's Ian Smythe surprised England with a field goal in the 13th minute and Canada kept the lead until halftime.
Simon Mantell got the equalizer through a reverse flick from the right in the 50th minute, but Kindler stood firm under the bar and thwarted a number of England attacks thereafter.
Kindler, a 22-year-old UBC student from Vancouver, playing in only his fourth international, was elated with his performance.
"It's a privilege to play against England and, obviously, we are pleased with our performance," Kindler said. "The defence also played fantastic in front of me."
England, looking to gear up for the 2012 London Olympics, is ranked fourth in the world compared to No. 10 for Canada.
The Canadian men lost their opening match, 4-1 to South Africa.
England head coach Jason Lee blamed the heat in the Indian capital and the schedule of matches.
"We played yesterday too [against Trinidad & Tobago], but Canada was rested and with this heat it makes things difficult," Lee said. "Their goalkeeper played very well and made some good saves."
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