New Westminster's Bissett brothers have nearly all the positions covered on Canada's junior national field hockey team.
Brenden and his older twin brothers, Matthew and Stephen, make up a formidable trio on Canada's under-21 team, heading into the Pan American championships in Mexico this September.
The top two teams from the inter-continental competition will both earn berths at the upcoming World Cup in New Dehli, India in 2013.
"We're a field hockey family," said 21-year-old Stephen. "We have the Pan American championships coming up in September and our goal is to win it, and we have a good chance, which would qualify Canada for the World Cup."
The junior nats have displayed their intentions on a couple of recent tours to Chile and and the Pan Am host country of Mexico.
In Chile, Canada won all but one match in a ninegame tour in March, beating the host country seven times, including twice in a tri-nations competition involving Argentina, the current Pan Am champion.
Canada split a pair of matches against Argentina, knocking off the 2005 World Cup winners 4-3 in the first meeting before dropping the latter contest by a similar one-goal margin.
"The Chile tour was really good. It showed us who we're going to play against and who we need to beat," said Matthew, a forward, who struck for nine of his 14 goals in 14 international matches with the junior nats in Chile. "It showed us we can beat Argentina. It was a real eye opener and we're really excited. We play our best as a team. It was probably why we did so well."
Stephen, an attacking right-side midfielder, garnered four of his nine junior team goals on the March tour. He says coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Argentina was a big boost in confidence for the Canucks.
"I think (Argentina) realize Canada has come up," Stephen said, adding the senior national team also beat Argentina for a spot at the Olympic Games in Beijing. "They don't underestimate us."
Canada will play host to both Chile and the United States later this month in Vancouver for a series of matches at Eric Hamber field from July 14 to 24.
Later visits by both Brazil and Barbados are also currently in the planning stages.
The three got their inspiritation to play field hockey from their Uncle David, who played with the senior national team for 10 years, including a stint as team captain.
While their uncle never got Canada past a best eighth in the world, it is the collective intention of the Bissett boys to crack the elite six on the global stage.
"It's our goal to make it into the top six and I think our junior team can do that," said Stephen, who is currently a co-captain of the junior team.
Nineteen-year-old Brenden is perhaps the most talented of the three. Playing centre-midfield for the under-21 team, Brenden has 30 international caps, more than both his older brothers, plus three appearances with the senior team.
When the brothers were all attending St. George's School, Brenden played up on the B.C. championship senior varsity team, while also captaining the junior team to a provincial title.
The boys all play club field hockey with the Vancouver Hawks, but chose different universities in which to pursue their studies. Brenden attends the University of Victoria, while the twins are University of B.C. alum.
"It's not that bad," Stephen said. "We're all playing different positions and we're all starters in our positions. We're quite competitive, but not against each other. We're teammates. Because Brenden has always played two divisions up, he was always way better than all the players his age. So it's no surprise that he's on the national team although he's two years younger."
And the brothers are proof men's field hockey is no less physical than more popular mainstream sports.
Stephen has the facial scars to prove it, while both Matthew and Brenden have had bones broken in competition - the younger Bissett once suffering a fracture to both lower arm bones from an overly aggressive boot stomp.
All three brothers have a similar goal of one day making it to the Olympics or a world championship with the senior team.
"I don't think any of us find it unusual that we've followed the same sport path," said Matthew. "We all have different career paths."
But for Brenden, who studies business at UVic and is versatile in all positions, it just might mean a little bit more.
"It's pretty special," said Brenden. "I've always played on their team. I've never played in my division, it's always been in their league. Yeah, and I've always had someone to train with as well."
