A BERMUDA Select team will have their hands full this summer when they compete at the Street Hockey World Championships in Sierre, Switzerland.

And their first match in the championships will definitely test their skill - they take on Canada who are "one of the best teams in the world" said Bermuda Select's captain Chad Critchley.

"It is going to be tough - there is no doubt about it," said Critchely.

But the local players have been training three times a week for the tournament which runs from June 7-14 and features national teams from Austria, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Slovakia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, the United States and Canada. Initially Bermuda will be up against Canada followed by games against the US, Italy and Switzerland. "They are all going to be very tough opponents," said Critchley.

While most of the team leaving for Switzerland will be made up of players who have played ice hockey in Canada and the US, Critchley said he has been happily surprised to see that some young Bermudians are taking up the sport which pretty much follows the rules of ice hockey. "There are a number of young Bermuda kids out there playing roller hockey," he said. "It is good to see that. We would like to see more Bermudian kids come out for the sport."

He said that on Saturdays there are over 100 kids involved in roller hockey. "Last year there were about 70 and it seems to have grown quite a bit. I was really surprised to see that many kids coming out. It is good to see. Also during the Christmas holidays we see a number of kids who have been in school overseas come out for the sport."

But what Bermuda really needs - like many sports on the island - are better facilities. "If we could have better facilities we would see more people coming out for the sport," said the Bermuda Select captain who is from Canada and has been playing ice hockey since he was four years old.

This is the second time the team has gone to the Worlds - the first time was two years ago when the championships were staged in Toronto, Canada. Last year they also went to the European Championships.

And the team has changed a bit from the one that went to Toronto two years ago. "Some of our better players have left the island but we have some new younger players on the team this year," he said.

The Canadians, the Czechs and Slovakians are probably the three strongest teams at this year's Worlds. "They all have a great history in ice hockey. The rules are very similiar to ice hockey with shift changes and three periods but you do not play at the speed of ice hockey. We also wear pads - shins, cup, elbow as well as gloves and helmets," said Critchley.

To get ready for the Worlds the Select team have been training on Thursday nights at Admiralty House with another night used for fitness training at various locations around the island and then on Sunday mornings they play at Bulls Head because it is a bigger surface.

Critchley said that a few field hockey players have also come out. "But field hockey is quite a different game than what we play. It is easier for our players to make the conversion to field hockey than the other way around. There are no shift changes in field hockey and there is not as much physical contact like we have in our game. I have played field hockey before and it is a lot different."

Critchley is from Canada and while he has played ice hockey all of his life, he said that a number of players in Bermuda have only played street hockey.

"Our membership is over 50 guys - it is all about getting people to come out and have fun. However those of us who are going to the Worlds have been putting a lot more time in. We do not want to embarrass ourselves - that is why we have been training hard. We really want to put in a good team effort. Some of these teams are very, very good - in fact we expect for some of them to have some stars from the National Hockey League playing for them - players whose teams are not in the playoffs right now. The Slovaks are the defending champions and they have picked up some NHL guys. But a lot of the top players only play street hockey - they play all year round so you know they are going to be good. To be honest it can be pretty intimidating going up against some of these guys."

When Bermuda initially went to the Worlds in Canada two years ago they came in fifth and won the gold on the B side. "That really surprised us," added Critchley.