They’re no Jamaican bobsled team, but they’re close.

Haiti’s first-ever national ball hockey team shocked the world last week, as the Canadian-trained squad captured the world championship in Switzerland.

The Haitians won the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation’s “B” pool at the world championships in Switzerland on Sunday, edging out the Cayman Islands by a score of 3-2.

Team captain Ainslie Bien-Aime said it was a thrill and an honour to represent Haiti and take home the championship for the first time.

“It’s a positive opportunity for the country to shine,” the Montreal native told CTV’s Canada AM on Friday.

Bien-Aime is one of several Montreal-born players who represented Haiti at the tournament. Bien-Aime grew up playing hockey, and that’s allowed him to “give back” to Haiti by representing the country internationally, he said.

Despite their Caribbean origins, the Haitian squad has strong Canadian hockey ties, including a former NHLer behind the bench in ex-Montreal Canadien Georges Laraque.

Laraque initially joined the team as a player, but shifted into a coaching role when one of the team’s assistants left.

“We lost our coach and then they asked me if I could play and coach, but it’s impossible to play and coach at the same time,” Laraque told Canada AM. He said he surrendered his playing hopes so he could coach and “make sure we have the best team possible.”

Laraque says, even though most of the team’s players were born in Montreal, they still feel a strong connection with their Haitian roots.

“It’s such an honour to play and represent Haiti,” he said.

Haiti played in the ISBHF’s B pool of teams, which also included the Cayman Islands, Great Britain, France, Hong Kong and Armenia.