6 months ago
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MEMBERS OF Jamaica’s national ice hockey team are ramping up preparations to defend their Challenger Series title as this year’s staging of the competition is set to host its first week of competition in Chicago, United States, May 8 to May 11.
Jamaica took home the inaugural title last year when they defeated Lebanon 12-8 in the championship final.
This followed an enviable record of five wins and three losses in the competition’s round robin stage.
The defending champions will open their title defence with a match against Puerto Rico on May 9 before taking on their second opponents, Lebanon, on May 10.
The team will close out the first weekend of action on May 11 with a match against Greece, with all three games set to be played at the Fifth Third Arena.
The second weekend of action in the Challenger Series will see the teams travelling to Montreal, Canada from July 9 through to July 13.
Leading the way for Jamaica will be Taos Jordan for the second year in a row, as last year’s top goalscorer returns to the squad.
In fact, the majority of last year’s squad will return to action, with the exception of defence man Maleek McGowan who will miss out, having picked up an injury last month.
Jamaica will enter the competition with high expectations but are also expected to face a rough task against debutants Greece.
GROWING THE SPORT
The Challenger Series, which was founded last year, is a competition open to national teams who are ineligible to participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships because of a lack of an operational ice rink in the respective countries.
Don Anderson, president of the Jamaica Olympic Ice Hockey Federation (JOIHF), said plans are being put in place to build an ice rink in Jamaica to further the growth of ice hockey on the island.
“As a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, we are pushing to have an ice rink established in the country,” Anderson said.
“Discussions are well under way in this regard. The realisation of this, along with the growth of our local programme, will allow us to play in qualifying tournaments for the Winter Olympics.”
Anderson also said the federation is working closely with representatives from Canada in identifying talent to help bolster the women’s national team.
“We are also in discussions with coaches in Canada where we have identified a number of females of Jamaican heritage who are playing competitively there and who have expressed an interest in building a female team,” Anderson said.
English (US) ·