The Macao ice hockey team was crushed by Hong Kong 1-26 during the first round of the men’s event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China yesterday.
Macao’s solitary goal was scored by forward Argus Hong. Meanwhile, the team’s goaltender, Man Long Leung managed to rack up an impressive 85 saves. Hong Kong managed to upstage Macao in terms of shoots, however, notching 111-4.
According to hockey specialist media outlet, Puck Empire, the Macao players were the “severe underdogs” in the competition, as the city has just over 100 players, one ice rink and a “lack of sufficient ice hockey structure.”
That means the local squad has been unable to gain entry into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships. In comparison, Hong Kong has a much stronger team that plays in the IIHF competition.
[See more: The ITTF Singles World Cup will return to Macao in April]
Prior to the games, the captain of the Macao ice hockey team, Leong Chon Kong, admitted to local media that the squad would be going head-to-head with “Asia’s top teams.” However, he noted that Macao had hopes of clinching “victories against nations [such as India] with similar resources” and was “aiming for at least one win.”
He said: “Against other teams, we’re not focused on winning or losing, but on achieving our best performance and hopefully scoring some goals.”
The Macao team also faced the hurdle of having to train in Zhuhai, as it was unable to use the city’s only ice-rink located in Praca Luis de Camos, which is currently under renovation. As a result, the local players spend a lot of time commuting. “Training in Zhuhai each week takes over an hour just to get there from Taipa,” Hong pointed out.
The 9th Asian Winter Games will officially open on Friday and will run until 14 February. The ice hockey event, however, commenced on Monday, with Macao scheduled to play against Turkmenistan today.
