THE Philippine ice hockey team gears up for yet another test starting Wednesday ay as it looks forward to the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur in August.
For the next few days until Saturday, SM Skating will hold the Philippine Ice Hockey tournament at the SM Megamall rink with six teams, including those from Singapore, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and New York slugging it out in the international open category.
Tournament director Francois Gautier told the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay City that four teams, including visitors from Canada, are vying in the 35-above category, a contact but non-hitting tournament.
Also appearing in the weekly forum were young figure skaters Skye Chua and Gabby Panlilio, winners in the recent SEA Challenge at SM Skating Seaside City in Cebu, and Stephanie Henares-Dela Pena, head of business development of the SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc.
Chua and Panlilio, barely in their teens, bagged the gold medals in the Basic Novice B and Advanced Novice, respectively, in the event for figure skaters from Southeast Asia.
“Hosting an event like this is our way of training our future athletes to compete in the next level, develop camaraderie with other countries, and see how they train then compare it with ours. It’s great training ground for our athletes,” said Henares-Dela Pena in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Golden Phoenix Hotel, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
Gautier said the twin event that follows the International Hockey Federation rules and regulations with specific alternations will give the Philippine team to the SEA Games a needed tune-up, and help boost the popularity of the sport in the country.
The ice hockey official said the host teams are going all out in the tournaments kicking off today and hopes to gain momentum heading to the SEA Games in August.
Gautier pointed to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia as the teams to reckon with in the SEA Games, but added that the Philippine team will go out contesting every goal.
“There’s a lot of pride in this group. If we play hard I’m pretty positive we can win,” he said.