MALAYSIA had an impressive outing in the inaugural International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Challenge Cup of Asia in Hong Kong recently.
Malaysia was seeded fourth in the six-team championship for non-winter countries. Led by Gary Tan, Malaysia overcame the odds to bag the silver medal after three wins, a draw and a defeat.
The gold medal went to Taiwan while Hong Kong took the bronze.
Malaysia's Loke Ban Kin was voted the Most Valuable Player as well as the Best Player in the Malaysian team.
Malaysia team manager Susan Loh said they were proud of the players who had given their best.
“It is a reward for the players' commitment and determination,” said Loh.
Malaysia's wins were against Hong Kong (4-2), Singapore (2-1) and Macau (4-0). They drew 2-2 with Thailand but lost 2-5 to Taiwan.
Malaysian Ice Hockey Federation (MIHF) president Datuk Lee Hwa Beng thanked sponsors Dexion Asia and Sports Planet for supporting the team's participation in the Challenge Cup.
Sports Planet chief executive officer Douglas Cheng hosted a dinner for the Malaysian contingent to celebrate their success in the tournament.
“The Malaysian team has shown that we can match our rivals from the non-winter countries.
“They should now focus on training programmes to excel in other international competitions,” said Cheng.
