Jamaica’s ice hockey crew emerged victorious within the ultimate match of the inaugural Ice Hockey Challenger Collection, defeating a formidable Lebanon crew 12-8 on the School Ice Area in Toronto on Saturday night.
The match, performed earlier than an enthusiastic crowd, noticed Jamaica take an early lead, solely to fall behind as Lebanon scored three unanswered targets within the first interval.
Through the second of three 20-minute intervals, Jamaica regrouped and fought again to take a 6-4 lead, earlier than Lebanon equalized at 6-6. Buoyed by the group’s assist, Jamaica asserted their dominance to finish the interval at 9-6. Within the third and ultimate interval, Jamaica maintained their momentum, extending their result in 11-7 with 4 minutes left. Tight defensive work ensured Jamaica added one other purpose, though they conceded yet another within the latter levels of the sport.
Reggie Millette and Givani Smith every scored twice, whereas Maleek McGowan, Captain Taos Jordan, Amari Sellers, Tyler Drummond, Dante Sheriff, Avery Grant, Josh Mitton, and Marquis Grant-Mentis contributed the remaining targets.
Constant efficiency throughout the sequence
The Challenger Collection, a brand new match involving Puerto Rico, Lebanon, and Jamaica, all affiliate members of the Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), started in Chicago in April, continued in New York in June, and concluded in Toronto. Jamaica’s constant efficiency throughout the sequence earned them an computerized spot within the ultimate, having accrued essentially the most factors over the primary two legs. Lebanon secured their place within the ultimate by defeating Puerto Rico 9-3 within the playoff.
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Throughout the three legs, Jamaica gained six of their 9 matches, bringing their general file since beginning aggressive play in 2019 to 16 wins and 6 losses, with over 100 targets scored.
Don Anderson, president of the Jamaica Olympic Ice Hockey Federation (JOIHF), expressed his pleasure within the crew’s efficiency and outlined future targets. “We are actually setting our sights on establishing an ice rink in Jamaica and constructing a powerful native program that may allow the crew to play in qualifying tournaments for the Olympics,” Anderson mentioned. He added that knowledgeable opinion means that the crew might obtain a excessive international rating if given the chance to compete commonly on the subsequent degree.
Jamaica’s victory within the Ice Hockey Challenger Collection marks a big milestone within the nation’s sporting historical past and units a promising basis for the way forward for ice hockey in Jamaica.
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