UAE wins first GCC Ice-hockey Championship, defeats Kuwait
Kuwait (KUNA): The United Arab Emirates won the First Gulf Ice-hockey Championship after a 4-1 defeat over hosts Kuwait in the final on Sunday. The Kuwaiti side paid the price after allowing the Emiratis to score three points in the first half; two from Ali Al-Mazrouei and one from Joma Al-Dhaheri.
Kuwait attempted a comeback in the second half, scoring their solitary goal through Salem Al-Ajmi amid a rock-hard and more seasoned UAE defence.
Al-Dhaheri added his second moments later, thus reassuring the dominance of his side and stripping the hosts of any hopes of a recovery.
After handing the Cup and medals to the winning teams – UAE (first), Kuwait (second) and Saudi Arabia (third) – honorary Chairman of the Kuwait Ice-hockey Committee Sheikh Jaber Al-Bandar Al-Sabah remarked that the competition had achieved its aims of practice for all teams, especially Oman and Saudi Arabia who took part in the sport internationally for the first time.
He said the competition is a major boost to these two teams, to partake in other international tournaments and join the sport’s international body like their Kuwaiti and Emirati counterparts.
The competition he noted, is good preparation for the Kuwaiti and Emirati national teams, ahead of the Winter Asian Games scheduled in Kazakhstan, early next year. Fahad Al-Enezi
KUNA
