Philippine women's ice hockey team
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Philippine women's ice hockey team is back in action after several years, taking part in the 2024 IIHF Women's Asia-Oceania Championship Division 1 in Kyrgyzstan starting next week.
The Filipino skaters, who are experiencing IIHF competition for the first time since the 2019 Challenge Cup of Asia, are looking to regain their lost momentum and qualify for the top division of the tournament.
“The momentum of 2019 was cut short… the pandemic happened, so as you can imagine. [how] We stopped the momentum and now we’re just getting it back,” defenseman Rita Seguerra told the media last Sunday.
“But, you know, it was certainly tough starting from scratch…it takes a lot of effort. The three years we were there are quite a long way from where we are now, three years later. But you know, we're heading there,” she added.
Things were going well for the national team before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. They continued training for three years until they earned promotion to the top division of the Asia-Oceania Championship.
However, due to the global pandemic, the national team was forced to return to Division 1.
The team also missed out on competing in the 2023 tournament due to missed practices and games.
With a chance to make a statement in his return, the Nationals will rely on a combination of veterans and young talent to get back on track.
“I’m also excited because we’re going to be playing with a lot of new girls this year. Sobran Dami names new guys and spoils Bago. We have a lot of new girls to guide. So, I hope it’s a fun experience, a fun tournament,” winger Kathleen Tan quipped.
Among the newcomers is center Irina Jimenez. Having gotten her chance to prove herself in her first ever IIHF tournament, she plans to introduce herself to the team in the best way possible.
“For me, this is an IIHF game and I've been through a lot of tournaments and met new people, so…my expectation is to get harder and faster. But [also] Have more fun and keep scoring goals,” she said.
Segera, Tan and Jimenez are among the 20 women's players scheduled to travel to Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, March 20, to take on hosts Iran, the United Arab Emirates, India and Kuwait.
