Olympic Winter Games: February 12 to 28, 2010

As you may or may not know, the olympics (winter or summer) take place once every 4 years, and this recent olympics was one for the books, although sadly South African TV coverage was nothing special.

If you were lucky enough to view the highlights between 1 and 2 hours a day, you would have a decent idea of what was going on between the hockey, figure skating, speed skating, curling and many more. Obviously our main concern and focus was on the men's and women's ice hockey.

The lucky ones that have the German bouquet on DSTV will still be smiling as they had the luxury of sitting back and watching the games live. The Men's final was between USA and Canada. With just under 20 seconds to go the USA came back from a 2:1 score to tie the game. This sent the game into overtime which was an additional 20 minutes played with 4 on the ice instead of 5 and with the golden goal rule (first team to score, wins!).

5 Minutes into the 4th period, NHL SuperStar (although was hardly seen in the entire game) Sydney Crosby gets a tight angle shot on the American goaltender and put the puck away. Canada win!

TEAM SA - Training camp no.3

Two camps have gone by and major growth has been seen both on and off the ice. This team is equally spread between Cape Town and Jhb with some Natal input.

The third training camps is taking place at the end of this month again at Grand West as head coach Ronni Wood will put on the finishing touches before leaving for Armenia on 9 April 2010. Sadly two strong players have pulled out due to personal reasons and line jugglying will need to take place to keep the team in alignment.

Additional players should be entering the squad but at this moment in time, nothing is for certain. TEAM SA is still looking to bring home the GOLD medal which means they will need to beat Korea in the finals. They are very confident and training is going well as the next training camp will see them for the last time during an allstar game before they leave.

The previous allstar game featured TEAM SA vs a WP invitational allstar team mainly showcasing international players from Russia, Switzerland, Namibia, America and Canada. TEAM SA held their heads high and kept their composure for most of the game to win it 9 - 4. The next all star game will take place on Monday 29 March @ 7pm - Grand West.

From the ice - local ice hockey blog

Cape Town ice hockey player, Marc Giot, has started a website/blog called fromtheice and can be found here www.fromtheice.co.za.

The focus of the site is to create awareness of ice hockey in South Africa. The site is updated almost daily with his views, interesting articles, youtube videos and clips from hockey where Marc is either behind the camera or on the ice. This site has been taken to very well and is definitely creating some kind of boost to the sport in the country.

Some of the latest uploads are from the Fantastic4 where SuperStars (Russia's Fedorov, Ovechkin and more) are interviewed including highlights from the last allstar game between TEAM SA and WP AllStars.

fromtheice also focuses on hockey tips, techniques, drills and do'&donts... This gives people who have no idea about ice hockey, an inside view into the sport as if they were a player themselves.

Check it out at www.fromtheice.co.za

IIHF Coaching Course - Grand West

This past week (1-7 March) Darryl Easson, IIHF Sports Development Manager, visited Cape Town for a coaches coaching course and level 1 coaching course.

The course was very well attended with coaches from Natal, Jhb and Cape Town. The first course was held during the week which was specifically for SA coaches Ronni Wood, Kieren Edge and Eddie Compton. The 2nd was a level 1 coaching course which took place over the majority of the weekend.

Friday and Saturday was mainly in the classroom with Sunday morning having hands-on training with Darryl on the ice, coaching 60+ kids. The main focus of this session was complete ice coverage, ensuring all kids were active throughout the entire session, correct basic hockey techniques and team work.

The course was a great success and alot was learnt during the 3 days. We would like to thank Mr Darryl Easson from IIHF for his time, effort and great stories.

African Nations Cup - 5 Teams for 2010

With the postponing of the African Nations Cup last year which was scheduled between 3 countries, South Africa, Algeria and Morocco. The organisers are busy working with the other countries and teams to set up and confirm dates for the event to take place.

In addition, there has been interest from numerous other countries to take part in this tournament. For more information about the African Nations Cup please go to their website www.africa-nations-cup.co.za

Team SA - Battle it out in Armenia, IIHF World Championships, 2010

The IIHF Senior World Championships are being held in Armenia later this year in April. The SA team that is made up of athletes from Durban, Gauteng and Cape Town have been under vigorous training since the beginning of the year and with 3 training camps scheduled (1 already taken palce) this should see TEAM SA in great running for a GOLD medal in Armenia.

To view the team announcement made by SAIHA at the beginning of the year please view the NEWS HEALINES below.

The next training camps are scheduled for the end of February & March as the team depart on 9 April. They will be playing in a warm up game against Georgia (2011 IIHF qualifier for Georgia). The tournament sees TEAM SA take on Armenia and Mongolia and then tackle Korea (who last beat RSA 6 - 0 in 2008). After studying the video of their previous encounter, head coach Ronnie Wood is confident that they will have what it takes to beat the Korean team.

SA U18 - Wins the bronze medal !!!

Not gold, not silver but a very well deserved BRONZE. The final game between SA and Israel determined the outcome, and as you can read below in the game report, it went right down to the wire!

3 periods, 1 over time period and penalty shootouts. With the man of the hour being Mr Uthman Samaai scoring 2 goals, 1 assist and scoring the final goal in the penalty shootout. Well done to SA u18.

More info to come on the teams arrival.

The South African Ice Hockey Association has the pleasure of announcing the National Women's Ice Hockey Team for the 2011 IIHF World Championships, Div IV, which will take place in Iceland from 27th March to the 1st April 2011.

The South African Women's Team is as follows:

Goaltenders:
Shaylene Swanepoel
Sandy Mc Clurg

Players:
Robyn Adamson
Bianca Birrell
Sarah Booysen
Sabrina Bundock
Samanthan Jansen
Debbie Mc Loughlin
Laura-Ann Murphy
Donne Oxenham
Kirsten Oxenham
Dalene Rhode
Fyona Shannon
Nadine Shefield
Kristyn Swanepoel
Simone Van Wyk
Dominique Verwey
Jadi Wessels

The team manager is Wendy Horne and coach is Kieren Edge.

Please note that the decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Congratulations to all the players and Officials on their selection to the Team, we are sure that you will all do us and South Africa proud.

Yours in Ice Hockey,
Shane Marsh
President
South African Ice Hockey Association

The South African lce Hockey Association has the pleasure of announcing the National U/18 Ice Hockey Team for the 2011 IIHF World U/18 Championships, Div III, which will take place in Mexico from 13 March 2011 to the 19th March 2011.

The South African U/18 Team is as follows:

Uthman Samaai (Assistant Captain)
Luke Carlse
Alex Obery
Jade Johnson (Assistant Captain)
Callum Bremner
Xander Botha
Werner van Niekerk
Justin Harman
Andre Koekemoer
Haiko Meyer
Wesley Krotz
Nicholas Kuhn
Chad Williams (Captain)
Luke Stringer
Spencer du Preez
Bryn Gooch
Keenan Marrow
JJ Brand
Jack Nebe
Steven Ryan

Reserves (non-travelling):

1st - Denzil Verwey
2nd - Dylan Venter
3rd - Ashton Du Toit

The team manager is Elsabe Stockhoff and coach Andre Marais. Please note that the decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Congratulations to all the players and Officials on their selection to the Team, we are sure that you will all do us and South Africa proud.

Yours in sport,
Shane Marsh
President
South African Ice Hockey Association

The Road to Cape Town 2011,
is now underway. With the Senior Interprovincials having taken place in Pretoria and final squad selection just released by the SAIHA, you can now follow the squad as it is moulded into the final team that is going to represent South Africa in the IIHF World Championships Division 3.

This awesome event is taking place in Cape Town at the fabulous & world-class Grand West Ice Arena "The Ice Station". 48 Players in South Africa are in the squad for the national team but only 20 of those names will be printed in the final team roster and game schedules that the public will be paging through in anticipation for each and every faceoff.

South Africa will be competing against Isreal, Luxembourg, Turkey, Mongolia and Greece. Greece has recently been exhonorated and granted access to this tournament after another ban from the IIHF, as a replacement team with the withdrawl of the UAE.

To view the dedicated webpage for the Road to Cpt2011 and to see the squad announcement of all 48 players, click here.

Under 18 Squad
The South African Ice Hockey Association has the pleasure of announcing the National U/18 Ice Hockey Squad for the 2011 IIHF World U/18 Championship, Div III, which will take place in Mexico City, Mexico from the 13 to19 March 2011.

The South African U/18 Squad is as follows:
Botha Xander
Carelse Luke
Brand JJ
Johnson Jade
Bremner Callum
Krotz Wesley
Du Preez Spenser
Kuhn Nicolas
Du Toit Ashton
Louw Brendan
Grey-Wilson Alex
Marrow Keenan
Harman Justin
Meyer Haiko
Koekemoer Andre
Obery Alex
McFarlane Connor
Samaai Uthman
Van Jaarsveld William
Stringer Luke
Van Niekerk Werner
Williams Chad
Van Wyk Elmar
Venter Dylan
Verwey Denzil
Goalkeepers:
De Carvalho Adam
Ryan Steven
Nebe Jack

The team manager is Elsabe Stockhoff and the coach is Andre Marais.

SA Womens Squad
The South African Ice Hockey Association has the pleasure of announcing the National Women’s Ice Hockey Squad for the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship, Div IV, which will take place in Iceland from the 27th March to1st April 2011.

The South African Women’s Squad is as follows:
Adamson Robyn WP
Birrel Bianca G
Booysen Sarah WP
Brand Anoesjka G
Bundock Sabrina KZN
Jansen Samantha WP
Lombard Lani G
Mc Loughlin Debbie MN
McClurg Sandy WP
Murphy. Laura-Ann KZN
Oxenham Donne KZN
Oxenham Kirstin KZN
Rhode Dalene WP
Schuurman Chloe G
Shannon Fyona KZN
Shefield Nadine WP
Strachen Keena WP
Swanepoel Kristyn KZN
Swanepoel Shaylene KZN
Van Wyk Simone WP
Verwey Dominique G
Wessels Jadi WP

The team manager - TBA and the coach is Kieren Edge.

Congratulations to all the players on their selection to the Squad and good luck with the final team selection.

The final week in September was scheduled for the Under 18 SAIHA National Championships where the best of the best took to the ice at the Festival Mall in Jhb for this double-round- robin tournament.

Straight off the bat, or faceoff we should say, saw Western Province crush the Gauteng Lions by 20 goals to 1 in the opening game with a massive 9 goals for WP's Luke Carlse and Mathew Grey-Wilson scoring the only goal for the Lions.
The second game was played later that day between WP and the Gauteng Cats with again a rather poor show by the Cats going down 14 goals to 3 to a more powerful and sharper WP squad. Cats goals coming from McFarlane and Du Preez with WP goals from Obery, Williams, Johnson, Carlse, Kuhn, Samaai and Krotz.

Day 2 started off as almost a carbon copy of day 1 with the morning game being WP vs Lions and another whopping 19-1 scoreline. Lions only goal this time coming from Wesley Wyman and this time with Jade Johnson taking the top goals scored at 7. Lions goaltender Charl Pretious was awarded the star of the match for the Lions with Samaai and Johnson taking the stars for WP.

Going into their 2nd back-to-back game of the tournament, WP again came up to face the Gauteng Cats this time with a game on hand. Starting goaltenders for both teams were Steven Ryan (Cats) and Adam De Carvelho (WP) with the Cats defence cracking first and #15 Carlse of WP scoring the first goal 7:25 minutes into the game.
WP then managed to score an additional 4 goals before Cats answered with a goal from McFarlane but with the sealer from WP's Chad Williams left the final score to 6:1.

Games 5 and 6 were between the Lions and Cats with the scores being 0-14 and 0-6 respectively. Botha and Flynn took the stars for these games and both represented the Cats.

Well done to all teams for an outstanding tournament.

The South African Ice Hockey Association has the pleasure of announcing the National U/18 and Senior coaching staff for the 2011 IIHF World Championships.

Senior Team:

Head Coach: Ronnie Wood
Assistant Coaches: Nicky Beukes, Andre Marais and Kieren Edge.
Team Manager: Lloyd Birrell

U/18 Team:

Head Coach: Andre Marais
Assistant Coaches: Ashley Bock, Dean Magmoed and David Pearson.
Team Manager: Elsabe Stockhoff
Assistant Manager: Steven Johnson

Friday: 07:15 - 09:45   Western Province A vs Western Province B
Friday: 17:15 - 19:15   Scorpions vs Gauteng

Saturday: 05:45 - 07:45   Western Province B vs Scorpions
Saturday: 17:15 - 19:15   Gauteng vs Western Province A

Sunday: 05:45 - 07:45   Gauteng vs Western Province B
Sunday: 07:45 - 09:45   Western Province A vs Scorpions

Please note the following changes in dates for the upcoming Ladies and Seniors National Championships:

Ladies: 17 - 19 September 2010, Grand West - Cape Town

Seniors: 8 - 10 October 2010, Kolonade - Pretoria

Your support at these events will be greatly appreciated.

This August the SA national inline team came together for preperation in the Qualifying games against Namibia in Windhoek.

The team was made up of players from Jhb, Pretoria and Cape Town, all with an ice hockey background. The squad was able to assemble a week before their daparture to Namibia with the Cape Town players and work through their "plays" and for the team to get to know each other on and off the court.

Special thanks to management and team sponsor, Mr Lloyd Birrell, the team was able to prepare 100% and ensure that victory was well within their reach. With 2 days in Windhoek prior to their first game the team got use to the dry air and managed to practise on 2 of the local courts before facing the Namibian national team infront of a packed arena.

Both the games were tight and tense with players, management and the crowd on the egde of their seats for the full length of the games. Team SA were consistant and with great guidance from Gavin Smith and Joe Ovilier (SA coach and assistant) SA pulled off two wins: 3-2 and 4-3.

This result qualifies Team SA into the World Champs to be held in Chech Republic middle of next year where they will be facing the top 16 countries in the world.

We wish them the best of luck and congratulations on this outstanding result.

Sunday 27th June 2010 saw a very exciting game between the Scorpions and Wildcats in the Gauteng Premier League at Festival Mall in Kempton Park.
It was hotly contended match with Scorpions coming out on tops when the Wildcats goal keeper made an error in the final seconds of the game. Final score Scorpions 3 and Wildcats 2.

Goals for the Wildcats were scored by Jack Valadas and Ian Ashworth and the goals for the Scorpions scored by Robert Kamalenlo, Clinton Foy and Grant van Eeckhoven.

Player of the Game for each Team:
Wildcats – Ian Ashworth.
Scorpions - Grant van Eeckhoven.

NEXT GAUTENG PREMIER LEAGUE GAME: Sunday 18 July 2010, Scorpions vs. Wildcats, Festival Mall, Kempton Park at 17h15.

Well we are mid-season in the Gauteng 1st Division and the league has released the game stats which have been updated on the LEAGUES section of the SAIHA webiste. Click here to check it out!

You can also download the complete league stats via the link below of Top Ten Players.

This past Sunday Wildcats played Pretoria Warriors in the Gauteng Premier League at Festival Mall in Kempton Park.It was a hard fought battle with the Wildcats coming out victors by 8 goals to 5.

The game was a lot closer than the score line indicates, at the end of the second period the Warriors were leading 3 goals to 1.

But in the third period there was a  flurry of 7 goals by the Wildcats and 2 the Warriors. Goals for the Wildcats were scored by Jack Valadas - 3, George Lyon - 1, Ian Ashworth - 2, Chris Engelbrecht  - 1 and Eddie Compton – 1 and the goals for the Warriors scored by Andre Marais - 2, and one each by Alan Verwey, Jacques Booysen and Michael Harris.

Player of the Game for each Team:
Wildcats - Ryan Marsh. Warriors - Jacques Booysen.

NEXT GAME: Sunday 27 June 2010, Scorpions vs. Wildcats, Festival Mall, Kempton Park at 17h15.

After a good start to the 2010 season the wildcats suffered their second straight defeat of the season.

The game played on Sunday 6/06/2010 in Kempton Park against the Scorpions started well for the Wildcats, with George Lyon scoring the first goal of the game in the 9th minute, he as assisted by Ryan Marsh and Jack Valadas. The Scorpions tied the match in the 15th minute with Dave Watson goal assisted by Damian Cardoso.

At the start of the second period Jack Valadas scored unassisted  for the Wildcat putting them 2-1 ahead. Trevor Jones of the Scorpions the scored two goals   in the 9th and 13th minutes to giving Scorpions a 3-2 lead. With three minutes remaining in the second period George Lyon assisted by Chris Engelbrecht tie the game up at 3 – 3.

Five minutes into the third period Scorpions scored two quick breakaway goals and the Wildcats never recovered from this conceding another 3 unanswered goals. Scorpions last 5 goals scored by Damian Cardoso - 2, Michael Loneon - 2 and Cyle Labuschange - 1. Final score Scorpions 8 - Wildcats 3.

The outstanding players for  Wildcats were goalkeeper Gary Bock and centre Chris Engelbrecht. Scorpions player of the match, Michael Loneon.

The dates for the South African National Championships have recently been posted. Please view the schedule below:

Ladies Championships
6 - 9 August, Grand West - Cape Town

Under 14 / Under 16 Championships
September School Holidays, Grand West - Cape Town

Under 18 Championships
27 - 29 September, Johannesburg

Senior Championships
24 - 26 September, Johannesburg

The votes are in the the word is out. Cape Town a.k.a. The Mother City will be the host of the 2011 IIHF Senior World Championships Division 3.

Taking part in this tournament are the following countries: Israel, Turkey, South Africa(hosts), Luxembourg, Mongolia and United Arab Emirates. This event will be taking place at the Grand West's Ice Arena from 11 - 17 April 2011.

Much more on this outstaning spectacle coming soon.

SAIHA President, Shane Marsh, will be leaving for Germany on Sunday 16 May 2010 to attend the IIHF Annual Congress in Cologne that starts on the 19th May.

At congress Mr Marsh will be making a bid for South Africa to host the 2011 IIHF World Championships Div III in Cape Town. Another important topic that will be discussed at this congress is the” IIHF Restructure Proposal for the IIHF Championship program” as this will determine how the IIHF will structure future world championships.

Exciting Times!

The past Sunday the 9^th May 2010 saw the second game of the Gauteng 1^st division League being played in Kempton Park, a matchup between last season’s league winners  the Scorpions and the Wildcats.  

The Wildcats opened up the scoring in the 7th minute of the first period with a well worked goal by Marcellus Blignaut assisted by Russell van Heyningen, but the Wildcats had to wait until the 17^th minute of the second period for their next goal. This goal was scored by Wildcats captain Jack Valadas assisted by Chris Engelbrecht.

In the 1^st minute of the third period Jack Valadas again found the back of the Scorpions net, this time assisted by George Lyon and 10 minutes later again found the back of the net,  this time combining with Chris Engelbrecht and George Lyon. The Scorpions them then came back with 2 quick goal in the 12^th and 13^th minute the first being scored by L. Coetzee assisted by Franco Habib and the second scored by Michael Loneon assisted by Clinton Foy. The final goal of the game was scored  again by Jack Valadas for the Wildcats assisted by George Lyon with two and a half minutes on the clock.  

Final result Wildcats – 5, Scorpions – 2.  

Wildcats next game will be against the Pretoria Warrior in Pretoria on the 16^th May 2010

Andre Marais and Eddie Compton travelled to Heidelberg in Germany to attend the IIHF International Youth Ice Hockey Coaching Conference from the 7^th  to 10^th May 2010.

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HOCKEY COACHING CONFERENCE
MAY 7. – 9. 2010,  Heidelberg (Mannheim), Germany

During the Ice Hockey World Championships in Germany we will be hosting the first ever Coaching Conference for youth hockey coaches. Most of the Professional Coaches are quite familiar with the training and game systems around the world. However, the minor hockey coaches don’t often have the opportunity to hear and see the different training methods of other nations. We will be offering a platform just for the minor hockey coaches. Speakers from some of the leading ice hockey nations will talk about the aspects of how they develop their youth hockey players. These speakers will be experts in the field of training youth ice hockey. After every Topic Session, we will have a question and answer period in order that the coaches can ask particular questions regarding their own situation. We will also have some Speakers who will present information about the science behind the learning skills, and also Speakers from other Sports (ex. Speed skating, Hockey) who will give us an insight into how they train and teach their youth athletes.

On the evening of Friday, May 7, we will host a Poster Session at the Olympic Training Centre. Some of the leading ice hockey nations will have booths that show their coaching education system. This will give the coaches the opportunity to see and talk personally to the coaching educator of that country. There will also have the opportunity to purchase DVD’s, CD’s and print material from these countries. There will be also various Exhibitor booths displaying their products. During the Poster Session the participants will have the opportunity to personally meet coaches from the other nations. Food and drink will be provided during the poster session.

Ronnie Wood will be attending the IIHF International Ice Hockey Coaching Conference in Cologne Germany from 13th May to 17th May 2010. May 14. – 16. 2010 COLOGNE, GERMANY

During the 2010 World Ice Hockey Championships in Germany we will be hosting the IIHF International Coaching Symposium in Cologne from the 14 – 16 May 2010. At this year’s Symposium we will focus our presentations on the integration of the young player into the professional game. The three aspects that we will be discussing are: Physical, Mental, and Technical Skills.

In the last few years the game of ice hockey, as well as other team sports, has become much faster. With the new rule interpretation, the importance of skill has become much more important. Not only has the level of skill improved, but also the speed at which it is needed. Players, coaches and conditioning coaches are always looking for ways to improve the athletic development of themselves and their athletes. We will combine scientific research with the experience of top trainers, to find the best ways to train our athlete’s injury free.

We will hear what skills the young players need to “bring with them” or develop in order to be successful at the professional level. These skills will be broken down into “offensive” and “defensive” skills and how they occur in the different areas of the ice surface.

When the young player enters the professional game, he is required to play at a much higher level both physically and mentally; for some, it will be the first time that they will earn money by playing hockey. For others, it may be the first time that they really must compete to earn a position on a team. We will discuss the major challenges for these young players entering the professional game, how we can best prepare them, and techniques to help the young players become successful.


For each subject we will have a presenter from North America and Europe. The game of ice hockey has, over the years, become much more globalized. However, there are still a number of differences between the professional leagues in North America and Europe. Our
Presenters will talk about the similarities and differences in ice hockey between these two continents.

On the Friday and Saturday in the foyer of the Sport University, we will be hosting an Exhibitors Trade Fair. This will give the coaches the opportunity to see and experience the latest in technology and products in and around the world of ice hockey. It will also give the coaches a chance to meet coaches from other countries.

We have tried to make this Conference as reasonable as possible. The accommodation will be in the Coaches Academy, which is within 5 minutes walking distance to the lecture hall (Sport University). From the Sport University, there runs of Tram directly to the Ice Hockey Arena. For those who wish to be in the heart of Cologne, we have also reserved rooms at the Hotel Ibis. From the Hotel, you can take a train to the Sport University.

As the tournament officially began on Wednesday 14th, SA's opening game was played against the host country Armenia. With tons of conversation about the illegal American players that were rostered in the Armenian team, the SA team was ready to rock and roll no matter who stepped out onto the ice.

Game 1: SA vs Armenia
The opening game of the tournament and a packed arena. 8000 rather hostile Armenians took to the stands to support their home team of local and American players. The game got underway with Armenia having an edge on the majority of the game. It was aparent that the American imports for the Armenian team gave them the edge as they skated at speed and led to the end with a poor reflection of the game, winning 9 - 2.
SA played to the final whistle giving the imports a heavy shift by finishing off their hits and pounding away at their shamefull excuse of a true national team. The Armenian crowd conducted themselves truely patheticlly with unsportsmanlike behaviour with silly stunts like blowing ref's whistle from the crowd during play and interrupting the game. This only made SA stronger!

Game 2: SA vs Mongolia
SA took control from the start of the game and dominated all over the ice. Mongolia skated as hard as they could and put up a good fight but ended in a 12-1 loss for Mongolia.

Game 3: SA vs Korea
SA's most important game of the tournament and the team definitely turned up. First shift on the ice and Korea were not looking so confident anymore. Play was all over the ice but with Korea slightly dominating in puck control and with seconds to go in the first, Korea ended the period 2 - 0. Second period underway and SA scores a quick goal after the puck drop to give them hope. SA then scores 2 more goals and are leading the Korean's by 1 goal.
But the Korean team came back and scored in the next shift, once again leveling the scoreline. This game went right to the final whistle, with SA now dominating the ice and putting pressure on the Korean's with ample scoring chances. With 90 seconds left and on a power play, SA sets up in the Korean zone and moving the puck nicely, with a pressured play and an unfortunate bounce on the blue line, Korea gets a break away and scores with 15 seconds left. Korea wins 4 - 3.

Game 4: SA vs Mongolia - Bronze Medal game
Definitely not the game that SA wanted to be playing in for the medal rounds, but a game none the less. After alot of hockey and rather tired players, SA struggled for the first 2 periods and allowed Mongolia to score a couple goals but the third period saw SA dominate as usual and run away with the scoring. SA wins and is awarded the Bronze medal.

As the senior national team prepares for their trip, the are now only hours away from the 2010 Div iii, b championships.
The Cape Town players will be leaving for JHB international airport at 10am and will be spending the day at the airport until their flight at 19:30pm. The other players from JHB and Durban will be joining the team late afternoon.

The team will fly to Paris which is a 10 hour flight, they then have a 6 hour stop over until they board their final flight to Armenia. They will arrive at approximately 8pm where they will have to settle in and get a good nights rest as they have an early morning practise and a warm-up game against Georgia.

The competition begins on Wednesday 14 April where SA plays Armenia in the main event. The game and all the games are availble LIVE online from this link on the Official IIHF website.

With the popularity of social networks like facebook and Mxit, developments for the growth of ice hockey in South Africa is branching out in various forms.

Live score updates by IIHF website during international competitions, a new addition which is being showcased at the 2010 April tournament with ONLINE LIVE VIEWING of all the games and finally a SA community online ice hockey chat.

This chat is currently embedded in 3 ice hockey websites throughout RSA namely, SAIHA, WPIHA (Western Province Ice Hockey Association) and fromtheice

The link between the sites is to bring the hockey community together and allow people to chat about ice hockey (games, practising, tours, players, fans, sponsorship, etc) and grow the sport with more and more people coming online to chat.

We hope that you show your support and invite people to chat online at our very own ice hockey chat.

No this is not a hoax nor a competition to enter to tag along as a supporter with an all expences paid vacation, it's better!

With the interest of International Ice Hockey in mind, and offering a service to the entire ice hockey community, Marc Giot (this sounds kinda odd to write as I am not writing in 3rd person) has arranged with, and been given permission by the IIHF to do a trial set-up and online broadcast of the upcoming Senior World Champs taking place in Armenia from 14 - 19 April 2010.

This means that anyone, from anywhere in the world will be able to log onto the IIHF website and watch the entire tournament via an internet connection. As Marc (I) will be playing in the tournament, there will be some organising and preperation with broadband and technical set up at the arena including the filming of the games, but with great backing from the IIHF, SAIHA and Team SA this WILL be a success.

With looking to the future, not too distant, it would be a goal to see more ice hockey from IIHF tournaments online so that everyone can watch more hockey!!! Questions or queries - click to email

Well, just from the leading it sounds like a MUST READ!!! Here is a news report from NEWS24.COM

"Cape Town - South Africa's under-18 ice hockey team are reportedly shocked after being caught up in a shootout between police and gunmen belonging to a drug cartel while on tour in Mexico on Friday. 

The Cape Times reported on Tuesday that the team had to dive for cover when their team bus landed in the middle of a fierce gun battle while leaving a practice session in Monterrey, Mexico's second-largest city. 

The driver encountered a barricade of two abandoned buses blocking the road and moments later, military trucks screamed past. They then heard gunshots and everybody dived for cover. The driver managed to get them away from the scene. 

The team – which includes 10 players from the Western Cape – were in Mexico to take part in the2010 International Ice Hockey Federation U18 World Championship Division III at the Monterrey Ice Complex. 

The team's assistant manager, Steve Johnson, told the Cape Times they were "in the middle of what appeared to be a shootout betwee3n police and other people. Police were chasing them. It happened a few cars ahead of us. Everybody took cover and we were all a bit shocked".

Despite the incident, the South African team won a bronze in the competition, which ended on Sunday. 

According to AP, gang members involved in notorious drug cartels blocked more than 30 roads in the city over a 24-hour period."

- News24

Click here to view the actual article

The final game of the tournament for SA was against Israel, and this was for the bronze medal. Going into the game, Israel were the favourites, but does that mean anything ???

First period got underway and 28 seconds into the game, Baden Best scores off Uthman Samaai and put the SA team on the board. 7 minutes later Uthman Samaai scores off a feed from Baden Best (roles reversed) and SA are now on their way to a clean victory, but at 11 mins into period 1 Sean Cooper scores Israel's first goal and the period runs out at 2-1.

Second period proved to be rather a rough one with the two teams racking up 20 mins in penalties between them, but at 34 mins into the game, Uthman Samaai scores yet again to secure a 3-1 score against Israel.

Third period seemed to be all Israel though and in the nick of time, they came back to tie the game with 2 goals from Sean Cooper, the last with just over a minute. Game goes into overtime...

Overtime is played for 5 minutes with 4 on 4, but stil no score, which now means penalty shootout! And to top it off, and the man of the hour, scoring the final and game winning goal for SA, Uthman Samaai.

Final score: South Africa 4 - 3 Israel

The third game for SA u18, and they see themselves 1-1 (1 loss, 1 win). Going into this game they are very focused and ready to rock n roll.

Straight off the bat Jade Johnson puts away a shot on goal assisted by Russell van Heyningen & Cai Nebe, SA 1 - 0 NZL @ 03:08. New Zealand manages to outshoot SA with 16 shots on goal - 10, but first period ends with SA in the lead, 1-0.

2nd period gets underway in NZL's favour with 2 quick goals scored by Gareth Lloyd. A checking from behind penalty ending up in a 2+10 call, gave NZL an edge to lead the scoring 2 - 1. 31:04 NZL's Quinn Drake is sent to the penalty box with a high sticking call and gives SA a chance to level up the score. And they do, Russell van Hyningen scored with Baden Best assisting, 2 - 2, but 1 minute later Conner Harrison (NZL) scores to put them back on top. As if that was not bad enough, 80 seconds before the end of the period, Gareth Lloyd scores to put NZL up by 2 goals, 4-2.

3rd period and all in the 44th minute, 3 penalties are awarded, 1 to NZL and 2 to SA. And yet another penalty to SA allowing a power play goal from Gareth Lloyd to put NZL in a greater distance, 5-2. Glory is looking rather distant for the SA team now. With SA trying to get back into the game, at 48:48 they picked up an interference call on Baden Best with NZL also a penalty on Nicholas Gloag for roughing.
The final whistle goes and NZL turns with hands on hearts to see their national flag and hear their anthem.

New Zealand 5 - 2 South Africa

Midnight our time or 4pm Mexico time, and on St Paddy's Day, The u18 SA team took on Ireland in their 2nd game of the IIHF u18 DIV III World Championships.
After South Africa went down to Mexico 4 - 2 on Monday night, this was their chance to step up and take what was infront of them. Although I was not at the game, I have some insight or memories that went through my head as I have too been there.

The smell of the rink, spectators, world championships underway and face off. SA started the game off with Adam De Carvalho in net and the last line of defense against Ireland. At 01:09 Luke Carlse gets a 2 min penalty for tripping, but Ireland still cannot get on the scoreboard until 6 minutes into the game when Brendan Saunders scores with a go-ahead goal, IRL 1 - 0 RSA.
7 Minutes later, goalscorer Brendan Saunders, gets a 2 min hooking penalty and in SA's first power play Uthman Samaai scores to level the playing field, 1-1.

Second period got underway rather heavily with IRL playing physical but being called for 3 penalties in the first 6 minutes with 1 being a 2 + 10 for "checking from behind" and a misconduct penalty. Luke Carlse didnt waste time and scored the go-ahead goal to put his team on top, RSA 2 - 1 IRL. Chad Williams and Heiko Meyer score the 3rd and 4th goal for SA in the 28th and 33rd minute respectively.

Third period and 44 mins into the game, IRL's Adam Patience brings his team back within 1 when he scores but was it too little too late? From here on out it was all SA! First from Russell Heyningen at 47 mins, and then Uthman Samaai at 51 mins, which left the score at 6 - 2.
With 8 minutes left SA gets a team penalty with "too many players on the ice" but IRL doesnt capitalize. Russell Heyningen strikes again at 55:31 to sign the final score in stone! SA win 7 goals to 2.

SA's next game is against New Zealand which is taking place on Friday at 7:30pm (Mexico Time).

The under 18 South African team played their first game against Mexico (in Monterrey, Mexico) at 03:30am this monring (our time).
Sadly I was not there to watch and report on the game but what I could pick up from is that SA took their time to get into the game and get use to the speed. 3 penalties on SA was the cause of the lead up to the first Mexican goal. As you can see by the game reports below, Mexico won the first 2 periods and SA came back in the 3rd to take it 2-1. Unfortunately it was too late and Mexico took the game 4 - 2.

Never-the-less the South African team played a great game and is looking forward to the rest of their tournament. You can follow them here http://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm18-iiib/statistics.html

Grand West was host to the latest All Star matchup between Team SA and the WP invitational international AllStars (what a mouthfull). This game was the final ice time for the 2nd training camp that took place for Team SA's preperation for their upcoming world championships.

With some intense competition from Russia, Canada, America, Switzerland and Namibia, the South African squad were able to cope, kept the pressure on and the speed up. The score ended 9 - 4 in favour to Team SA. Below is the Highlights footage, check it out.

Sport Development Manager for IIHF (Darryl Easson) recently visited Cape Town, actually just left the mother city, after being in Cape Town for a week. While he was here, Darryl had a great look at how we run hockey, and was at the AllStar game on Monday, with pretty great things to say about it.

His main reason for coming to Cape Town, was to develop and put into place the IIHF coaching strategies by empowering SA's head coaches Ronni Wood, Kieren Edge and Eddie Compton with a coaches coaching course. The 2nd part of the week, Darryl with the assistance of these 3 head coaches headed up the IIHF Level 1 Coaching Course which was attended by numerous members of WP and Gauteng hockey.

The course was a great success and an eye-opener, with WP hockey making a great friend. A special thank you to Darryl Easson for his time, effort and awesome stories. Below is a video of this past weekend.
(I have added a link so that you can see Darryl on the IIHF website)

TEAM SOUTH AFRICA - TRAINING CAMP

The second training camp for TEAM SOUTH AFRICA taking part in IIHF Division III in Armenia is taking place at Grand West ice arena from 27 February - 1 March 2010.

For more information about the training camp including an All Star game between TEAM SA and Invitational team [made up of locals and imports from Namibia, Russia and America]

New Year's Eve was not only the day that most of us celebrated the end of 2009 and looking forward to a glorious 2010, but was the day that the SAIHA released the team list for the SA Senior National Team that is going to be traveling to Armenia later this year.

Ronnie Wood has resumed the position as head coach and is underway with an intense training program for this young national team. Players being selected from Cape Town, Durban and Gauteng will be groomed for this IIHF World Championship Tournament...