 Anyang Halla forward Cho Min-ho will lead the offense in his team’s attempt to retain the Asia League ice hockey title. Cho had the most points among Halla players with 18 goals and 26 assists last season. / Courtesy of Anyang Halla |
By Yoon Chul
The Asia League, comprised of seven ice hockey teams from South Korea, Japan and China, starts its six-month-long season Saturday. The first game between last season’s winners Anyang Halla and local rivals High1 is at Anyang Sports Complex Arena in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Each team plays the others six times and the reigning champions will challenge to end its season opener curse.
Since the league started in 2003, Anyang, the top Korean team has collected only one victory from its season opener.
“It’s something we can’t explain. There is no reason not to beat High1 on opening night, but I guess we don’t have much luck on first nights,” the club’s scout and interpreter Samuel Kim said. “It’s time for us to end the jinx.”
Halla and High1 have met 40 times and last season, Halla prevailed with a 4-2 record in six meetings. The defending champions are slightly ahead of Saturday’s visitors with a 21-1-18 record in the regular season.
But the Anyang-based team managed by Shim Eui-sik has overwhelmed High1 at home, 13-1-6.
Last year, High1 missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
“It was a tough season but also a tough summer for us.” High1’s head coach Kim Yoon-sung said. “Hopefully with our new imports and new players, we can pick up more points and eventually do well this season.”
Halla has acquired former NHL defenseman Ric Jackman but “the Korean Rocket” Song Dong-hwan, the all-time point leader in Korean hockey history, left the club for the Nikko Ice Bucks. Halla also lost speedy winger and fan favorite Lee Yu-won to High1.
“We are definitely different and may not be a better team compared to the last two seasons,” Halla’s general manager Yang Seung-jun said. “We just have to play a different style. We lost some good players in the off-season but we still think we can play well with the core players we have now.”
Nippon Paper Cranes and Oji Eagles, both from Japan, are likely to compete for the top spot.
The Tohoku Free Brades and the lone Chinese team China Dragon complete the league line-up. The regular season will end at the end of February followed by a one-month postseason.
Only the top four teams will make the best-of-five playoff series. The regular season champions will face the fourth placed team with the runner-up competing against third.
The winners will then play for the championship from March 17.
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