The Black Bears maintained their spot atop the Taipei Ice Hockey League with a 6-5 win over the Buffalos at the Iceland rink on Sunday night, while a young Taiwan player is set to spend a season in the US.
The first period finished 2-1 to the Bears and the second began with two goals, one for each side, where the goaltenders initially blocked the shot, but the puck found a way beneath their pads.
The Buffalos’ Tony Chao equalized, but the Bears scored three straight, the third a man short as Mal Turner was in the penalty box for tripping.
Photo courtesy of Chantal Liao
The Buffalos pulled a goal back in the early stages of the third period to keep themselves in the game.
Later, with the Bears down to three skaters after a pair of penalties, the Buffalos drew within one as Kevin Chen scored just as the penalized players were to return to the ice.
One last indiscretion saw the Bears down a man, Turner again, for the final minute as the Buffalos pulled their goaltender, but could not find the equalizer.
Earlier, the Leopard Cats beat the Clouded Leopards 8-6 to retain second place in the four-team league.
Meanwhile, the Taipei Typhoons’ Jerry Yang is later this month to depart for a season of Junior A hockey for the Seattle Totems in the Western States Hockey League (WSHL).
“I hope I can improve my hockey skills a lot,” Yang said. “I am excited and nervous at the same time because it will be my first extended time away from home.”
“I hope I can bring some good news back in a year,” he added.
ROC Sports owner and head coach Cullen Revel said Yang is to spend seven months playing throughout the US northwest against teams from California, Montana, Idaho and Oregon.
“Jerry has played on numerous national championship teams with the Typhoons and spent three years with Taiwan’s U18 team,” Revel said. “This year he was on the Taiwan senior side who won gold in Dubai at the Challenge Cup of Asia.”
“He is getting a chance to play and learn from a team where T.J. Oshie of the NHL’s St Louis Blues started junior hockey,” Cullen said.
Yang’s coaches with the Taipei Typhoons club, Cullen and Ryan Lang, are heads of Southeast Asian scouting for the WSHL. They can be contacted regarding similar opportunities at rocsportstw@gmail.com.
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