The Leopard Cats issued challenges on and off the ice, winning 4-1 against the Clouded Leopards on Sunday night and declaring their intention to take the championship.
Cats captain Josh Smith said there is not a lot of history to the team and along with a focus on enjoying the game, he said he was confident of going all the way this year.
“Before the games we say: ‘One, two, three’ and then yell: ‘Meow,’” Smith said, describing their lighthearted ritual.
However, there was no joking about his ultimate aim.
“We want to win the championship of course,” the Canadian said when asked about goals for the season. “I think we’ve got the biggest team; all the other teams are small and fast, so I think we’ve got a good chance to win this year.”
Dave Austin of the US got one of their goals at Taipei’s Iceland rink.
“It was a pass from Kenny [Shih],” Austin said. “He shot it down off the boards and I just took a whack at it.”
Austin picked Kang Chou, who scored two, as their player of the game.
In the later game, The Black Bears suffered their first defeat of the season, going down 3-2 to the Buffalos.
In the next round, the Buffalos are scheduled to face the Clouded Leopards at 9:30pm on Sunday, while the Bears are to play the Cats at 11pm.
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