The Clouded Leopards romped to a comfortable victory in the opening game of the Taipei Ice Hockey League finals series, winning 7-3 over the Black Bears at the Iceland Arena on Sunday night.
Three first-period goals by Kevin Chen and brothers Eric and Andy Shen provided an early buffer.
Chen made the lead four, opening the scoring 4 minutes, 8 seconds into the second period and Dylan Liu also got on the scoresheet, although the Bears made some inroads with goals to Jack Lu and Chris Hsu to make it 5-2 going into the third.
Photo: Grant Dexter
Hsu scored again in the third, but Andy Shen also finished with a brace after putting in a goal after a pass from Tony Yin, and the pair then reversed roles, Andy Shen providing the assist for Yin to put away the last goal of the game.
In the playoff for third and fourth, the Buffaloes won by the same scoreline, picking up a 7-3 win over the Leopard Cats.
The Clouded Leopards and Bears have a bit of a break before their second and possibly final match of the series, which is to be played at the Iceland Rink on April 19. If required, a third game would be played on May 17.
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