Ice Hockey: Maneaters Edge Pride As Cheetahs Maul Leopards

NAIROBI, Kenya-Ice Lions Maneaters edged Ice Lions Pride 5-4 on Wednesday night in the second edition of the Kenya Ice Hockey League Friendship Tournament that is ongoing at the Panari Hotel in Nairobi.

Impressive Hassan Shah slotted a hatrick in the 12^th, 14^th and 18^th minutes to seal the deal for Maneaters who came from behind to win the high pace encounter that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Team captain Hassan Yunis added a brace for the winners.

Arnold Mburu scored a brace for Pride as his namesake Benjamin Mburu and Daniel Mutua added a goal each for the losing side.

Maneaters captain Yunis attributed their win to amazing team work on the ice rink saying: “We trusted each other, it was fun, we made the game simple for everyone in our squad.”

Pride skipper Benjamin rued their missed chances after their early lead. He hailed their opponents saying their rivals skated well and had their act intact.

“We are hopeful to bounce back in our second game against Howe Cheetahs on Thursday night,” Benjamin told Standard Sports.

Another mouthwatering encounter was between Howe Leopards against Howe Cheetahs. The two franchises are made up of players from Canada, USA and Japan.

Marksman Dylan Ross, who formed a two prong attack upfront with Katrina Armstrong, was in a class of his own as he drilled-in five goals for Cheetahs who won the match 8-5.

David Dumberger scored a hatrick for Leopards who were scheduled to battle Maneaters on Thursday night as Leopards take on Cheetahs.

Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Peninah Malonza who graced the tournament hailed the competition saying its promoting sports tourism by marketing Kenya to the rest of the world.

Malonza gave an assurance that the government will work in tandem with other like minded minds like Panari Hotel to aid the Kenya Federation of Ice Sports acquire more state of the art ice rinks that can help further the growth of the sport in the counties.

“We thank the Panari hotel management for putting up investment of such magnitude that is making Kenya the only country with an ice rink of its kind in East and Central Africa.

“Kenya government is focused on growing different sports to attract more tourists. It has tapped into athletics, golf, rugby, swimming and Safari Rally while diversifying to more innovative sports tourism activities such as ice hockey to attract local and international visitors,” she said.

Malonza also praised other Kenyan athletes like Phillip Boit and Sabrina Wanjiku who have represented the country in other ice sports like skiing at the Winter Olympics and other world stages.

The objective of the Kenya Ice Hockey League Friendship Tournament is to promote intercultural sports for peace, friendship and diplomacy.

The tournament was first held in 2019 and was won by Howe Hunters. The 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions did not happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kenya Ice Hockey League Friendship Tournament Day One results

Howe Cheetahs           8                      5          Howe Leopards

Ice Lions Maneaters    5                      4          Ice Lions Pride

Kenya Ice Lions          3                      4          Howe Combined (Exhibition match)