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The Bahrain Sharks fought fiercely for cup glory over the weekend and fired their way to victory following an intense penalty shootout.
The round-robin annual Bahrain DHL Ice Hockey Tournament featured more than 100 skaters from around the globe including Bahrain, Canada, Europe and the US, battling it out at the Manama Funland Centre ice-rink.
After Saturday’s semi-finals, the Sharks took on the Abu Dhabi Aeros in a final encounter which ended in a 5-5 stalemate followed by a 10-round shootout that finally went in favour of the home team.
The Aeros ranked second and third place was secured by Qatar Canucks after they defeated a select team of former German internationals 8-4.
Sharks captain and defensive player Tamer Fakhroo, was elated by the squad’s determination throughout which he believes led to their triumph. The 38-year-old businessman, from Amwaj, said: “It was an epic final that kept the crowed tense until the last minute. We had to go through 10 rounds of penalties giving each player on either side a chance to shine.
“The goalies from both squads were tough, especially our very own Chris Bird. He definitely had the last word though when he stopped the 10th shot from the Aeros.
“We we had won more than eight titles in the past six years so we are familiar with victory. However, this title was by far the closest to our hearts as we are so proud to win a tournament that featured all the big teams from the region. We managed to make our way to the top, win all our games with a fair goals difference and perseverance. I’m very proud of the entire team.”
The tournament top scorer was Shark’s American ace Jason Mejia, who lives in Adliya. He notched 18 goals in five games, which Fakhroo described as a ‘tremendous feat’.
Aside from Fakhroo, Mejia and Bird, the Sharks also consisted of defensive player Noah Sharif and forwards Brat Zuckiwiski, Bryan Wilkinson and Tj Thieken.
According to Fakhroo, the skating spectacular was a huge success as it not only attracted a growing number of skaters but also supporters. He added: “More than 500 ice hockey fans, including family and friends, showed their support over the two-day event. It was great to see the fans cheering from the stands. It definitely raises awareness about this cool sport.
“I’d like to thank our sponsor DHL Bahrain for all the help they gave us and for the company’s continuous support for hockey in Bahrain. I’d also like to thank Funland management’s Adel Rasty and his devoted team for helping to make it such a smoothly-run event.”
The Sharks will be taking a long summer break until the hockey season starts up again in September.
