South China Sharks Crowned CIHL Champions

The South China Sharks defeated the Kowloon Warriors 5-2 to win their first CIHL title. The game was played in front of a packed house at Mega Ice, which began with a ceremonial puck drop with special guests Jonathan McKinley from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and John Laroche, Chairman of the Hong Kong Typhoons Hockey Club.

Led by a dominant performance by Anthony Devolz, the Sharks took control of the game in the first period and took advantage of a depleted Warriors line-up. Devolz's hat trick in the first period gave the Sharks a 3-1 first period lead and they never looked back. But it was the Warriors who opened the scoring on a powerplay just four minutes into the game. Greg Smyth powered his way into the slot and rifled a shot over the glove of Sharks goalie Cody Drumm. Then it was the 'Devolz show' as his natural hat trick in a span of just over four minutes, put the Sharks up 3-1. Devolz's third goal was a fluky one as his dump in from centre ice took a funny hop past a startled King Ho, who was in goal for the Warriors. Ho was only informed of his starting role just minutes before the game as Grant Phillips was pressed into player duties due to a few late scratches. The Warriors were already playing with a depleted line-up as Grant McLellan was away while Julian Ma and Art Tam were in Bangkok representing Team Hong Kong in the Challenge Cup of Asia. Warrior Mike Yoshino, a candidate for the Most Valuable Player, was also a big piece of the puzzle missing due to a sprained knee. But the Warriors' injuries aside, credit must be given to the Sharks who played a great game and received some solid goaltending from Drumm.

In the second period, Raphael Gaglio intercepted a Warriors' clearing pass and blasted a shot over Ho's glove into the top corner to put the Sharks up 4-1. Before the period ended, Devin Welsh cut the lead back to 4-2 to give the Warriors some hope heading into the final period of the season.

The Sharks went into 'shutdown' mode in the third period as they limited the Warriors chances. When the Warriors did have their chances, Drumm did his part and came up with a big save. It also didn't help that sniper Sam Wheeler got injured during the game and the Warriors relied heavily on Welsh and Smyth. Sharks captain Jamie Stark, who is another leading candidate for this season's Most Valuable Player, sealed the RBC Asia Cup for the Sharks with his goal at 8:54 for a 5-2 win! It was a sweet victory for the Sharks as they avenged last year's championship loss to the Warriors. A bus sponsored by AsiaXPAT brought the teams and their families to Lan Kwai Fong for a night of celebration on a successful 2012-2013 CIHL season!

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