South Africans “thrash” Germans at ice hockey in Goodwood
The first of two games between the Western Province Senior Men’s Ice Hockey team and the visiting Germany SCALA Wanderers got off to a great start for the hosts.
Province thrashed the Wanderers 12-6 by the end of the third period to win the first game.
20-year-old Province player Luke Carelse says, “We were playing a German team made up of players who have been playing the game for a long time and have all the experience. We were nervous at first, until we started playing our game. It was a tough game.”
SCALA Wanderers was founded in 1992, and it’s a team of former professional players, with the likes of Micheal Betz a Canada Cup member of 1984 and Thomas Groger of German DEL Cologne.
The Grand West Ice Station is the only space that is available for any ice rink sports in Cape Town, which is a problem for the growth of ice hockey.
Province player, Lucian Lorenzo, 35, adds, “And we compete with ice skating for the rink.”
Lorenzo says, for the sport to grow, “we need our own ice rink.”
Most people know the sport from the Mighty Ducks movie series.
25-year-old Ludumo Toni, a Province player, says, “I fell in love with the sport after watching the Mighty Ducks. I was 13 back then. But people were shocked that I would choose to play ice hockey when there was soccer or rugby which are the bigger sports.”
“But since I’ve been playing for a long time now, the reaction is not the same anymore. And I’m grateful for the support I get from my family and friends.”
People might see ice hockey as a dangerous sport because it is fast paced and entails a lot of contact. But Ann Grey, 55, mother to one of the players, says, “Injuries are part of the game. I don’t find it dangerous at all because you can get injured crossing the street or on your way to a jol. So I don’t have a problem with my son playing the game.”
She says, “This game keeps him off the streets, keeps him fit, and he gets tested for drugs regularly, which is good. Plus, as a team, they’re like family.”
The next match is on Thursday 13 March at Grand West Ice Station. Tickets cost R40 and are available at the door. Doors open at 6:30pm. The main event kicks off at 7pm.
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