The Indian men’s Ice Hockey team on Tuesday finished runners-up in the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Challenge Cup of Asia in Kuwait City, Kuwait. They competed in the Division I category.
IIHF conducts the tournament for Asian countries that are not in the World Championship programme, or play only in the lowest division, to give them a chance to compete.
India, who finished last in Division I in the previous edition of the Challenge Cup, won two games and lost one this time to come in second. They beat Oman in their first match 3-2, followed by an 8-5 loss to the hosts and eventual winners, Kuwait, who were promoted to the top division.
In their last match, India trounced Macau by a margin of 7-3 to end their campaign on a high. They were also the only team to score a goal against Kuwait. The team, led by 39-year-old Abdul Hakim, finished with a total of 15 goals, with 30-year-old forward Rigzin Norboo emerging the top scorer for India with five goals.
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