The first annual Taipei Cup International Hockey Tournament was held at the Taipei Arena from January 24-27. Organized by the Chinese Taipei Ice Hockey League, the event saw 8 teams from East Asia taking part. The event was also a fundraiser in memory of CIHL’s MVP Matt Stever, who was involved in a traffic accident on January 14th and passed away after a week in a coma.

18 games were played throughout the tournament, with the teams being split into 2 pools. Pool A consisted of Typhoon International (Taiwan), Shanghai Red Guard, Taiwan Typhoon and the R.O.C. Rhinos, while Hong Kong Black Kites, Taiwan Tigers, Taipei All Stars and the Chinese Taipei National U18 side made up pool B.

There was plenty of action over the weekend, and plenty of goals scored.

But in the end, it all came down to two teams – Typhoon International and Hong Kong Black Kites. A good sized crowd turned up on Sunday morning for a thrilling final game that went into overtime.

With four minutes to go in the final period, the Black Kites were up 1-0. Ryan Lang shoveled in a rebound for the home side, leveling the scores and bringing the crowd to its feet.

At the end of regulation time, it was 1-1 and we went into high pressure overtime, where the first team to score would be declared the winner.

Typhoon captain Steve Clark, after an end to end rush, lines up, shoots and scores.

And celebrates in fine style.

These photos and many more are available for purchase from the CIHL. All proceeds will go to help the Stever family. They can be ordered through the CIHL Flickr page.