10 Apr 2017

U18 Ice Hockey World Championship

Joining the Hong Kong National Team in such a prestigious competition was both a fun and challenging experience – not only did it give me a chance to represent my country playing the sport I love, it also was a true eye-opener to the standard and quality of ice hockey at a national level.

 

Watching other countries’ teams practice and having the opportunity to play against them showed me a depth and level of detail to the game that I was previously oblivious to – suddenly, there were multiple strategies and formations that I had never practiced before, and key elements of the game that I thought I had grasped in detail were emphasized and inflated to the point which I finally understood how much more I have to learn and improve on to take my play to the next level.

 

Suddenly, choices and the ability to make decisions on a moment’s notice was of unparalleled importance, and every choice had to be the right choice – lest the entire team fall because of one poor decision. This, and the element of strategy and formation, not to mention the innate speed and nature of the game itself, caused pressure within games and practices to be heightened to a level which I had never before experienced in all my years of playing ice hockey.
Being able to represent my country in this tournament was an amazing opportunity, and one I shall never forget. Throughout the course of the tournament, I have learned so much about the game as well as shared so many good memories with teammates and coaches alike. This tournament gave me a chance to be a part of an amazing team, and learn under some of the best coaches I have ever had the pleasure of being able to play under. I am immensely grateful to Hong Kong Ice Hockey and KGV for giving me a chance to participate in this tournament, and hope that I will be able to make the Hong Kong team next year and again represent Hong Kong proudly playing the sport I love at an international level.

Written by: Zachary Ho, 10N14M