Hong Kong pucksters sticking to their dreams

With a temperature difference of 50 Celsius from South to Northeast China, the young ice hockey players of Hong Kong, China acclimatized themselves admirably at the 14th National Winter Games.

After a 3-0 loss to Shaanxi on Saturday, Hong Kong missed out on a spot in the junior men's semifinals, but they still left Inner Mongolia autonomous region with their heads held high.

"We tried our best on the rink thousands of kilometers away from Hong Kong and felt satisfied with our overall performance," said 15-year-old Tim Cheng.

Although Cheng had been nursing a shoulder injury, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to participate in the Games.

"Now I have recovered from the injury and gained valuable experience in a high-level competition," he said.

In a group match against Jilin on Tuesday, Cheng scored twice in five minutes to lead Hong Kong to a morale-boosting 9-3 victory.

Cheng's mother, Michelle Chan, also made the trip to support her son and his team.

"Tim started to play ice hockey at the age of 6. He loves playing football as well, which helps him to improve his passing and sense of space on the rink. He is making progress step by step," she said.

The National Winter Games have whetted Cheng's appetite to compete in more high-level events.

"At the moment, I need to balance my studies and sports, which are equally important for me, but I believe ice hockey will be my lifelong hobby and I hope to experience international events in the future," he said.

Cheng's teammate David Lam was delighted to get the chance to test his skills on the world-class rink in Hulunbuir.

"This is my first time visiting Hulunbuir. The rink here is slightly harder than that of Hong Kong, which makes it feel faster," Lam said. "I have played together with many of the Hong Kong players since childhood."

Despite Hong Kong's warm climate, ice hockey is a popular sport among the city's youth. Team leader Mike Kan said the club has formed teams across various age groups, from Under-7s to Under-17s, with training sessions held every week.

Hong Kong coach Leo Kan said: "The junior group of the National Winter Games provided a platform for young players to compete with their peers nationwide and learn from each other."

As the players come from different schools, Hong Kong only had two training sessions in advance of Games, but the players managed to significantly improve the transition between offense and defense.

"I'm really proud of them," said Leo Kan, who played for Hong Kong in the last two editions of the Games before becoming a coach. "The organization, facilities and medical services are even better this time."

"The most important achievement for the young players was to show what they can do at the national event, rather than the result itself," he added. "I hope more ice hockey talents in Hong Kong can be inspired to chase their own dreams."

Xinhua