UAE beat Kuwait 3-1 to win GCC Cup on home ice

Abu Dhabi The UAE confirmed their position as one of Asia’s best ice hockey teams when they won the second GCC Ice Hockey Cup by beating Kuwait 3-1 in a hot-tempered final here late on Friday night.

Once again it was star player Juma Al Daheri who was the hero for the hosts, scoring twice to ensure they defended the title they won two years ago in Kuwait.

“It was a sweet victory because it was achieved against a good team.” Al Daheri told Gulf News after the match. “We are the Asian Champions so winning the GCC title might be expected, but anything could have happened in the match because Kuwait have improved greatly in the past two months. I am happy to say that they will have a glorious future in the region and the continent.”

The UAE needed a shootout after over-time to beat Kuwait in the seeding round and Friday’s final was equally hard-fought.

The hosts pressed for a goal early on, but Kuwait’s goalie Jasem Al Sarraf showed great capabilities to save many dangerous attempts.

Ali Al Mazroui finally put the hosts ahead two minutes before the end of the first period with the help of a perfect assist from Al Daheri, bringing loud cheers from the enthusiastic fans who came to support the UAE.

Al Daheri scored the second goal eight minutes into a second period that saw both Al Sarraf and his opposite number Khalid Al Suwaidi kept very busy.

Mohammad Al Doaij reduced the deficit for Kuwait three minutes before the end of the second period, but the hosts refused to sit back and try to defend their narrow lead in the final period.

Seven players — three for the UAE and four for Kuwait — were penalised in the closing stages for tripping, charging, slashing or interfering. But Al Daheri had the last word when he put the result beyond doubt by scoring his team’s third two minutes before the final whistle.

Meanwhile, Oman achieved their first ice hockey success by winning the bronze medal with a 5-1 win over Bahrain.

Anad Al Beloushi and Ebrahim Al Habsi scored a brace each and Ebrahim Al Gabshi added the other for Oman, while Eisa Al Beloushi scored the consolation for Bahrain.

“We are happy and excited. It was only our second participation in a tournament outside Oman and we will return with a medal.” Jehad Al Shaikh, the head of Oman’s delegation, said. “This will surely help us in our quest to establish an official body for the sport in our country upon our return.”