ABU DHABI // The Abu Dhabi Storms may have lost in the final of the recently concluded President’s Cup tournament, but captain Juma Al Dhaheri says the Emiratis on the team learnt a lot playing against high-class opposition.
The Storms went down 4-1 to the Belarus President’s team on Friday night in the culmination of a six-team competition that was used by Abu Dhabi Ice Hockey Club (ADIHC) to help the country’s national players gain experience.
The Storms fielded four foreign players and goalkeeper Ahmed Al Dhaheri during the tournament, with one Emirati outfield player rotating in during games.
“This is the first time the local fans witnessed such a high class game at a local venue,” said Juma, captain of both the UAE national team and Storms.
“A majority of the Belarussian players had the experience of playing in the NHL or KHL (the Russian League). The better team won on the night but there was a lot to learn for us from the experience.”
Ahmed, who was named the Best Goalkeeper in the tournament, made a remarkable 27 saves against the 18 from his Belarussian counterpart Aliaksandr Baradulia in the final.
“It was a new level for me to play, and I guess the experience will help me in both the domestic league and the upcoming and Challenge Cup of Asia in March,” he said.
“The idea of playing a local goalkeeper for the whole tournament was decided by the technical committee to provide the experience of keeping against stronger opponents.
“It was great experience for me.”
The other teams taking part this week were Czech Sparta from the Czech Republic, who finished third, Torpedo from Germany, and the Emirates Hockey League teams White Bears and Areos.
The Belarus federation have also extended their cooperation to develop the sport in the UAE.
“We started from scratch and in two years we have made significant progress with our exchange programmes,” said Roman Golovchenko, the Belarus ambassador to the UAE who is also a keen ice hockey enthusiast.
The Storms were invited to participate in the Christmas Cup, one of the biggest tournaments in Belarus, in January last year.
They have extended the invite for the next staging of the tournament in two months. According to the ambassador, 20 Emirati youth players travelled to Belarus for a masterclass training camp conducted by their professional players.
“The plan is to continue with this programme by inviting another batch of Emirati youngsters next summer,” he said.
apassela@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @NatSportUAE
