Aces Lead Charge as CIHL Enters Second Half of 2013-2014 Season
What a difference a few months can make. In its first two seasons, the Galaxy Macau Aces finished at the bottom of the CIHL, but as Hong Kong's first full contact ice hockey league gets set to open the second half of the 2013-2014 season this Saturday, the Aces are at the top of the table having won their last six games.
- (1888PressRelease) January 03, 2014 - With Galaxy Entertainment Group on board this season as team sponsor, the Macau side leads the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons by three points. In third place and just a point out of second place are the defending CIHL champions, the RBC South China Sharks. In fourth place are the AsiaXPAT Kowloon Warriors, who are a further six points adrift.
It's been a thrilling season so far for the Aces, who are being led by Christian Long, who is part of this season's CIHL Intern Program. Fellow intern Jordan So, who plays with the Sharks, currently leads all players in the league with 27 points, seven more than Long, who is tied with Tycoon Adam Maglio, in second place.
With six weeks remaining in the regular season, the Aces will be the ones to beat ahead of the CIHL playoffs, which begin on March 1. This weekend's games at Mega Ice in Kowloon Bay will see the Aces take on the Tycoons, in what is sure to be a hard-fought affair. In the second game of the evening, the Sharks take on the Warriors, who are on the hunt for their third win of the season.
While it may seem like a reversal of fortunes for the Aces and Warriors, the 2011-2012 CIHL champions, the league continues to raise the bar on the sport in the SAR and the region and the parity in play shows just how far the league has come in a short time.
"This has been the CIHL's best season yet and with the second half of the season still to play, we're looking forward to seeing who will win this season's RBC Asia Cup," CIHL director and co-founder Greg Smyth said. "Our goal is to continually raise the level of the league and this season we've had the opportunity to add some strong talents to the league which has made the CIHL even more competitive and entertaining."
The CIHL has several programs in place to help develop the sport across all levels. Its partnership with the U18 league in Hong Kong has seen some of the city's brightest talents join the league to gain valuable experience ahead of international tournaments, while the CIHL's internship program is now in its second year. Providing an opportunity for talented hockey players to gain work experience in Hong Kong while continuing their hockey careers by playing in the CIHL and coaching youth hockey, the intern program has proven to be one of the league's most popular programs and preparations are already underway for next year's intake.
For now, the CIHL is firmly focused on the remaining games in the 2013-2014 season. With plenty of hockey to play, the games are not to be missed. Get in on the action with fan and family packs or individual game night tickets. For further information about the CIHL or to purchase tickets, please contact Devin at info ( @ ) cihl dot com dot
About the CIHL
The CIHL is Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China's first elite contact ice hockey league. Founded in 2010, the CIHL provides high-level, entertaining hockey, while working to develop future generations of Chinese hockey players.
The Royal Bank of Canada is the official league sponsor for the 2013-2014 CIHL season. This year, the league will feature four teams: the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons, AsiaXPAT Kowloon Warriors, Galaxy Macau Aces and South China Sharks.
Saturday nights from October 5, 2013 through March 22, 2014, the teams will face off at Mega Ice for two back-to-back games. Family entertainment, community events and on-ice kids' competitions are aimed at making Saturdays a true "Hockey Night in Hong Kong". The official website of the CIHL is www.cihl.com and a free iPhone app is available through the iTunes store.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and are among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, and investor services and wholesale banking on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 44 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.
RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2012, we contributed more than $95 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $64 million and $31 million in sponsorships.
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