CIHL Drops the Puck on 2012-2013 Season

Elite ice hockey league CIHL dropped the puck on the 2012-2013 season last Saturday, October 6 in front of a packed crowd at Mega Ice as Hong Kong's first full contact league celebrated the start of their second season. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) October 10, 2012 - J. Ian Burchett, Consul General of Canada Hong Kong and Macao, dropped the ceremonial first puck on the season that will see four teams - the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons, the AsiaXPAT Kowloon Warriors, the Macau Aces and the South China Sharks - battle it out over the next five months for the 2012-2013 CIHL championship title.

The first game of the evening's double-header saw the Aces take a 5-3 win over the Tycoons. The fast-paced, high-scoring game saw the Aces lead throughout as the Macau side looks to improve upon their third-place finish last year. The second game of the evening was a rematch of last year's CIHL Final, except this time, it was the Sharks who pulled off the victory with a 5-4 overtime win. Avenging their defeat in last year's CIHL Final, the Sharks set the tone for looks to be an intense season of ice hockey.

Many of the CIHL's partners were out in full force to support the league and Asia's coolest game. Official league sponsor Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) was on hand to celebrate opening night, as was founding partner Quam, who took part in the opening ceremonial activities before cheering on the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons.

Commented Quam Chairman Bernard Pouliot: "Quam is delighted to return for the 2012-2013 CIHL season as the partner for the Quam Hong Kong Tycoons. We look forward to an exciting season of hockey and to cheering on our team to CIHL championship victory!"

Opening night was also an opportunity for the CIHL to kick off several of its development programs, including the RBC CIHL Intern Program, the RBC Adopt a School program and the league's extended partnership with youth hockey club the Hong Kong Typhoons.

This season's two league interns, Devin Welsh and Adam Maglio, made their CIHL debut last Saturday. Tycoon Maglio, who had a goal and two assists in his first league game, was named the second star of the Tycoons-Aces match-up, while Warrior Welsh notched up two assists in his team's loss.

Students from various Hong Kong schools, including Canadian International School, were given tickets courtesy of RBC to attend the opening night. The RBC Adopt a School program will continue throughout the season, with interested schools asked to contact ricky ( @ ) cihl dot com for further details dot Youth ice hockey club the Hong Kong Typhoons also took part in the evening's activities, with several of the SAR's next generation of hockey players attending the games dot

Commented CIHL director Greg Smyth: "A big thank you to everyone who helped make opening night a success. The CIHL is delighted to have so many enthusiastic partners and supporters on board for the 2012-2013 season and we look forward to what we expect to be an exciting, fast-paced season of hockey."

Tickets for the 2012-2013 CIHL season are available through www.cihl.com/tickets or by contacting richard ( @ ) cihl dot com dot A pair of season tickets is priced at HK$3,888 while the family pack of four is HK$5,888 dot Individual game night tickets are HK$150 dot

The CIHL has created an online and mobile community through its comprehensive league and team websites, as well as its free iPhone app, available at the iTunes store, which allows fans to access on-demand video clips, game highlights, photographs, statistics, schedules and player information.

All games are played at Mega Ice, with a game format of three, 12-minute periods of five-on-five hockey.

About the CIHL

The CIHL was founded in 2010 to provide new opportunities for high-level, contact hockey in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China, as well as to champion sportsmanship and develop future generations of Chinese hockey. This year, the league will feature four teams: the Hong Kong Tycoons, Kowloon Warriors, Macau Aces and South China Sharks

On Saturday nights from October, 6 2012 through March 16, 2013, 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 Royal Bank of Canada

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, corporate and investment banking and investor services 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 51 other countries. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com.

For more information, please contact:
Gregory Smyth, CIHL, greg ( @ ) cihl dot com

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