Pinoys gun for gold in ice hockey

MANILA, Philippines - The forecast is it will be either gold or silver for the Philippine ice hockey team at the SEA Games in Malaysia on Aug. 19-30 with goaltender Gianpietro Iseppi pointing out that the third place finish in Division II at the recent Asian Winter Games is an indication of a likely podium finish.

Ice hockey will make its debut at the SEA Games with five countries participating in the men’s division. Figure skating and short track speed skating are the other winter sports to be introduced in Malaysia. Venue for the ice events is the Empire City rink in Selangor. The Philippines opens its ice hockey campaign against Indonesia on Aug. 21 then plays Singapore on Aug. 22, Malaysia on Aug. 23 and Thailand on Aug. 24.

“We’re very confident,” said Iseppi, a Filipino-Swiss Italian who is vice president of hotel operations at Solaire Resort and Casino. “We’ve been practicing as a team since March and our (Czech) coach Dan (Brodan) is a no-nonsense guy who’s very focused. To prepare for Malaysia, we played in two local competitions and one in Hong Kong. Most of us have been together with the national team over the last two years so we’re high on chemistry. We got a huge confidence boost with our performance at the Asian Winter Games and we’ll take that positive experience to Malaysia.”

At the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, the Philippines lost its first game to Kyrgyzstan, 10-5, then won three in a row over Qatar, 14-2, Kuwait, 8-3 and Macau, 9-2 to claim third spot in Division II, 13th overall among 18 teams. SEA Games rivals Thailand and Singapore played in Division I with the Thais registering a 4-1 record for fifth overall and the Singaporeans posting a 0-5 mark for 10th overall. Two other SEA Games opponents Malaysia and Indonesia were in a different bracket in Division II. Malaysia wound up 15th and Indonesia, 18th.

Although the Philippines took third in Division II, it didn’t count in the medal standings as only the four teams in the elite division were in contention for a podium landing. At the SEA Games, it will be another story.

Of the 20 players listed in the SEA Games roster, 14 saw action in Sapporo, led by captain Steve Fuglister and alternate captain Carl Montano. “Steve leads by example,” said Iseppi. “He’s our energy guy, our high scorer with the most assists and goals. Carl’s been playing in the Manila league for at least six years so he’s the guy whom our rookies look up to because he helped to develop their game. Our other goaltender is my nephew Paolo Spafford. I reached out to Pao when I got the job in Solaire and he hooked me up with the hockey guys here.”

The squad, which is supported by the SM Group, has an average age of 24.8 years with Jan Regencia the youngest at 16. There are four other teeners – Joshua Carino, Miguel Serrano and Jorell Crisostomo, all 17 and Benjamin Imperial, 18. Seven are at least 30. 

Iseppi said as the team’s senior statesman, he’s grateful for the chance to represent the country. “It’s an honor and a blessing to play for the Philippines,” he said. “I hope to play as long as my body can take it. Under international federation rules, a national team may enlist a foreigner if he has a passport of the country he’s representing and he’s lived in that country for at least three consecutive years. With our team, every player has Filipino blood. In my case, my mother is Filipina and I was born in Singapore but grew up in Paranaque. I went to a hotel school in Switzerland and worked at The Venetian in Las Vegas before moving to The Venetian in Macau, The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and finally, to Manila.”

Iseppi said his goal is to go all out for the gold. “We’re Filipinos,” he said. “We’re going to Malaysia to win, play our best, enjoy the experience and show the world that we Filipinos can play this game, too. I’d be disappointed if we didn’t get either the silver or gold. I think Thailand will be our toughest competitor for the championship.” After the SEA Games, Iseppi will get ready for his Sept. 23 wedding with his American fiancée Katiana in Lake Como, Italy. 

Iseppi said he fell in love with ice hockey at 12. “I started playing competitively in high school at 16,” he said. “At 18, I was playing club-level tournaments in Switzerland. My idols are Martin Brodeur (who won two Winter Olympic gold medals with Canada and played in 23 National Hockey League seasons) and Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Belfour (a 17-year NHL veteran). I try to be aggressive in protecting the goal like Belfour and emulate his style.”