Halted by the pandemic, Philippine women’s ice hockey team plunges back to action

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine women’s ice hockey team will be returning to action for the first time in years, taking part in the 2024 IIHF Women’s Asia and Oceania Championship Division 1 in Kyrgyzstan beginning next week.

Their first taste of IIHF action since the 2019 Challenge Cup of Asia, the Filipina skaters are looking to regain lost momentum and seek entry to the top division of the tournament.

“Our momentum in 2019 was cut off… The pandemic happened so you can just imagine [how] the momentum got cut off now we’re just gaining that back again,” Defenseman Rita Ceguerra told the media last Sunday. 

“But you know, it was definitely hard starting from scratch, starting from zero… That takes a lot of work. The three years where we were, after three years, was quite far from where we are right now but you know, we’re on our way there,” she added.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, things were going well for the national team. They were continuously training for three years before earning a promotion to the top division of the Asia and Oceania Championship.

But the global malady forced the national team to return to Division 1. 

The squad also missed out on the 2023 edition of the tournament because it couldn’t get together in time to train and compete.

Now with the chance to make a statement in their return, the Nationals will rely on a mix of veterans and young talent to get things going again.

“I’m excited also because this year, we’re gonna be playing with lots of new girls. Sobrang dami naming rookies, daming bago. Lots of new girls to guide. So I hope it’s gonna be a fun experience, fun tournament,” quipped winger Kathleen Tan.

Among the newcomers is center Illeana Jimenez. Now with a chance to prove herself in her first-ever IIHF tournament, she plans to introduce herself to the team in the best way possible.

“For me, since this is my IIHF games and I’ve been through a lot of tournaments and I’ve been meeting new people… My expectation is to be more intense and faster. But [also] more fun and keep scoring goals,” she said.

Ceguerra, Tan and Jimenez are part of the 20-woman roster set to fly to Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, March 20. They will take on host country Iran, the United Arab Emirates, India and Kuwait.