Jamaica’s Ice Hockey team won the inaugural Challenger Series with a 12-8 victory(high-scoring match) over Lebanon in the final match played in Toronto, Canada. Launched this past spring, the Challenger Series featured men’s national teams from Jamaica, Lebanon, and Puerto Rico.
These teams, unable to participate in the IIHF World Championship due to insufficient rinks or leagues, competed in a round-robin tournament followed by playoffs in three North American cities.
The final match of the series, which drew a crowd of enthusiastic Jamaican supporters on July 13, saw an initial lead by Jamaica, but Lebanon quickly turned the tide with three unanswered goals in the first period. Jamaica made a strong comeback in the second period, establishing a 5-3 and then a 6-4 lead, though Lebanon managed to equalise at 6-6.
Jamaica then surged ahead, netting three more goals to end the second period 9-6. They maintained their dominance in the final period, sealing the victory at 12-8.
Don Anderson, president of the Jamaican Ice Hockey Olympic Association, praised the team’s tenacity and performance despite a reduced roster. “In New York, the team started with 14 players compared to the 18 the other teams had,” he noted.
See more photos from the final day below:
In the earlier rounds, Jamaica secured two wins from four matches, defeating Puerto Rico and Lebanon but suffering two losses against the same teams.
This victory is a milestone for the Jamaican National Team that is looking to make a mark in international ice hockey. They previously won gold in their international debut at the 2019 Amerigol Latam Cup, defeating Colombia in a nail-biting shootout, 3-2.
At this moment, it’s unclear when Jamaica’s Ice Hockey team will play their next Match.
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