It's unusual for a tropical country to beat a country that has a winter sports season, but the Jamaican hockey team showed extraordinary ability by winning the Challenger Series recently.
The Jamaican team won the championship, beating Lebanon 12-8 in the final at Toronto's College Ice Arena. Head coach Ted Cheesebrough said the win was important for the team and its development.
“Winning the Challenger Series title confirms our belief that Jamaican ice hockey can compete and win with anyone on the international stage,” he said.
The Challenger Series is a new tournament featuring Puerto Rico, Lebanon and Jamaica, all associate members of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IHF).
The Challenger Series began in Chicago in April, continued in New York in June, and culminated in Toronto on July 20th.
Cheesebrough said preparing for the tournament came with many challenges.
“During the winter season, our players play for clubs across Canada, the United States and Europe. When we came together to play the Challenger Series in Chicago, New York and Toronto, we used the little time we had to bring the team together and discuss the secrets to success. It helps that many of our players knew each other from childhood,” he said.
But that's not the only challenge.
“The biggest challenge we face is behind the scenes as we need the support of the community and financial backing to remain competitive. All of our players were born in Jamaica or have parents who were born in Jamaica so we are Jamaican through and through. The team we field will continue to be successful and we hope to receive funds and donations from individuals, businesses and organisations who want to lend their support and goodwill to a group of winners who will represent Jamaica proudly,” the coach said.
Despite the challenges, the team still has big goals.
“We look to continue to grow our profile and recognition and after nearly 10 matches in 2024, we hope to keep the momentum going into 2025, including defending our Challenger Series trophy,” Cheesebrough said.
“It's been great for us as a team and an organization. Everyone has been so dedicated, from the officials to the players,” said team captain Taos Jordan. “In the future, we hope to play in other countries and grow the program by getting more players to try out and get involved in the game.”
The Jamaicans have won six of the nine games in this series, competing in 22 matches since 2019. Their current record is 16-6 with over 100 points scored.
Jamaica Olympic Ice Hockey Federation (JOIHF) president Don Anderson said the federation remains focused on establishing an ice rink in Jamaica and building a strong local program that will facilitate teams playing in Olympic qualifying tournaments.
He added that experts believe the team could be ranked highly globally if it had the opportunity to compete in countries with ice rinks.
