The Asia League Hockey season is nearing the end and there is a fight on for the last play-off spot between two Korean teams, Anyang Halla (Go Blue!) and High 1 from Goyang.
Both teams have 61 league points, but Anyang have played one more game. The good news is that Anyang’s last three games are all at home. The bad news is that two of those games are against Oji Eagles from Japan. The Eagles have been running away with the league this year and it is not inconceivable that Anyang could lose one or even both of those games.
The Eagles are on the road in Korea now, so High 1 will also host them twice. I dare say High 1’s expectations of those games will be similar to those of Anyang. The season for these two teams might well be decided by how they deal with the Eagles.
High 1’s last home game will be against the Korean military, Sangmu. Sangmu has done really well this season and are sitting in a comfortable second place. They are also good enough to beat High 1 on High 1’s own ice. That means that there is a possibility, all be it small, that High 1 could lose all three of their home games.
Anyang’s last home game, and High 1’s second last game, will see the two teams facing each other. The play-off fate of both teams could came down to that 60 minutes on the ice. Exiting!
If all goes to plan then I will be at Anyang’s last game, wearing my blue and sipping my coffee is silent, anxious support. I might even be required to go do spectator duty the next day all the way over on the other side of Seoul, cheering for Sangmu and waving a blue flag.
Standings before today’s match:
Oji Eagles - 36 played, 30 won, 98 points
Sangmu - 41 played, 22 won, 78 points
Nipon Paper Cranes - 38 played, 19 won, 66 points
Anyang Halla - 39 played, 17 won, 61 points
High 1 - 38 played, 17 won, 61 points
Tohoku Free Blades - 40 played, 17 won, 59 points
Nikko Icebucks - 38 played, 14 won, 45 points
China Dragons - 42 played, 0 won, 0 points
The Dragons went a third year with not a single point.
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