Philippine men’s ice hockey team. Photo from PSC
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines’ hockey team has been promoted to Division III B of the International Ice Hockey Federation after a stellar campaign in the 2023 IIHF World Championship Division IV in Mongolia.
The Philippines, a first-time entrant in the tournament, swept the competition after four games to emerge victorious.
In their final bout of the tourney, PH demolished Kuwait, 14-0, at Steppe Arena on Sunday.
They opened their dominant run the same way it ended—with a 14-0 sweep of Indonesia.
The Philippines had a high margin of +29 goal differential after scoring 35 goals overall while only giving up five in the four-nation tournament.
Manvil Billones led the pack’s success with five cumulative goals and seven combined assists for the week-long event.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos acknowledged the team’s success on Twitter.
“Our warmest congratulations go out to the Philippine Men’s Ice Hockey Team and Hockey Philippines for their outstanding performance in the International Ice Hockey Federation Divisional World Championship,” Marcos said in a tweet.