Algerian hockey competes and wins in Paris

ALGIERS, ALGERIA – Ice hockey is no longer the providence of the Great White North or the North American continent for that matter.   In May, Pro Hockey News reported on a tournament in Dubai attended by the New Mexico Scorpions head coach Randy Murphy.   Ex-pats and locals in many non-traditional countries have begun to play the game and extend the reach of the sport enjoyed in Europe, United Kingdom and North America.   Algeria is one of those non-traditional markets enjoying a growth in interest in the sport.
 
In 2008, we had a week long training camp in London, England, to warm-up for the Arab Cup.   The Algerian side played four local teams and won all four games. This year’s training camp was in Paris and proved to be a bit more difficult as two games were scheduled against physical French Division 1 team Viry Chatillon.
 
Thanks to our sponsors, and the organization of Algerian captain and Viry player Harond Litim, we were able to get two sessions of on-ice training per day.
 
Also joining our staff was Guy Janodet, a physiologist with the French national ice hockey and skating teams, and various Algerian football teams which train in France in the summer. We had access to his facility which had gym, Jacuzzi, sauna and swimming pool for off-ice training and relaxation.
 
With the good foundation of last years players plus the addition of some new players, the team bonded quickly. We still had the same problem as last year though, goaltending. In last year’s Arab Cup it was our biggest weakness, our starting goalie was 52-years old.
 

This year we had a new set of goalies, but stronger goalie, a 27-year old playing in France, pulled out last minute, leaving us with 16 year old Khalid Abdulwahid who plays junior in UK.
 
Our first game against Viry was two days into our week-long camp, and it showed as we lost 11-4, lacking chemistry.
 
The next two days we spent working on line combinations, with drills concentrating on those particular chosen lines.
 
In our second game, we played much better, but were still down 5-4 in the 3rd period. With around 2 minutes left Harond Litim was awarded a penalty shot, scoring to tie the game. The goal spurred the Algerian team on, and with under a minute left Swedish division 1 player Felix Chougui put the game winner away from a mad scramble in front of the net.
 
This game would go down as Team Algeria’s first ever victory, and it felt great to be part of it.
 
Unfortunately, this year there will be no Arab Cup, Kuwait who were supposed to host this year’s competition have decided to concentrate on their newly formed Kuwaiti National League. The United Arab Emirates has also shown no interest in hosting the tournament for a second year as they already held a major tournament this year, the Asia Cup in March.
 
We are currently discussing other options as a replacement, with the possibility of exhibition games against newly formed Middle Eastern teams such as Bahrain, and maybe even an African Nations Cup held in South Africa.
 
These are exciting years for the Algerian hockey side and we are equally excited to bring this to Pro Hockey News.
 
Contact karim.kerbouche@prohockeynews.com
 
Editor’s Note:   Mr Kerbouche recently joined the staff of Pro Hockey News and will cover the Algerian national hockey team and provide coverage on ice hockey in the Arab World.