ANYANG, Gyeonnggi, South Korea – In the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on the eve of the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH) finals, the cancellation of the championship series has had little, if any impact on Anyang Halla players and coaches.
Originally scheduled to begin last weekend in Koriyama, Japan, the series was officially cancelled on March 17th. The Asia League committee is expected to announce that both Anyang Halla and Japan’s Tohoku Free Blades will be crowned co-champions.
The Asia League, made up of seven teams from Japan, South Korea and China, was dominated by its Japanese teams for the first six seasons.
Halla changed that when they became the first Korean team to reach the finals. Halla faced the three-time ALIH champion Nippon Paper Cranes (who had knocked them out of the playoffs twice) in a series that went the full five games. Four of the games were decided in overtime, including the final contest in which team captain Woo-Jae Kim scored the game-winning goal, making Halla the first non-Japanese team to win the Asia League Championship.
Known by their fans as the Mighty Bears, Halla players and coaches were intent on winning another league title, but respect the league’s decision not to go forward with the finals series, given the enormity of the disaster in Japan.
“We’ve been working hard to reach the finals and were so close to winning the title again,” Halla Head Coach Eui-Sik Shim told the Korea Herald. “But we understand the decision and want to be of help to the victims. In the past years, we learned a lot from the Japanese teams, so it’s time to give something back to them.”
Giving back includes a special charity game at the Anyang Sports Complex Arena on March 22nd. Admission to the event is free and donations will be accepted at all entrances. The club plans to hold auctions of team and player items along with a charity bazaar for used equipment in the arena’s lobby. All proceeds and donations will be forwarded to the Asia League committee and the Japanese Red Cross, respectively.
“The purpose of this charity game is to console Japan.” Halla General Manager Seung-Jun Yang said. “Thousands of people are dead from the earthquake and Tsunami. At this time, we no longer can continue hockey. It’s sad time for everyone.”
What’s being called the Blue and While Charity game will be followed by skills competition. A moment of silence to honor the thousands of victims of the tragedy will be observed prior to the start of the game.
Head Coach Shim, assistant coaches Yung-Ho Bae and Patrick Martinec, as well as goalie coach Sung-Bae Kim will dress for the game. All are former Halla players. It has also been reported that members of High1, (ALIH’s other South Korean team) will also participate in both the Blue & White game and the skills competition.
Halla players, coaches and supporting staffers were very fortunate during their brief trip to Japan on March 11th. The Asiana Airlines flight carrying the group touched down at the Sendai Airport just hours before its tarmac was submerged by the tsunami that followed the 9.0 megathrust earthquake.
After boarding their bus, the team began their 80-mile bus trip south to Koriyama, where the first three games of the finals series were to be played. They decided to stop for a meal along the way and were enjoying their food when the quake struck at 2:46 pm.
“We felt a huge shake while we were having lunch,” Halla Interpreter/Scout Samuel Kim said. “It’s something our players and staff have never experienced before…It was pretty scary.”
Forward Brock Radunske recalled how the massive trembler caught him and his teammates off guard.
“I had no idea what to expect when the earthquake was happening and had never imagined being involved in a natural disaster of this magnitude,” Radunske said. “We really just had to take it one step a time and stick together as a team and observe what was unfolding in front of our eyes.”
Radunske said that the initial quake and news of the tsunami, which ravaged the airport they had landed at earlier in the day was just the beginning of their ordeal.
“The amount and strength of every aftershock was very alarming and made that nights’ sleep impossible,” he added. Our team re-grouped in the morning and through careful coordination from our staff and management, we were fortunate enough to find a flight out and make it back to Korea safely.”
The team departed from Fukushima airport, about 12 miles Southeast of Koriyama, just hours before the explosion at the nearby Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
Their opponents, the Tohoku Free Blades, were not so fortunate and were stranded in the area until Monday, before beginning their long bus ride north to Hachinohe, the team’s home city. Some of the Free Blades players’ relatives are reportedly still missing following the disaster.
Halla defenseman Dustin Wood is looking forward to Tuesday’s charity event, noting that the team feels strongly about doing whatever they can to assist in the disaster relief effort.
“It’s very unfortunate what has happened to Japan,” Wood said. “This will be for a good cause, to help people in need over there. It hits home when something like this happens so close.”
Wood went on to say that the importance of the finals series has lost its significance in light of the tragedy.
“Hockey takes a backseat to something of this magnitude. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan.”
Contact the writer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com
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