Puerto Rico men's national ice hockey team
The Puerto Rico national ice hockey team (Spanish: Selección de hockey sobre hielo de Puerto Rico) is the national men's ice hockey team of Puerto Rico. The team is controlled by the Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association and has been an associate member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since September 29, 2022.[2] Puerto Rico is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and has not entered in any IIHF World Championship events, but played in the Amerigol LATAM Cup since 2019.
 | |
| Association | Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Paul Cohen |
| Captain | Scott Vargas |
| Top scorer | Scott Vargas (10) |
| Most points | Scott Vargas & Dennis Ruppe (15) |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | PUR |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | NR (27 May 2024)[1] |
| First international | |
Puerto Rico  5–3  Argentina(Coral Springs, United States; October 14, 2021) | |
| Biggest win | |
Puerto Rico 9–2  Brazil(Farmers Branch, United States; March 25, 2022) Puerto Rico 8–1 Brazil(Coral Springs, United States; September 15, 2022) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Jamaica  10–2 Puerto Rico(Coral Springs, United States; October 15, 2021) | |
| Amerigol LATAM Cup | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2021) |
| Best result |  1st (2022) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 12–8–0 | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Amerigol LATAM Cup | ||
 |
2022 Coral Springs | Division 1 |
 |
2021 Coral Springs | Division 1 |
History
editPuerto Rico made its international debut in 2019 at the Amerigol LATAM Cup, which took place in Coral Springs, Florida, United States. Puerto Rico entered the Division 2 tournament and played four unofficial games against clubs and "B" teams, but these games did not count towards Puerto Rico's official international record.[3] They defeated Argentina "B" (11–2), then Colombia "B" (5–2), and Brazil "B" (6–0). In the Amerigol LATAM Cup Division 2 final, they lost 6–2 to the Falkland Islands selection team, known as the "Rest of the World", and were awarded a silver medal after finishing in second place.[4]
In 2021, the national team played in the Amerigol LATAM Cup Division 1 tournament, losing 5–4 to the Mexico Selects team. Later that same day, they defeated Argentina, 5–3,[5] which was Puerto Rico's first official international game against another national team.[3] In the semi-finals, they defeated the Mexico Selects team, 6–2. They once again won a silver medal after losing 5–1 to Colombia in the final.[6]
On September 18, 2022, the national team finished first in Division 1 at the 2022 Amerigol LATAM Cup after defeating Argentina 4–3 in the final.[7] Eleven days later, Puerto Rico officially became a new member of the IIHF.[8]
Tournament record
editAmerigol LATAM Cup
edit| Year | Host | Result | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Coral Springs |
Participated unofficially in Division 2 | |||||
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 |  2nd place(Division 1) |
4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1st place (Division 1) |
6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2023 | did not participate | ||||||
| Total | 2/5 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
Coaching history
edit| Coach | GC | W | OTW | OTL | L | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ron Robichaud |
4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 2021 |  Unknown Coach |
4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2022 |  Paul Cohen |
6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
All-time record against other national teams
editLast match update: April 21, 2024[3]
| Positive balance (more Wins) | |
| Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
| Negative balance (more Losses) |
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 21 |
| Brazil |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
 Colombia |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 8 |
| Jamaica |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 34 |
 Lebanon |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
 Venezuela |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 80 | 72 |
References
edit- ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
- ^ "Puerto Rico". International Ice Hockey Federation. September 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Puerto Rico Men Official Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. September 18, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "Schedule and Scores (Division II, 2019)". Amerigol Hockey. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ "Schedule and Scores (Division I, 2021)". Amerigol Hockey. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Douglas, William (October 17, 2021). "Colombia wins men's title, Puerto Rico women's team prevails at LATAM Cup". NHL.
- ^ Douglas, William (September 19, 2022). "Color of Hockey: Puerto Rico wins men's Division I title at LATAM Cup". NHL.
- ^ Merk, Martin (September 29, 2022). "Welcome Puerto Rico!". International Ice Hockey Federation.
External links
edit- Puerto Rico at National Teams of Ice Hockey
- MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
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