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.

Puerto Rico
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationPuerto Rico Ice Hockey Association
Head coachPaul Cohen
CaptainScott Vargas
Top scorerScott Vargas (10)
Most pointsScott Vargas &
Dennis Ruppe (15)
Team colors       
IIHF codePUR
Ranking
Current IIHFNR (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
Appearances2 (first in 2021)
Best result 1st (2022)
International record (W–L–T)
12–8–0
Medal record
Amerigol LATAM Cup
Gold medal – first place 2022 Coral Springs Division 1
Silver medal – second place 2021 Coral Springs Division 1

History

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Puerto 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

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Amerigol LATAM Cup

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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

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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

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Last match update: April 21, 2024[3]

Key
     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

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  1. ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. May 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "Puerto Rico". International Ice Hockey Federation. September 29, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Puerto Rico Men Official Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. September 18, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  4. ^ "Schedule and Scores (Division II, 2019)". Amerigol Hockey. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  5. ^ "Schedule and Scores (Division I, 2021)". Amerigol Hockey. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Douglas, William (October 17, 2021). "Colombia wins men's title, Puerto Rico women's team prevails at LATAM Cup". NHL.
  7. ^ Douglas, William (September 19, 2022). "Color of Hockey: Puerto Rico wins men's Division I title at LATAM Cup". NHL.
  8. ^ Merk, Martin (September 29, 2022). "Welcome Puerto Rico!". International Ice Hockey Federation.
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