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Hat trick for UAE Ice hockey team

The UAE Ice Hockey team continued their dominance in the Gulf region by making it a hat-trick of titles.

The UAE team swamped hosts Kuwait to clinch the Third GCC Ice Hockey Championship. They had won the title in 2010 and 2012. The UAE also extended their overall record to 10 wins from 10 games against Kuwait.

Qatar finished third followed by Oman. Kuwait finished runners-up third time in a row. Oman were making their debut in the competition.

The UAE won 5-0 in the final. In the play-off for the third place, Qatar defeated Oman 7-2. The UAE have now won all three editions of the GCC Ice Hockey Championship.The Emiratis were unbeaten in the four-Nation competition, winning all four games en route to the title.

“Kuwait gave us stiff competition. But our experience helped us win the title for a third time. It feels good to win but more importantly, we want the game to grow in the region. We want the sport to develop in the region,” UAE’s Omar Al Shamsi said.

The UAE began the tournament by defeating Qatar 7-1. They then beat Oman 8-3 and followed that up by blanking hosts Kuwait 2-0. After ensuring their passage to the final, UAE defeated Qatar 6-3. The Championship was organised by Kuwait Winter Sports Club. Doha will host the next edition of the competition in 2016.