Indonesia Makes Hockey Debut

Indonesia's first ever ice hockey game on January 19th, 2017 was a close battle, but the team still managed to drop a 2-1 decision to the Jarkata Dragons at the Bintaro Jaya Xchange Ice Skating Rink in Indonesia.

Not much is known about the game itself, but Jarkata is made up of a group of ex-pats and Indonesian nationals that live in the area and play recreational hockey together. Many of Indonesia's players came from the Batavia Demons, a team that won the City Cup international ice hockey tournament in Singapore earlier in 2016. 

According to the IIHF, whom Indonesia is not an official member of just yet, here are 100 senior and 45 junior players in the nation, with almost the entire representation being male. The country has two rinks at the moment, but has yet to build an official international-sized venue that meets IIHF standards. Founded in 2012 the Indonesia Ice Hockey Association is currently on a conditional member status with the IIHF, with hopes of improving that status while the country continues to develop.

Indonesia will be playing in their very first ice hockey tournament at the 2017 Asian Winter Games, set to take place from February 18-25th. They will be in Group B of Division II, facing off against fellow newbies Iran and Turkmenistan, as well as Macau and Malaysia.

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