승점 7차 뒤집기 걸린 3경기…‘창과 창’ 맞대결 김상욱, 아시아리그 최다 포인트 새 역사 도전
HL Anyang will play three home games in the 2025-2026 Asian League regular season against the Red Eagles (Japan) at Anyang Ice Rink on the 8th, 10th, and 11th. Provided by HL Anyang
The Asia League ice hockey regular season championship race reaches a critical watershed.
HL Anyang invites the Red Eagles Hokkaido (Japan), the league leader and boasts the strongest offense, to their home for a head-to-head match.
HL Anyang will play three home games in the 2025-2026 Asian League regular season against the Red Eagles at Anyang Ice Rink on the 8th, 10th, and 11th. This series is more than just a head-to-head match, it is a decisive battle that can shake up the lead.
Currently, HL Anyang is in second place with 55 points from 25 games. The gap with the leading Red Eagles (62 points, 24 games) is 7 points.
If HL Anyang wins all three home games, they can jump to the lead right away. On the other hand, if the results are not good, the difference in points can widen to double digits, so there is a lot of pressure.
The atmosphere is not bad. HL Anyang was on the rise by sweeping the previous three away games against Yokohama Gritz. Even if you get at least two wins, you can gain an advantage in chasing the lead.
The biggest point to watch in this matchup is the ‘spear vs. spear’ matchup featuring the league’s best attack power.
The Red Eagles are recording the most goals in the league with 111 team goals, and HL Anyang is following closely behind with 97 goals.
At the center of HL Anyang’s attack is Kim Sang-wook, the leader in attack points in the regular league. Kim Sang-wook has established himself as the most powerful striker in the league, accumulating 37 points with 15 goals and 22 assists this season.
Jin-Hwi Ahn (14 goals, 20 assists), who ranks second in points, joins in and takes aim at the Red Eagles goal.
In particular, Kim Sang-wook is facing a meaningful moment in his personal record. With a total of 571 points (153 goals, 418 assists), he is only two points away from the record for most points in Asian League history (572).
The Red Eagles are also formidable. Leading scorer Sota Isogai (16 goals, 12 assists) and top assister Teruto Nakajima (10 goals, 24 assists) lead the attack.
Meanwhile, the two teams faced each other in Tomakomai, Japan in October last year and traded 1 win and 1 loss. The Red Eagles won the first game 3-2, but in the second game, HL Anyang, led by Jin-Hwi Ahn’s hat trick and the winning goal in overtime, took revenge 7-6.
© Gyeonggi Ilbo (www.kyeonggi.com), unauthorized reproduction, collection, and redistribution prohibited
