Manila’s Mighty Ducks skate for gold and glory Feisty Filipino squad aiming to surprise at Southeast Asia Games

MANILA — A shopping mall in tropical Manila closes to the public for the night, but a ragtag team of hockey players has rented the ice rink, aiming to make history in the Southeast Asian Games.

Dubbed ‘The Mighty Ducks’ after the 1992 Disney film, the Philippine men’s national team is targeting gold when the SEA Games open in Malaysia on Saturday — a far cry from the days when the players only knew of the sport from watching movies.

“The Mighty Ducks movie is an inspiration to hockey players, especially if you’re in a tropical country like the Philippines,” forward Lenard Lancero, 22, said after the team’s practice session at the mall rink.

“We had only been watching hockey, seeing it just in the movies. But with hockey now here in the mall, it’s like a dream come true.”

In a nation known for its pristine beaches and obsession with basketball, hockey has only recently emerged as an unlikely but increasingly popular sport.

What started as a hobby for boys who would ask their parents to take them to rinks in the country’s sprawling shopping centers slowly turned into a competitive sport with the creation of a national federation two years ago.

Teenage students and professionals in their thirties all represent their country, and they bagged a bronze medal in Division II in their first official tournament at the Asian Winter Games in Japan in February.

Despite that achievement, the players still get strange looks from surprised shoppers as they haul their gear to the rink, said defenseman Julius Santiago, 21.

“But when they see us play, they’re really amazed. They like watching it because it’s intense, especially when there’s full contact. And Filipinos love fighting, the hitting, so that’s what excites them to watch us play,” he said.

‘Baby steps’

This year marks the first time winter sports have featured in the SEA Games, and Francois Gautier, the team’s French alternate captain, said practising in the Philippines is much tougher than in Canada, the US or Europe, which have thousands of skating rinks as opposed to the island nation’s four.

“It’s more organized in other countries, for sure, and the level of play is much higher. Here, we’re doing baby steps,” said Gautier, 33.

Funding is another challenge, with sticks, helmets, shin pads, elbow pads and gloves costing at least $1,000 a set. Most of the equipment has to be imported from North America.

The team gets by with contributions from corporations, the government and their own pockets.

Players divide their time between school or work and training as well as cutting through Manila’s notorious traffic to get to practice sessions.

For Lancero, a fresh graduate, the ultimate goal outweighs the obstacles.

“If your career is into sports, that’s really different from most Filipinos,” he said.

“People ask, ‘Where is the money in sports?’ But we’ve been representing the nation, and in a couple of years I hope hockey will be my career.”

Compared to more established Southeast Asian national teams like Thailand and Singapore, the Philippines is a newcomer and an underdog — but the players are confident.

“I think our chances are really good. We’re actually one of the favorites. I think we’re considered a big threat to the other countries,” Gautier said.

He hopes the team’s performance in the regional games will bring it a step closer to qualifying for the Olympics or world championships and earn the sport a bigger following in the Philippines.

“Every single one of us here, playing or coaching, we are leaving our mark ... which is much more gratifying than being in a system that’s already been established for years,” said Gautier.

“We’re making history every day.”

Every single one of us here, playing or coaching, we are leaving our mark ... We’re making history every day.” Francois Gautier, Manila Mighty Ducks alternate captain