The Philippine men's ice hockey team claimed their second straight SEA Games bronze, and the veterans couldn't help but be excited with the next generation of players in the national team.
For the third straight Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine men's national ice hockey team finished on the podium, securing a bronze after beating Singapore, 5-3, in Thailand on December 18.
It's a second-straight SEA Games bronze medal for the Filipinos after the 2019 SEA Games, and eight years since they claimed the inaugural SEA Games gold medal for the event.
Things were tied 1-1 in the first period. The Philippines edged Singapore in the second, 2-0. While the Singaporeans tried to make a comeback in the third period, the Filipinos managed to keep the lead, 2-2.
The Philippines also defeated Singapore in the preliminaries, 7-4.
Forward Steven Fuglister couldn't help but be proud of what the team has achieved with the younger generation.
"It means everything because it's like a new start. There's a new generation of players coming up," he told Cignal's Doreen Suaybaguio.
"So I think everyone is super excited, even if it's not the gold that we wanted. But in the end, it's a medal for the Philippines, and we're proud about that."
One of them is 21-year-old forward Kenwrick Sze, who received Player of the Game honors.
"We played really well. Everyone was in sync. We put pucks deep and shoot and score," he said. "It is always a dream to get a medal for SEA Games."
Fellow first-timer Patrick Abis, 22, sees the SEA Games bronze as an extra special achievement after the 1-4 record they absorbed in the 2025 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships earlier this year in Mexico.
"Mexico has not been a good experience for us, but we built off that on our last wins. We joined a tournament before this, and we came off of that energy, and then I'm happy it translated to this tournament," Abis said.
"It means everything. It's my first SEA Games, so this means the world to me," Abis told Cignal.
"Even though we got bronze, it's a good start to Philippine hockey, I would say."
The key to shaking off tough losses?
"We all knew how to just be a goldfish, let it go, and focus on the next one always," he said, as he expressed readiness in leading the young players in the team.
"They bring a lot of energy. They were super excited to be here. Us leaders, we're excited to guide them and lead them," Fuglister said. "And I think the future looks bright with those guys taking over now or soon or whenever that may be."
The Philippines will try to claim the inaugural women's ice hockey gold on Friday against Thailand
(With reports from Doreen Suaybaguio/Cignal)
--
Katrina Alba is a sports journalist and producer, notably with SportsCenter Philippines before taking on her current role at One Sports.
She primarily writes about basketball and volleyball, with experience covering the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. Outside of work, her hobbies include running, swimming, pickleball, yoga, arnis, and krav maga.