Center Zone dominates across categories at Spiti Cup 2025

Kaza (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 16 (ANI): The second day of the Spiti Cup 2025 ice hockey tournament witnessed electrifying action across all categories, with teams battling for the trophy at the Kaza Main Ice Hockey Rink.
Center Zone emerged as the standout performer, securing crucial victories in the Men's and U-18 categories to remain unbeaten, setting up a thrilling clash with Sham Zone for the Men's championship. Meanwhile, Tod Zone Women registered their first win, keeping their hopes alive while Center Zone Women's also won comfortably against Tod Zone.
-Match 1: Sham Zone makes it two in two with a dominant win over Pin Zone

Sham Zone continued with their winning streak in the Men's category at the Spiti Cup 2025 with a 3-1 victory over Pin Zone in the Men's category. Ajay opened the scoring just 35 seconds into the match, assisted by Tenzin Zangpo. While Pin Zone equalized through Phunchuk Wangchuk in the 11th minute, Ajay restored Sham Zone's lead just two minutes later, ending the first period 2-1. The second period was an intense but goalless battle, with neither team able to capitalize on opportunities. In the third period, Tanzin Vounten's goal secured a comfortable two-goal cushion for Sham, sealing the second win of the season.

-Match 2: Center Zone triumphs in the Women's category with a 6-3 Victory over Tod Zone

In an intense matchup, Center Zone outplayed Tod Zone 6-3 in the first women's category game of the day. After a goalless start, Captain Tanzin Soldon broke the deadlock in the seventh minute, only for Tod's Kunga Yangchen to equalize moments later. The second period saw Tanzin Soldon dominate, netting four goals, while Kunga Yangchen added another for Tod, leaving the score at 5-2 heading into the final period. Despite Kunga Yangchen completing her hat trick in the third period, Tanzin Soldon sealed the win with her sixth goal, giving Center Zone a well-deserved victory.

-Match 3: Center Zone secures second win, sets up decisive showdown with Sham Zone in Men's category

In an electrifying third match of Day 2 at the Spiti Cup 2025, Center Zone Men outclassed Pin Zone 5-1. Chhimed Namdol opened the scoring for Center Zone within 28 seconds, though Rahul equalized for Pin Zone in the fifth minute. Tanzin Loksal's eighth-minute strike, assisted by Pranav Dogra, restored Center's lead, ending the first period 2-1.
A goalless second period showcased intense efforts from both sides. In the third period, Kunga Wangpo's stunning drag extended Center's lead to 3-1. Pin's relentless attacks were thwarted by Center's goalkeeper, Abishek. In the final minutes, Chhimed Namdol scored twice more, completing his hat-trick and sealing a commanding win for Center Zone.
With both Center Zone and Sham Zone winning two out of two matches, their upcoming showdown on Friday will determine the champion of the Spiti Cup 2025 in the Men's Category.

-Match 4: Tod Zone women secure first win with a victory over Sham Zone

In the fourth match of Day 2 of the Spiti Cup 2025, Tod Zone women's team clinched their first win, defeating Sham Zone 2-0. The game opened with a dramatic own goal by Sham in the fifth minute, giving Tod an early lead. Tenzin Yeshey doubled the lead in the second period with a well-executed goal set up by Kunga Yangchen. Despite efforts from both sides, neither team managed to score further, and Tod's defence held strong to secure the win.

-Match 5: Center Zone U-18 Boys Triumph Over Sham Zone with a 6-2 Victory

In the final match of Day 2 at the Spiti Cup 2025, the Center Zone U-18 Boys secured a commanding 6-2 win against Sham Zone. Kunga Wangpo opened the scoring in the first minute and quickly added a second to give Center a strong start. Sham's Tanzin Zangpo responded to narrow the gap, but Karma Tenzin's goal restored Center's two-goal lead, ending the first period at 3-1. The second period saw Kunga Wangpo complete his hat-trick and add a fourth, while Sham struggled to penetrate Center's defence. In the third period, Sham's Tanzin Yonten scored to make it 5-2, but Kunga Wangpo struck again, securing his fifth goal and sealing a dominant 6-2 victory for Center Zone.

Day three of Spiti Cup 2025 will begin with the U-18 category as Sham Zone faces Pin Zone in the first match, followed by Tod Zone taking on the Center Zone in the winner takes it all match. In the women's category, Center Zone squares off against Pin Zone. The day concludes with the men's clash between Tod Zone and Pin Zone.

The Spiti Cup 2025 continues to shine on its mission to enable emerging ice hockey players and expand the game to new regions with athletes from Lossar, Hull, Kiato, Kaza, Schichiling, Lalung, Gilling, Sagnam, and Sangla showcasing their skills to earn a chance to represent Himachal Pradesh at key national-level competitions such as the Khelo India Winter Games. (ANI)