Warriors and Sharks to Battle for Inaugural CIHL Title

After a thrilling CIHL semi-final, the Kowloon Warriors and the South China Sharks will battle it out in a best-of-three series to determine the inaugural champions of elite ice hockey league CIHL. The first game of the CIHL Finals will take place on Saturday March 17 at Mega Ice in Kowloon Bay. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) March 16, 2012 - HONG KONG - The Warriors defeated the Hong Kong Tycoons 7-3 in last weekend's first semi-final game, before the South China Sharks earned their way into the Finals with a 2-0 win over the Macau Aces.

"The Royal Bank of Canada would like to congratulate the Kowloon Warriors and the South China Sharks on reaching the CIHL Finals," said Andrew Turczyniak, Head of Asia, RBC Wealth Management. "In its first season, the CIHL has raised the bar on the sport of ice hockey in Hong Kong with its fast-paced, full contact play. RBC is proud to support the CIHL and we wish both teams the best of luck heading into what we expect to be an exciting, action-packed final series."

The Warriors and the Sharks have played five times throughout the regular season, with the Warriors having a 3-2 edge in the season series. The Warriors clinched first place in the CIHL regular season standings with one game left to play, while the Sharks, who locked up second place that same week, have won their past two games in a row.

Tickets for all three CIHL Finals are available at www.cihl.com/tickets or by contacting info ( @ ) cihl dot com dot Following Game 1 on March 17 at 8 p dot m dot , the CIHL will break for Easter, with Game 2 taking place on Saturday, April 14 dot Game 3, if required, is scheduled for Saturday, April 21 dot

CIHL co-founder and director Greg Smyth said: "The Warriors and the Sharks make for an exciting, must-watch CIHL Finals. I know both teams will want to continue the momentum from their semi-final wins and will come out strong on Saturday to get that crucial first win."

For up-to-the minute information, statistics and photographs, please visit www.cihl.com or download or iPhone app from the iTunes store.

All games are played at Mega Ice, with a game format of three, 12-minute periods of five-on-five hockey.

For more information please contact:
Gregory Smyth at greg ( @ ) cihl dot com

About the CIHL

The CIHL was founded in 2010 to provide new opportunities for high-level, contact hockey in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China as well as to champion sportsmanship and develop future generations of Chinese hockey.

The Royal Bank of Canada is the official league sponsor for the inaugural 2011-2012 CIHL season. This year, the league will feature four teams: the Hong Kong Tycoons, Kowloon Warriors, Macau Aces and South China Sharks

Every Saturday night from October 8 through April 21, the teams will face off at Mega Ice for two back-to-back games. Family entertainment, community events and on-ice kids' competitions are aimed at making Saturdays a true "Hockey Night in Hong Kong".

About Royal Bank of Canada

Proud supporters of amateur sport and the arts, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is the official league sponsor of the CIHL. As league sponsors, RBC will be supporting the CIHL and hockey in Hong Kong in several ways, including an opening night kids' ticket promotion and the season-long Adopt-a-School Program. For every regular and playoff CIHL game, RBC will sponsor a school and provide 30 complimentary tickets for deserving students.

RBC is passionately committed to growing hockey from the grassroots level, through the RBC Play Hockey program in Canada and the United States and our partnerships with Hockey Canada, USA Hockey and the Hockey Hall of Fame. From the pond to the podium and from the early morning practices to the Saturday night game - RBC is proud to support the hard work and dedication that helps hockey happen.

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