Puerto Rico men's national ice hockey team
The Puerto Rico national ice hockey team (Spanish: Selección de hockey sobre hielo de Puerto Rico) is the national men's ice hockey team of Puerto Rico. The team is controlled by the Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association and has been an associate member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since September 29, 2022.[2]
 | |
| Association | Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Paul Cohen |
| Captain | Scott Vargas |
| Most games | Six players (17) |
| Top scorer | Scott Vargas (10) |
| Most points | Scott Vargas & Dennis Ruppe (15) |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | PUR |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | NR (29 September 2022)[1] |
| First international | |
Puerto Rico  5–3  Argentina(Coral Springs, United States; October 14, 2021) | |
| Biggest win | |
Puerto Rico 9–2  Brazil(Farmers Branch, United States; March 25, 2022) Puerto Rico 8–1 Brazil(Coral Springs, United States; September 15, 2022) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Jamaica  10–2 Puerto Rico(Coral Springs, United States; October 15, 2021) | |
| Amerigol LATAM Cup | |
| Appearances | 3 (first in 2019) |
| Best result |  1st (2022) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 8–5–0 | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Amerigol LATAM Cup | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2022 Coral Springs | Division 1 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2019 Coral Springs | Division 2 |
| 2021 Coral Springs | Division 1 |
History
Puerto Rico made its international debut in 2019 at the Amerigol LATAM Cup, which took place in Coral Springs, Florida, United States. Puerto Rico entered the Division 2 tournament, playing four unofficial games against clubs and "B" teams, but these games did not count towards Puerto Rico's official international record.[3] They defeated Argentina "B" (11–2), then Colombia "B" (5–2), and Brazil "B" (6–0). In the Amerigol LATAM Cup Division 2 final, they lost 6–2 to the Falkland Islands selection team, known as the "Rest of the World", and were awarded a silver medal after finishing in second place.[4]
In 2021, the national team played in the Amerigol LATAM Cup Division 1 tournament, losing 5–4 to the Mexico Selects team. Later that same day, they defeated Argentina, 5–3,[5] which was Puerto Rico's first official international game against another national team.[3] In the semi-finals, they defeated the Mexico Selects team, 6–2. They once again won a silver medal after losing 5–1 to Colombia in the final.[6]
On September 18, 2022, the national team finished first in Division 1 at the 2022 Amerigol LATAM Cup after defeating Argentina 4–3 in the final.[7] Eleven days later, Puerto Rico officially became a new member of the IIHF.[8]
Tournament record
Amerigol LATAM Cup
| Year | Host | Result | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Coral Springs |  2nd place(Division 2) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||
| 2021 | 2nd place (Division 1) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1st place (Division 1) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Total | 2/3 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
Team
Current roster
Roster for the 2022 Amerigol LATAM Cup.[9]
Head coach: .svg.png.webp){kind=small}
Paul Cohen
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Birthplace | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | Peter Negron | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 77 kg (170 lb) | February 17, 1998 (aged 24) | Mahwah, NJ, USA | Unattached |
| 2 | F | Andrew Todaro | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | December 20, 1997 (aged 24) | Cleveland, OH, USA | Unattached |
| 7 | F | Jason Alejandro | Unknown | Unknown | June 2, 1984 (aged 38) | Unknown | Unattached |
| 10 | F | Zachary Newman | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) | April 20, 1992 (aged 30) | Pompano Beach, FL, USA | Unattached |
| 12 | F | Justin Alejandro | Unknown | Unknown | February 26, 1990 (aged 32) | Springfield, MA, USA | Unattached |
| 15 | D | Rob Lalonde | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | April 27, 1982 (aged 40) | Williamsville, NY, USA | Unattached |
| 16 | F | Scott Vargas – C | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 90 kg (200 lb) | July 16, 1991 (aged 31) | Lithia, FL, USA | Unattached |
| 17 | F | Dylan Garcia | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 77 kg (170 lb) | April 17, 1998 (aged 24) | Harlem, NY, USA | Unattached |
| 20 | D | Eric Lifvendahl | Unknown | Unknown | March 7, 1997 (aged 25) | Winnetka, IL, USA | Unattached |
| 24 | F | Dennis Ruppe | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | September 27, 1997 (aged 24) | Clifton, NJ, USA | Ohio State Univ. |
| 25 | D | Alfonso Diaz | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 73 kg (161 lb) | April 4, 1994 (aged 28) | Pembroke Pines, FL, USA | Unattached |
| 26 | F | Axel Lifvendahl | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 73 kg (161 lb) | November 3, 1995 (aged 26) | Winnetka, IL, USA | Unattached |
| 28 | F | Roman Templeton | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | 73 kg (161 lb) | July 17, 2004 (aged 18) | Denver, CO, USA | Colorado Thunderbirds |
| 40 | D | Kyle Miller | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) | July 1, 1992 (aged 30) | Shakopee, MN, USA | Unattached |
| 44 | F | Kevin Reina | Unknown | Unknown | October 15, 1992 (aged 29) | Unknown | Unattached |
| 49 | F | Rick Rodriguez | Unknown | Unknown | October 19, 1989 (aged 32) | Unknown | Unattached |
| 55 | F | Gilberto Solivan | Unknown | Unknown | August 24, 1997 (aged 25) | Unknown | Unattached |
| 56 | D | Phillip Garcia | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | November 18, 1996 (aged 25) | Bronx, NY, USA | Unattached |
| 65 | F | Lorenzo Santiago-Vazquez | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | May 6, 1998 (aged 24) | Ponce, PUR | Unattached |
| 66 | D | Brett Vargas | Unknown | Unknown | January 29, 1995 (aged 27) | Unknown | Unattached |
| 90 | G | Kevin LeBron | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | 72 kg (159 lb) | October 11, 1993 (aged 28) | Jackson, NJ, USA | Unattached |
Coaching history
| Coach | GC | W | OTW | OTL | L | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ron Robichaud | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 2021 |  Unknown Coach | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2022 | Paul Cohen | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
All-time record against other national teams
Last match update: September 18, 2022[3]
| Positive balance (more Wins) | |
| Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
| Negative balance (more Losses) |
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Colombia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 8 |
| Brazil | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
 Venezuela | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Argentina | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 21 |
| Total | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 52 | 43 |
References
- "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- "Puerto Rico". International Ice Hockey Federation. September 29, 2022.
- "Puerto Rico Men Official Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. September 18, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- "Schedule and Scores (Division II, 2019)". Amerigol Hockey. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- "Schedule and Scores (Division I, 2021)". Amerigol Hockey. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- Douglas, William (October 17, 2021). "Colombia wins men's title, Puerto Rico women's team prevails at LATAM Cup". NHL.
- Douglas, William (September 19, 2022). "Color of Hockey: Puerto Rico wins men's Division I title at LATAM Cup". NHL.
- Merk, Martin (September 29, 2022). "Welcome Puerto Rico!". International Ice Hockey Federation.
- "Stats – Amerigol International Hockey Association". amerigolhockey.com. Retrieved April 19, 2023.