Future brightens up for Moldovan hockey

Hockey is taking roots in Moldova. Beginning in the 2012-2013 season, Platina Chisinau could participate in the Russian Youth Hockey League (MHL). A statement in this regard was made during a press conference on Tuesday, December 6, by Sergei Yakovlev, MHL's director of development strategy, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The participation of your team in the MHL will boost the popularity of this sport in Moldova. Platina will be the team that will groom players for the national team. For the beginning, a specialized commission analyzes the infrastructure and the possibility of playing international hockey matches in Moldova”, said Yakovlev. The sides reached an agreement on several issues related especially to the development of infrastructure. Only if these conditions are respected, MHL will allow Platina to join the competition. “Now, we have two rinks, Chisinau and Tiraspol, but they don't meet the international standards. However, the government assured us that in about a year and a half we could have a proper rink with a capacity of 4000-5000 seats”, declared Iurie Topala, head of the Ice Hockey Federation. Last year, Platina Chisinau won the Romanian junior championship. This season, the Moldovan side was invited to join the senior tournament. “After the first two rounds, in which we recorded two victories, some differences arose between us and the Romanian Hockey Federation. They told us our status was of invitees and we could not accede to the superior stages of the competition. We could not accept the situation”, said Serghei Cebanu, chairman of Platina. There are 6 ice hockey teams in Moldova, only 3 of which are affiliated to the Federation.