October 8, 2018
 
We are well on our in our current program, which commenced August 25th.   This year, we are coordinating with the Tigers to offer and Elite U10 program for players of that age.  That program starts each Saturday at 7:15 am and finishes at 8:30 am.  Our regular Dbees program commences at 8:00 for older players and the Mini-Bees, which finishes at 9:15 am.  This year, Trevor Beselt, Mark Mckeown and myself will provide coaching assisted by a number of parent volunteers.  The U10 program will also feature two coaches from the Tigers Organisation.
 
Given the changes to the League structure and various organizations repositioning their product, the Dbees will not sponsor a team in any of the Leagues but we will consider a team for the Mi5 Tournament if there is sufficient demand .  The Dbees is an independent hockey club staffed by volunteers and remain committed to putting players first in developing their on ice skills and overall character development.  Parents interested in our program are well to contact Stuart Winchester on this email address:  Nstuartwinchester@gmail.com
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​On behalf of all the volunteers in the Dbees Hockey Club and as your Chairman, I welcome everyone back to another season with the Dbees.  The Dbees are a unique organization in Hong Kong hockey, comprised of dedicated volunteers whose sole purpose is to foster the game of minor hockey in Hong Kong.   We welcome all returning and new members for another exciting season of hockey.  Our first practice is on August 26th at the Elements Ice Rink and the coaching staff is looking forward to meeting all the players and providing them with a great experience on the ice.
 

​Prior to the final game of the season, the Baird Dbees tied in regulation time another tightly contested game against YTM, which was settled by a shootout, this time in favour of YTM.  The final game was not a close game given the absence of some key players and YTM emerged victorious.  The coaching staff welcomed the challenge of exhorting the players on despite some key absentees.  Such situations always give other players the opportunity to step up to compete and that is a good life learning challenge for anyone. 

The season has now ended and YTM claimed the Cup but it was a good season for the Club and there were many close games and the players enjoyed the challenge and intensity of the games.  It is now on to the MI5 Tournament in Hong Kong where some of the players will compete and represent the Baird Dbees in the Bantam recreational division.

​December 29th

In day two, the team had two games, the first against Chilliwack and the second against Cranbrook. Cranbrook had earlier played Chilliwack and won in a shootout despite being severely outshot during the game. Our spirits were high in the hope we could have a competitive game. At times we played well and in one period, it was a 3:2 result but with three 20 minute stop time periods absent the mercy rule, our team's stamina was questionable at times. Chilliwack prevailed 9:3 in the end. Our second game against Cranbrook would be tougher and indeed it was, with the team losing 14:1. Unfortunately as a result of the draw, we would have to play Cranbrook the next day.

December 30th

Cranbrook in the second game did not let up and we lost 14:0. After so many tough games, there have been some signs of resignation which for the Baird Dbees and Typhoons is not an option. The challenge of every coach is to keep his players engaged no matter what the obstacles. A focus on making each shift a productive one. Easier said than done but it must be the objective. A good many of the players embraced this so the Kamloops trip has certainly been one for developing character.

December 31st

In our final game, there was a realistic chance of a win but we would have to play our best against the Prince George Cougars. Unfortunately, our inconsistency got the better of us and we went down 6:1. The nice part, we won the final period 1:0, scoring with 3 seconds left in the game. We rounded out the day, with a trip to Sun Peaks, where some of the players skied, tobagganed and later, played shinny on an outdoor rink. After returning to Kamloops, we saw the Kamloops Blazers play Victoria in a WHL game.

After 10 games and 3 practices, our tournament has ended. There were no wins. However, if you ask each player was it a good experience, many would say yes. Hong Kong hockey has a long way to go for sure but if people in lead positions work together, the hockey in Hong Kong can get better. While we were missing some of the better players in Hong Kong, we gave others an opportunity to play high level hockey. Some of these players come from opposing clubs but the Baird Dbees have always put the player first with the hope this would set a good precedent to follow. Certainly some of the players will go on to play for the National team beyond the Selects program, either in youth or adult tournaments. It is the hope of the Baird Dbee Hockey Club that more organisations work together to develop hockey in Hong Kong and that tournaments like the Bell Capital Cup, Quebec Peewee Tournament and KIBIHT are regular tournaments that Hong Kong participates in. It would be a big step forward to have a coordinated National Development Program that unifies youth hockey in Hong Kong.

​The final game to mark the half way point in the season and the break for the Christmas holidays was an entertaining one that finished in a 5 all draw and had to be settled on a shootout. The action was end to end with some stellar scoring plays featured by both teams throughout the game. That said, the RTM Asia had the distinct advantage in shots and were it not for the stellar goaltending from Boyce Wong, the score would have favoured RTM Asia. Some were heard to remark that was the best game they ever saw Boyce play and his coach, Stuart Winchester agreed that it was one of his finest performances. On at least five occasions he gloved shots that were heading for the top shelf including several off Wayne Tsang, RTM Asia's star player who was in disbelief how many times he was robbed of a goal. Boyce's counterpart, Cameron Seymour, also had a strong game and robbed Dbee players of several sure goals as well. The game went back and forth and there was never more than a one goal differential. In the end on the fourth shootout, Willem Mellin of the Baird Dbees made a "sick" deke to pot the winning goal, a play he called and reminescient of Stall's goal against the Edmonton Oilers in the shootout played the day before in Minnesota. The season total wins have the RTM Asia team slightly ahead of the Baird Dbees so the second half promises equally exciting.

Merry Christmas to one and in Hong Kong Hockey from the Dbees Hockey Club.

​The current season is well underway and the Dbees are featuring a team in the U17 City League.  The team is again called Baird Dbees and features some of the better players in Hong Kong.  In addition, the Club is working with Typhoons to take a team to the Kamloops Bantam International Tournament.  This will be third tournament outside Hong Kong for the Club and we will play in the AA division against some very good Clubs from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, www.kibiht.com.