Players reflect on Japan’s tsunami disaster
This Sunday will be exactly one year since a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, but the memory of the destruction is still fresh in the minds of some of Anyang Halla ice-hockey players.
“I can’t believe a year has gone by so fast. We were lucky to be in a safe spot when the earthquake happened,” forward Brock Radunkske said.
On March 11, 2011, the Korean team flew to Japan from Incheon Airport to play in the Asia League Ice Hockey finals against the Tohoku Free Blades.
The Halla landed at Sendai Airport at 12:20 p.m., just hours before the massive earthquake hit the region. Sendai was the nearest major city to the earthquake and was among the worst hit areas.
“We escaped pretty easily considering what could’ve happened,” Radunkske recalled.
Anyang Halla’s Kim Geun-ho controls the puck in front of Icebucks defenders during Game 3 of the Asia League hockey playoffs at Anyang Ice Rink on Tuesday. (Anyang Halla)
The team was at a service stop on the way to the Free Blade’s home in Fukushima when the tsunami engulfed Sendai Airport. Fortunately, the Halla were able to catch a flight back to Seoul at Fukushima Airport just 40 minutes before a dam burst, flooding the nuclear power plant in the region and causing radioactive material to leak. The finals were canceled due to radiation concerns.
Marking the one-year anniversary of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami disaster, the Halla is heading back to the country again to play against, this time, the Nikko Icebucks in the playoffs.
In the best-of-five playoff series, the defending champion Halla won the first two games easily at home last week, outplaying their Japanese opponent.
But on Tuesday in Game 3 at Anyang Ice Rink, the home side lost 3-2, missing a chance to complete a three-game sweep.
After a quick first period that saw no score, the visitors opened up the scoring just 20 seconds into the second period. The Halla evened the score six minutes into the third period.
But forward David Bonk put the visitors ahead at 14 minutes into the third period, followed almost two minutes later by Andrew Kozek’s goal to put the Icebucks ahead 3-1 before Halla’s Cho Min-ho cut the deficit.
“We really wanted to win, but it was very hard to beat the strong team three times in a row,” Radunkske said.
The two sides are now set to play Game 4 at the Icebucks’ home in Nikko, some 150 kilometers south of the Fukushima nuclear reactors.
When asked whether he worries about radiation, Radunkse said: “I don’t think about it too much because we’ve been back to Japan since the season began.”
When the team first came back to Japan after the earthquakes for preseason games in September, they spotted some damage in the region, though they had no difficulties playing there, he added.
Meanwhile, head coach Shim Eui-sik said he is confident that the Halla can make its third consecutive finals in Asia League Ice Hockey.
“We were a little bit overconfident in Game 3. But if we stick to our style, we can win and go into the final,” he added.
If the Halla beat the Icebucks on Saturday, it will meet the Oji Eagles in the best-of-five finals.
“We are excited to go back. It’s a chance to prove that we are the best team in the league,” Radunske added.
By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
