Jilin City, January 4, 2026 – The Xiwang Cup 6th National University Ice Hockey League (Finals) concluded successfully at the Jilin City Ice Sports Center in Jilin Province from December 31, 2025, to January 4, 2026. Led by Coach Ma Zhongquan and with the joint efforts of all team members, the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) student ice hockey team overcame numerous challenges. Demonstrating indomitable sportsmanship and seamless teamwork, they secured the third place in Division A of the league, fully showcasing the positive spirit and excellent athletic competence of HIT students.
Organized by the China University Sports Federation, the tournament adopted a competition format combining single round-robin and knockout stages. It brought together 17 teams from 15 universities across the country, featuring intense competition. In the group stage, the HIT ice hockey team withstood pressure and played steadily, defeating Anhui Xinhua University in crucial matches to secure a spot in the semi-finals with valuable points. In the semi-finals, they faced the strong team from Peking University. Despite a valiant effort, the team narrowly lost but quickly regrouped to prepare for the bronze medal match with high morale.
The bronze medal showdown against Tsinghua University was a highlight of the tournament, with a thrilling back-and-forth battle. Both sides displayed compact offensive and defensive transitions, trading blows relentlessly. The match ended in a 5-5 draw in regular time, forcing a penalty shootout to decide the winner. At the critical moment, HIT players remained calm and composed, delivering outstanding performances with coordinated efforts from the goaltender and offensive players. They eventually defeated their opponents 6-5 to claim the bronze medal in Division A for the first time. Players including Zhang Jiaming, Su Yanquan, Wang Ruoqi, and Ma Shuqi were named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match for their brilliant displays. Su Yanquan won the Spiritual Civilization Athlete award, and Coach Xu Jiazheng was honored as the Best Coach.
This tournament not only served as a comprehensive test of the HIT ice hockey team's training results and team cohesion but also epitomized the vigorous development of ice and snow sports in Chinese universities. In the future, Harbin Institute of Technology will continue to deepen ice and snow sports education, promote the popularization and improvement of campus ice and snow sports, and contribute more to the development of China's ice and snow sports industry.
