Argentina wins 2023 Amerigol LATAM Cup championship

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Owen Haiek said he doesn't recall exactly how he did it, but his teammates and dad sure do.

Haiek scored in double overtime to give Argentina a 3-2 win against Greece Heritage HC in the 2023 Amerigol LATAM Cup Division I men's championship at Florida Panthers IceDen on Sunday.

"I blacked out when I scored," said Haiek, who is a forward and captain of Argentina. "I just celebrated. I couldn't believe it."

Haiek's goal brought a smile and tears to his father, Dicky Haiek, who is Argentina's coach as well as the founder of the Argentine Association of Ice and In-Line Hockey.

"My son, it's crazy, so crazy, my feeling is so … I don't have words for that," Dicky said. "He's great. He's incredible. He's a great man and a good person."

Dicky said winning the LATAM Cup helps ease the sting that Argentina suffered when it lost to Liechtenstein in the IIHF Development Cup, a tournament for emerging hockey nations, in Bratislava, Slovakia, in May.

"We lost by one goal (6-5)," he said. "So this is important to us. Our government will help more because we have results. That's very good for our hockey development and growth."

Owen added that Sunday's win is a testament to his father's passion and vision for hockey in Argentina and Latin America.

"He basically brought hockey to Argentina," Owen said.

Greece Heritage HC entered the LATAM Cup with a mission beyond winning the tournament.

Like the Latin American and Caribbean teams in the tournament, the team, which consisted of mostly Americans and Canadians of Greek heritage, was trying to raise the profile of ice hockey in Greece.

Greece has been an IIHF member since 1987 and currently has associate membership status, but it hasn't competed in an IIHF World Championship (Division III) since 2013.

"I'm incredibly proud of our guys. We left everything out there," said Greek Heritage HC coach Anastasios Kirkos, who is a former public relations staffer for Chicago of the AHL. "Hats off to Argentina, though. They played a really great game and they're a very classy team, very respectful."

Prior to Sunday's game, Greece Heritage HC received words of encouragement on Instagram from current and former NHL players of Greek descent, including Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios, and former NHL forward Chris Kontos.

"It got the boys excited before the game," Kirkos said. "We're just looking to find a little inspiration and establish that connection to those guys because that connection hasn't always been there to Greek hockey in the past."

The LATAM Cup featured more than 750 players who represented 21 countries and territories, including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, and Venezuela, as well as teams comprised of players of Caribbean and Central American heritage.

The teams competed in six divisions: men's Division I and II, a women's division, and U-12, U-14 and U-16 groups.

The NHL and Florida Panthers were among the sponsors of the tournament, which was founded in 2018 by Juan Carlos Otero, a longtime Panthers fan, to help grow the sport within the Hispanic community, both internationally and locally.

Most of the countries and territories that competed in the LATAM Cup aspire to play hockey on the world stage but don't have rinks or suitable ice facilities that meet IIHF regulations, which would allow them to play in sanctioned tournaments or qualify for the Olympics.

The hope is that exposure from winning or competing in the LATAM Cup will inspire sports federations, Olympic committees or private investors in each country or territory to support ice hockey, mainly by building rinks.

"Our government will help more because we have results," Dicky Haiek said. "That's very good for our hockey development and growth."

Argentina's U-16 team also won their division on Sunday, defeating Chile 7-3 in the final.

"I think this is most important because this is the future," Dicky said. "The youth are the future for our players for Division I. The hockey of Argentina is continuing to grow. I'm very happy."

Brazil also had a strong showing at the tournament. Its U-12 team won its division by defeating Venezuela 5-4 in double overtime on Saturday. The U-14 followed that up by winning its division with a 4-2 victory against Hockey Players of Color on Sunday morning.

In the women's division, the Caribbean, a team made up of a collection of players with familial ties to islands and territories in that region, defeated Colombia 8-1.

Armenia, a team largely comprised of Americans and Canadians of Armenian heritage, defeated Venezuela 7-1 in the men's Division II final.

Armenia, which was making its LATAM Cup debut, has been an IIHF associate member since 1999, though the sport is still developing in the country, according to coach Raffi Vartazarmian.

"We're obviously expats that are representing a country that's in development at the present time," he said. "To have Armenians come over here is a bit more difficult, but we're doing it on their behalf.

"When the kids there see the great things that are happening here, it's just going to encourage them to develop and become better at a sport that we all love."

Photos: Courtesy of BC Photography, Aubrey Corkum