Amagasaki, Hyogo Pref. ¨C This year, Reo Kurosawa got the best birthday present the owner of a fledgling professional hockey team could ask for: a win.
Kurosawa, who owns Stars Kobe, the newest entry in Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH), would have surely preferred it if his club¡¯s first-ever victory didn¡¯t coincide with his Jan. 10 birthday, but growing pains were always going to be the reality for Kansai¡¯s first pro hockey team.
The Stars¡¯ nail-biting 5-4 win over the Yokohama Grits snapped a 19-game losing streak and was met with jubilation ¡ª and a touch of relief ¡ª from the club¡¯s growing number of supporters. Fans wearing team uniforms ¡ª numbering a couple hundred ¡ª were invited onto the ice for a photo with the players and coaching staff in the clearest sign yet that Kurosawa¡¯s club is making some inroads into the hearts and minds of Kansai sports fans.
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