The hosts put on an offensive show for fans as they took home the coveted title at the expense of Switzerland and the UAE
Three teams. Three matches. One champion. Morocco outplayed their opposition over the weekend in the prestigious tournament. The UAE finished second, ahead of Switzerland. Friday marked the first match of the event and it was between Morocco and the UAE, and the 6-4 victory for the Moroccans was just how they envisioned starting the weekend. The game itself started perfect for The Lions of the Atlas, as they scored three period goals while only concedeing two in the fast-paced period. The UAE managed to tie things in the middle frame, scoring the only goal, however, like the first, the final period belonged to Morocco, scoring three more goal before finally settling on the 6-4 score.
Day two was just as thrilling with the UAE bouncing back with force as they defeated Switzerland 7-0. After allowing six goals in their previous match, the Falcons put a major emphasis on defense and took pride in the shutout. The scoring was steady throughout the match with at least two goals coming in every period. The middle frame proved to be the dagger for the Swiss as the UAE scored three times to put the score at 5-0 when the period ended. When the final whistle sounded, the UAE had tacked on two more goals and the match finished with them up 7-0.
Like the UAE the day before, Switzerland rebounded from their scoring drought to net eight goals on the final day. Eight goals proved not enough as Morocco scored 11 times for the 11-8 victory. The Nati could not slow down the Moroccan attack as the hosts scored four times in the opening frame and did not look back. Switzerland scored five times in the middle frame, to inch back closer, but Morocco did the same and going into the final period, the score was 9-6, Morocco. The two teams both scored twice in the final minutes of the final frame, and the game ended with Morocco still up by three goals, at 11-8.
