Photo: Courtesy of National Winter Games organizing committee

A tenacious Sichuan women's ice hockey team gave title favorites Beijing a tough test in the women's ice hockey competition at the National Winter Games on Friday, with the game eventually decided in a shootout.

Boasting several China internationals such as Zhang Mengying and Guan Yingying, Beijing dominated the first three periods but were unable to score due to Sichuan's defensive tactics.

"That was beyond our expectations of the opponents' defense," captain Zhang told the Global Times, expressing regret for her team's failure to score in the three 20-minute periods.

The match was the Beijing team's debut at the National Winter Games. Players from Beijing had 61 shots on goal while Sichuan had only a dozen.

"Their tenacity deserves credit, I have to admit," Zhang said. "Our goal is to win the remaining five matches. But we need to improve our accuracy in shooting."

Sichuan's goalkeeper Wei Xueqin, who transferred to ice hockey from field hockey just over four years ago, was applauded for Sichuan's clean sheet.

"I am satisfied with my performance," Wei told the Global Times. "We met Beijing before but were defeated in a shootout. It's unlucky this time it was in a shootout again."

The Sichuan team, whose players are mostly in their early 20s, are considered underdogs at the National Winter Games.

Most of the Sichuan players moved from other sports into ice hockey, unlike the Beijing players who grew up playing ice hockey.

Only seven teams - Guangdong, Sichuan, Hebei, Beijing, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi and Shanghai - are competing in the women's event. The tournament is played in a round-robin format that will last until July 22.

Friday also saw title favorites Guangdong beat Hebei with a late surge, while 2020 national champions Shanghai defeated Shaanxi 2-0.

It is rare for the adult ice hockey competition of the National Winter Games to be held in the summer.

The Games were originally scheduled to be held in 2020 in Hulun Buir but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be held from February 17 to 27 in 2024.