Ofir Koren to Play For Team Israel

Written by Bryan Rubin, Online Sports Editor

West Boca’s very own, Ofir Koren has been selected to play for the Israel Junior National Team.  Ofir is a senior and captain for the Bull’s Ice Hockey Team that is in first place in Division II.  Team Israel will compete in the Under 18 Division against other countries in host city Monterey, Mexico. 

It all started when Ofir was 14.  He attended a player development program during the summer in Israel for the junior team.  They said that they would call him when he was older and now, three years later, the team has asked Ofir to play for them. 

The team consists of twelve players from Israel and eight from North America including Koren.  When he found out about making the team, Ofir said how excited he was to have been selected out of the many kids who tried out.  After playing hockey in Florida for over seven years, Ofir looks to bring experience to the team in Mexico.  “I am just going to go out there and play my best and we’ll see what happens” said Koren. 

Although many don’t think of hockey and Israel in the same sentence, the team has somewhat high expectations going into the tournament.  In previous years, the Israeli Junior Team has made it to the finals and surprised many spectators in the tourney.  Ofir is also looking forward to the experience of playing hockey at an international level. 

With the tournament coming up next month, Team Israel will look to bring back a title for their country in a sport that is mainly pedestrian to the average Israeli citizen.