Indonesia entered the playoffs as the top seed, having dominated the group stage with four straight wins. In the semifinals, they dispatched Singapore 8–3, while Thailand cruised past the Philippines with an emphatic 8–1 victory. That set the stage for a much-anticipated rematch in the final – a showdown between two sides that had already produced one of the tournament’s most thrilling games.
For Indonesia, it was a chance to prove their 3–2 OT win in the group stage was no fluke; for Thailand, it was about revenge and fulfilling their role as pre-tournament favorites.
Bronze Medal Goes to the Philippines After a Hard-Fought Battle Against Singapore
The bronze medal game served as an appetizer before the grand final, pitting the Philippines against Singapore. While their group stage encounter ended in a 7–4 victory for the Philippines, the bronze match proved to be a tighter affair.
In the end, the outcome aligned with expectations as the Philippines secured third place with a 5–3 win. It marked the third competitive meeting between the two nations in a single calendar year, and to Singapore’s credit, they’ve been steadily closing the gap (having lost 1–7 to the Philippines at the World Championship Division 3B earlier this year).
Singapore ultimately bowed out with heads held high – even reaching the playoffs was a major feat, considering how much they struggled to edge past Malaysia. Given the current crisis surrounding their lack of training infrastructure, a fourth-place finish feels like their realistic ceiling at the moment.
As for the Philippines, it’s worth noting that they were widely tipped to be Thailand’s biggest challengers for gold. Instead, they were surprisingly pushed to third in the group by a breakout Indonesia squad bolstered by four new additions. That forced them into an earlier-than-expected clash with Thailand in the semis. All things considered, they’ll be content with bronze – though it likely wasn’t the medal they were aiming for.
The Battle for Bangkok: Who Dares, Wins
The gold medal match was a fitting climax to a thrilling tournament, as the two strongest teams went head-to-head. Thailand came out flying, fired up by home-ice energy and the roar of the crowd – but Adel Khabibulin stood tall in net, keeping Indonesia in the game.
As expected, Indonesia’s biggest threats came from Yevgeni Nurislamov and Saveli Molchanov, with tireless support from blueliner Artyom Bezrukov. Whenever this Russian trio hit the ice, Thailand’s defense was on high alert.
Thailand opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Patrick Forstner‘s seemingly harmless shot from the blue line surprised “Bullin Wall” in the Indonesian crease. It was the second goal of the tournament for the 32-year-old Viennese-born defenseman. Forstner is one of several heritage players – including team captain Ken Kindborn, goalie Ben Kleineschay, and forwards Kim Aarola, Jan Isaksson, and Nick Lampson – who’ve chosen to represent Thailand, the land of their ancestors.
Indonesia struck back before the end of the period, courtesy of the relentless Jonathan Ryan Nugraha. The 23-year-old forward is one of several Indonesian-born players who’ve made a strong offensive impact alongside the team’s Russian-born trio.
Lampson Strikes on the Power Play as Thailand Regains the Lead
In the second period, the only goal came in the 24th minute, as the home side reclaimed the lead. Nick Lampson found the back of the net on a power play, finishing off a clever feed by USPHL Premier D-man Natchayatorn Yannakornthanapunt.
The third period turned into a thrilling end-to-end battle. Thailand had several golden opportunities to extend their lead, but Indonesia also missed a handful of promising chances to level the score. Both goaltenders – Ben Kleineschay and Adel Khabibulin – were outstanding, delivering highlight-reel saves to keep their teams in the game.
Equalizer in the Dying Minutes Keeps Indonesia’s Dream Alive
Indonesia got a golden opportunity to tie the game in the 57th minute when Araya Vatanapanyakul was sent to the penalty box. Indonesia’s Hungarian bench boss Kristof Kovago quickly called a timeout to give his players a breather and regroup.
The Indonesian powerplay unit wasted no time locking the Thais in their own zone – and eventually, the pressure paid off. In the 59th minute, Artyom Bezrukov unleashed a well-placed wrist shot through traffic that beat Kleineschay cleanly. 2–2!
Molchanov’s Clutch Breakaway Turns Chaos Into Triumph
For a moment, it looked like the game was headed for overtime – a mirror image of the thrilling group-stage clash between these two teams. But Thailand had other ideas, launching a desperate final push to avoid extra time.
In a scramble in front of Khabibulin’s net, chaos erupted. After a poised move on the blue line by Nick Lampson, Thananutch Kulthanthorn let one fly – only for 18-year-old Daffa Bagaskara to block the shot with his stick. But in a moment of panic, the Badax forward swatted the puck toward his own goalpost, hitting iron and nearly scoring an own goal.
Instead, fate smiled on Indonesia. The puck ricocheted perfectly to Saveli Molchanov, already lurking at the blue line. He pounced, blew past Lampson, and ripped a blistering wrister past Kleineschay. Indonesia takes a 3–2 lead – with just 43 seconds left on the clock!
Joy, Chaos, and a Bit of Redemption: Indonesia Seals Historic Win
Instead of a traditional line of fist bumps, the elated Molchanov launched himself headfirst into the team bench – pure, unfiltered euphoria. And young Daffa Bagaskara? With his head in his hands, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry…
But fortune favors the prepared – and this Indonesian squad, led by veteran Yevgeni Nurislamov, had chased their luck all tournament long. In the dying seconds, they locked things down like seasoned pros, denying the desperate Thai side any meaningful chances even with an extra skater on the ice.
As the final horn sounded, it was bedlam. Helmets, gloves, and sticks flew into the Bangkok air – a raw, cathartic release. This moment was theirs. Hard-earned, hard-fought… and fully deserved.
| 2025 SEA Games, Bangkok, Thailand | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | 🥇 Indonesia |
| 2 | 🥈 Thailand |
| 3 | 🥉 Philippines |
| 4 | Singapore |
| 5 | Malaysia |
Tears Frozen in Time: Thai Players Left Heartbroken After Stunning Finish
In sports, it’s almost a rule – for every celebration, there’s heartbreak. Sometimes literal tears.
As the Indonesians swarmed their hero Molchanov in jubilation, the Thai squad was frozen in disbelief. For Araya Vatanapanyakul and Masato Kitayama, the pain was too much – tears streamed down their faces as the gold that seemed within reach just two minutes earlier vanished into thin air.
Silver Too Heavy to Wear
The medal ceremony unfolded with dignity, attended by all three podium teams – including the full-geared Filipinos proudly claiming bronze. Presiding over the honors was Her Majesty Queen Suthida, whose poised presence brought weight to the moment.
But beneath the royal grace, the air was thick with unspoken disappointment. As host nation, Thailand had dreamed of gifting its hockey-loving queen a golden finale – a crowning moment of triumph. Instead, her hockey warriors stood in stunned silence, silver medals draped like chains of missed destiny.
Captain Ken Kindborn and Kim Aarola, overwhelmed by the weight of what could have been, removed their medals in quiet anguish. This wasn’t the ending they had trained for. Expectations soared higher than the rafters – and the fall was all the harder.
Growing Crowds, Growing Game: Southeast Asia’s Hockey Future Looks Bright
Like all of Thailand’s games in this tournament, this final drew significant attention – the small but roaring Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena was once again filled to capacity, and the live stream on the Ice Hockey Family YouTube channel attracted over 400,000 viewers.
Overall, the tournament can be viewed very positively. While Thailand was initially expected to have a smooth run, the actual progression of the event showed that the level of hockey across the region is balancing out – and that divisional status at the World Championship isn’t always a definitive predictor of success.
For hockey in Asia – and especially in Southeast Asia – it’s a good thing to see another team reach the top. With this victory, Indonesia became the third nation to win the men’s ice hockey tournament at the SEA Games, joining the ranks of the Philippines and Thailand. Their gold is all the more remarkable considering that in the previous two editions (2017 and 2019), Indonesia finished dead last in fifth place both times.
Honors Handed Out As Tournament Wraps Up
After the final whistle, individual accolades were awarded to top performers.
| Best Players of the Match | |
| Jonathan Ryan Nugraha (ID) | Masato Kitayama (TH) |
| Best Players of the Tournament | |
| Yevgeni Nurislamov (ID) | Ben Kleineschay (TH) |
| MVP of the Tournament | |
| Adel Khabibulin (ID) – Ken Kindborn (TH) – Nick Lampson (TH) | |
| Most Points | |
| Artyom Bezrukov (ID) | |
| Most Goals | |
| Artyom Bezrukov (ID) | |
| 2025 SEA Games, Bangkok – Preliminary Round | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF-GA | P |
| 1 | Indonesia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24-8 | 11 |
| 2 | Thailand | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31-6 | 10 |
| 3 | Philippines | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15-19 | 6 |
| 4 | Singapore | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13-24 | 3 |
| 5 | Malaysia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10-36 | 0 |
| 2025 SEA Games, Bangkok, Thailand Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Stage | Result | Date & Time |
| Singapore vs Indonesia | Preliminary | 1-6 | 12/10 17:00 |
| Malaysia vs Philippines | Preliminary | 2-7 | 12/10 20:30 |
| Philippines vs Indonesia | Preliminary | 1-5 | 12/11 16:00 |
| Thailand vs Malaysia | Preliminary | 14-0 | 12/11 19:30 |
| Singapore vs Philippines | Preliminary | 4-7 | 12/13 16:00 |
| Thailand vs Indonesia | Preliminary | 2-3 OT | 12/13 19:30 |
| Malaysia vs Indonesia | Preliminary | 4-10 | 12/14 16:00 |
| Thailand vs Singapore | Preliminary | 7-3 | 12/14 19:30 |
| Singapore vs Malaysia | Preliminary | 5-4 | 12/16 16:00 |
| Thailand vs Philippines | Preliminary | 8-0 | 12/16 19:30 |
| Indonesia vs Singapore | Semifinals | 8-3 | 12/17 17:00 |
| Thailand vs Philippines | Semifinals | 8-1 | 12/17 20:30 |
| Philippines vs Singapore | 🥉 3rd Place | 5-3 | 12/18 19:00 |
| Thailand vs Indonesia | 🥇 Final | 2-3 | 12/19 18:00 |
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