HL Anyang, the defending champions of the Asia League Ice Hockey, are set to pursue their fifth consecutive and 10th overall title.
The team, led by head coach Baek Ji-sun, will face the Red Eagles Hokkaido at 4 p.m. on June 28 at the HL Anyang Ice Rink in Game 1 of the 2025-2026 Asia League Ice Hockey Playoff Finals, a best-of-five series.
HL Anyang finished second in the regular season standings with 82 points. In the semifinal playoffs, a best-of-three series, the team edged past the Nikko IceBucks 2-1, with all three games going to overtime.
HL Anyang will now challenge for their 10th championship against the Red Eagles Hokkaido, who defeated the Tohoku Free Blades 2-1 in their semifinal series. The two teams have met in the finals for three consecutive seasons, with HL Anyang winning all three.
Forward Shin Sang-hun leads the charge for HL Anyang's quest for a 10th title. Shin recorded a team-high four points with three goals and one assist in three semifinal games. He scored the golden goal at 13 minutes and 48 seconds of overtime in Game 3 on June 22 to clinch the finals berth.
Goaltender Lee Yeon-seung has emerged as HL Anyang's new guardian with heightened focus in the playoffs. Lee posted a save percentage of 0.911 across 38 regular-season games. In the three semifinal games against the Nikko IceBucks, he allowed only seven goals and raised his save percentage to 0.929, the highest among all goalies in the semifinal round.
HL Anyang will play Game 1 on June 28 and Game 2 on June 29 before traveling to Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan for Game 3 on July 2.