Kenya floors Team World to lift the 2025 Madaraka Day Cup

Kenya Ice Lions captain Benjamin Mburu with the trophy after winning the 2025 Madaraka Day Cup at Solar Ice Rink, Panari Hotel, on Monday. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenya Ice Lions thrashed Team World, composed of players from USA, Canada and Finland 9-5 to lift the fifth edition of Madaraka Day Cup staged at the Panari Hotel Ice Rink in Nairobi on Monday.

Captain Benjamin Mburu and Denis Lumumba netted a brace each as Kenya cruised past the unlucky visitors. Other scorers for Kenya in the intense battle included Abdulwahab Ngamate, Mike Otieno, Arnold Mburu and Trevor Mwangi.

Merk Senruk notched a hat trick for the visitors, with Erin Das and team skipper Jukka Korhonen adding a goal each for the losing effort. Basking in the glory, Mburu hailed his winning team, stating that their unity and strength is what granted them the glittering cup for the first time in history.

“We are happy with this huge margin of victory. It is indeed a very big moment for Kenya, as this is our first ever Madaraka Day Cup, which we are thrilled to comfortably nestle in our cabinet,” Mburu underlined.

“The secret to lifting this trophy lies on the intense preparations we had for weeks ahead of this crunch fixture. We practised man-marking, furnished our skating techniques, and improved on our skills ahead of the tournament. We are happy they paid off,” Mburu highlighted.

Asked what’s next for the national team after the sweet revenge, Mburu stated: “ The season ends in a month’s time, but we are looking for more tournaments, more playing time and more international outings in the coming season, starting with the Africa Cup that is set for South Africa.

“Madaraka Day Cup was the second international tournament that Kenya was hosting this season, after the Friendship League in January.”