Takahito Suzuki scored the go-ahead goal with less than five minutes left in the final period Sunday as Kokudo beat the Nippon Paper Cranes 4-3 in decisive Game 5 of the playoff final to retain its Asia League title.
Two goals from former NHL player Joel Prpic and one from Suzuki helped Kokudo overcome a two-goal deficit before Joel Dyck leveled the score at 3-3 midway through the third period to set the stage for Suzuki's winner at Higashi Fushimi Ice Arena.
Kokudo won its second Asia League crown after finishing third in the regular season and eliminating South Korea's Anyang Halla in the semifinal round of the playoffs to reach the best-of-five final.
The Cranes, who finished atop the nine-team regular season standings ahead of Anyang and Kokudo, failed to add to the national championship they claimed three weeks ago.
The 2005-2006 Asia League also featured Japan's Oji and Nikko Kobe, Chinese clubs Harbin and Qiqihar, Kangwon Land of South Korea and the Nordic Vikings, a Beijing-based multinational team made up largely of players from Nordic countries.