With the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics now two weeks away, members of the DPRK women's hockey team crossed the border yesterday to begin training with their South Korean counterparts in what will be a unified team. The move for a combined team made up of players from the North and the South has been seen globally as a sign of possible peace on the peninsula, as well as an opportunity for one of the most popular ice sports in the world to grow in both sides. Shane Hahm has more.

These amateur hockey players meet twice a week. Club members come from all walks of life. But keeping the team intact hasn't been easy.

KIM SUN-YOUNG JOYPLES HOCKEY CLUB PRESIDENT "The number of skating rinks in the country is too insufficient. The few school teams have to rent a rink in the early evening and all other times are delegated to club teams. That's why we can only play late like at 11 in the evening. For regular office workers, it's not easy playing at 11 o'clock."

SHANE HAHM SEOUL "Ice hockey is a non-mainstream sport in South Korea. The country only has about 200 registered men's players, five university teams and three professional clubs. For women, conditions are even poorer. Yet with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics just around the corner, the sport is garnering a lot of attention, most of which though is occurring off the ice."

The ROK and DPRK have come together and agreed to field a unified women's Olympic ice hockey team. They have a little more than two weeks to train before their first match.

PAK CHOL HO DPRK WOMEN'S COACH "We are very happy that North and South can become one and participate as a joint team. In this short time, if we put our strength and minds together and prepare well for the matches we will have good results."

All eyes will be on which players make the game roster. Building chemistry with new teammates on such short notice will be a challenge.

CHOI RAK-HOON JOYPLES HOCKEY CLUB HEAD COACH "In hockey, each line has different characteristics and strategies and every player has different strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how to mix the lineup is important to improve the team's performance. That way all five players are able to mesh and have fun in the process."

For this local team, their hope is for the Olympics to breathe a new air of life into the sport, carving out a new era for ice hockey in the country.