Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Standings
|
Team
|
Win
|
OT/SO Win
|
OT/SO Loss
|
Loss
|
Points
|
Goal Difference
|
|
Kazakhstan
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
12
|
+12
|
|
Italy
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
12
|
+9
|
|
Hungary
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
10
|
+2
|
|
Japan
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
-3
|
|
South Korea
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
-3
|
|
Great Britain
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
-17
|
Results
April 14
Japan 2 - Kazakhstan 5
South Korea 0 - Italy 4
Great Britain 2 - Hungary 4
April 15
Italy 4 - Japan 1
Kazakhstan 5 - Great Britain 0
Hungary 4 - South Korea 5 (SO)
April 17
South Korea 5 - Japan 6
Italy 5 - Great Britain 1
Kazakhstan 1 - Hungary 2
April 19
Kazakhstan 4 - South Korea 2
Japan 4 - Great Britain 1
Hungary 1 - Italy 2
April 20
Great Britain 1 - South Korea 4
Italy 0 - Kazakhstan 3
Hungary 1 - Japan 0
Recap
Kazakhstan: It's not surprising that Kazakhstan finished first. It's a surprise that it came down to the last day for them to secure that spot. They started slow against Japan before turning it on later in the game to win it. They then easily breezed through Great Britain, winning 5-0. The game against Hungary was a surprise, as Kazakhstan outshot the Hungarians but, in the end, could not beat them. Kazakhstan rebounded with a win against South Korea. The Kazakhs won their last game (against Italy), which placed them in first and earned them a promotion to the main tournament next year.
Italy: The Italians had a promotion wrapped up early, as they didn't lose a game until the last day. They had little trouble against South Korea, Japan, and Great Britain in the first half of the tournament. Italy was kept in check by Hungary, as they needed a third period powerplay goal to win the game and secure a promotion spot. The Italians finished the tournament getting shut out by Kazakhstan, dropping them to a second place finish.
Hungary: The Hungarians came so close to a promotion, but in the end they left their faith up to another team, which didn't help. Hungary started off with a win against Great Britain, before getting shocked by South Korea, losing in a shootout. The Hungarians then pulled off an upset of their own against Kazakhstan, as Levente Szuper stopped 49 shots in the victory. Hungary then hanged on with Italy, but lost in the end on a late powerplay goal. Hungary finished off the tournament with a win against Japan, which would have propelled them to a promotion spot if Kazakhstan didn't win earlier in the day. Hungary finished third and will be back in Division I for another year.
Japan: Japan didn't start this tournament well, losing to Kazakhstan and Italy early on. The Japanese got on track afterwards, beating South Korea in the highest-scoring game of this tournament and Great Britain afterwards. The Japan-Hungary game became the third-place game, with Hungary on the winning side. Japan finished the tournament in fourth, and will hope to improve next year.
South Korea: You would think a team with a former Oilers (draft pick) would be penciled in for last (just out of habit). South Korea survived to see another year in Group A. They didn't start off good, getting shut out by Italy. South Korea then pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament, taking Hungary all the way to a shootout and winning it. They followed that up with a high-scoring game against Japan, but the Koreans were on the losing end of that game. A lost against Kazakhstan set up a ''loser gets relegated'' game against Great Britain. Korea let up the first goal, then took control and never looked back, as they beat the Brits 4-1 and avoided relegation. South Korea ends up fifth, avoiding relegation and staying up in Group A.
Great Britain: No easy way to put this, but Great Britain sucked. They were able to keep up with Hungary for most of the game, but end up losing 4-2. Great Britain had no chance against Kazakhstan and Italy, losing 5-0 and 5-1 respectively. Great Britain couldn't replicate their success against Japan in Olympic qualifying, losing 4-1. The Brits needed a win again South Korea to stay alive in Group A, but a 3-goal second period by South Korea was too much for them. Great Britain finished sixth, and was relegated to Group B for next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment