Note: most information from the IIHF website.
Standings
Team
|
Wins
|
OTW/SOW
|
OTL/SOL
|
Losses
|
Points
|
Goal Diff.
|
Belarus
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
14
|
+13
|
Norway
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
10
|
+5
|
Latvia
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
7
|
+4
|
Italy
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
-6
|
Austria
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
-6
|
Slovenia
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
-10
|
Results
December 14
Slovenia 1 - Belarus 6
Austria 1 - Latvia 5
Italy 0 - Norway 3
December 15
Norway 9 - Austria 5
Latvia 7 - Slovenia 3
Belarus 4 - Italy 2
December 17
Latvia 1 - Belarus 2
Norway 2 - Slovenia 1 (SO)
Italy 5 - Austria 4 (OT)
December 18
Austria 7 - Slovenia 3
Belarus 5 - Norway 1
Latvia 2 - Italy 4
December 20
Norway 1 - Latvia 0 (SO)
Belarus 5 - Austria 4 (TO)
Slovenia 9 - Italy 5
Team Recaps
Belarus: Belarus started this tournament on fire, as they handled Slovenia 6-1. They looked to continue to roll against Italy, as Belarus scored two special teams goals in the first. Belarus would scored again on the powerplay in the second before they got scored on by Italy. Belarus' lead would slip to one goal in the third, but their powerplay came through once more. Belarus ended up winning the game 4-2. Belarus' powerplay kept rolling as they scored minutes into their game against Latvia. Latvia would tie it up in the third, but once against Belarus' powerplay came in and saved the day. Belarus beat Latvia 2-1. Against Norway, Belarus would explode in the first, scoring three goals in a six minute span. They would end up beating Norway 5-1. Ending their tournament against Austria, Belarus would face adversity. Despite scoring first, Belarus would give up three goals before the end of the first period. Artur Buinitski would help Belarus tie the game up, as he scored in the second and third periods. Austria would again take the lead in the later half of the third, but Belarus tied it up minutes later. This game needed overtime, where Buinitski completed his hat trick with a powerplay goal. Belarus went near-perfect, finishing with 14 out of a possible 15 points, finishing in first place, and earning a promotion to the main tournament.
Norway: Norway kicked off their tournament facing Italy. They had little trouble against the host, as Norway shut them out 3-0 while limiting them to just 11 shots. The Norwegians would find themselves in a high-scoring game against Austria. Norway was on the good side of the 9-5 score line, scoring three times in all three periods. From high-scoring to low-scoring, Norway was in tough against Slovenia. Norway did break through midway through the second with a powerplay goal. Things stayed that way until a minute left in the third when Slovenia scored to tie the game. Norway ultimately prevailed, winning in the shootout. Against Belarus, Norway would falter in the first, giving up three goals. They could not come back, and ended up losing the game 5-1. Norway ended the tournament with a close game against Latvia. Both teams would fail to score through 65 minutes, and would need a shootout to decide the game. Norway's Thomas Olsen would be the one who finally found the back of the net, as Norway won their last game 1-0. Norway finished the tournament in second place.
Latvia: Latvia would start out strong, but falter as the tournament went along. Against Austria, Latvia would open the scoring in the first before Austria tied it up before the period ended. It would be in the third period when Latvia's offense cam alive. The Latvians would score four times to put the game out of reach, making the final a 5-1 Latvia win. Latvia was the most dominate team against Slovenia, but goals would be gradual. They scored first, but ended the opening frame tied 1-1. Latvia would give up a goal minutes into the second period, but responded in a hurry - and respond they did. Latvia scored three goals in a four minute span (with two of them coming on powerplays). Latvia gave up another goal before the period end. The third was much kinder to the Latvians, as they put up a 3-spot to win the game 7-3. Latvia got in early penalty trouble against Belarus, and it would cost them, as they gave up a goal while two men down. Latvia held Belarus to within a goal until the third period, when Rudolfs Maslovskis tied the game for the Latvians. Just like the being of the game, a penalty would hurt Latvia, as Belarus scored again on the powerplay. Latvia did not have enough time to come back, and would lose 2-1. Latvia would strike first against Italy, but would end the first period tied 1-1. Things would go south for the Latvians, as Italy scored twice in the second period. Latvia did manage to get within one in the third, but could not tie the game. They would go on to lose 4-2 to Italy. Ending their tournament against Norway, Latvia would keep it close. While both teams had chances, neither could get on the scoreboard. The game was decided by a shootout, which Latvia would lose. Latvia finished the tournament in third place.
Italy: The host did enough to keep playing in Group A. Starting off against Norway, Italy could not do much. They would give up a goal in the first and two (one the powerplay) in the second en route to a 3-0 loss. Italy would fall behind against Belarus, as they gave up a shorthanded and a powerplay goal in the first. Belarus' lead would grow to 3-0 before the host found the back of the net late in the second. Italy scored in the third to get within one goal, but that was as close as they would get. Italy allowed one more goal, ultimately losing the game 4-2. Things looked bleak against Austria, as Italy fell behind 3-0 at one point. They slowly clawed back, eventually tying the game in the third. The host would cap off their comeback with a goal in overtime, securing them their first points of the tournament. Italy looked to build on their momentum as they square off against Latvia. They kept it close early, and ended the first period 1-1. Italy took the lead in the second, scoring twice. While Latvia answered back in the third, Italy held on, and added an insurance goal later on to win the game 4-2. The tournament didn't end well for the host, as their last opponent (Slovenia) score six times in the first period. While Italy did manage to put up goals of their own, they were no where close. The host lost their last game 9-5. Italy finished the tournament in fourth place, and gets to stay up in Group A.
Austria: Austria played Latvia tight for the first period, ending the period tied at 1-1. Austria would hang on against Latvia's attack in the second. The same could not be said for the third, as Austria gave up four goals. They ultimately lost the game 5-1. Austria would suffer another big loss, this time against Norway. Despite scoring first and having two leads, Austria would fall behind after one period and could not recover. They would lose 9-5 to Norway. Austria looked to turn it around against Italy, as they would build up a 3-goal lead after two periods. That lead evaporated in the third, with Austria giving up three goals in a five minute span. Austria would give up one more goal, this time it was almost three minutes into overtime. Austria did eventually find the win column, and in a big way. Facing Slovenia, Austria would score three times in the first. Their lead would build to 6-0 before Slovenia broke the shutout. Austria would add one more in the third, ultimately winning the game 7-3. Against Belarus, Austria would give up the opening goal, but came back with three of their own. Austria would slowly see that lead slip away, as they gave up a goal in the second and third periods. They did regain the lead with under eight minutes to go, but could not hold onto it. The game went to overtime, where Austria took a costly penalty. They would give up the winning goal shortly after. Austria ended the tournament in fifth place, and will stay in Group A for another year.
Slovenia: It was a rough tournament for Slovenia. In their first game against Belarus, Slovenia fell behind early and could not recover. Slovenia was scored on three times during the first period en route to a 6-1 loss. Slovenia managed to keep it closer against Latvia. They ended the first period tied at 1-1. Slovenia would score twice in the second, but the goals would sandwich a 3-goal effort by Latvia. The game got out of reach for Slovenia in the third period, as they gave up another three goals to Latvia. Looking to keep their opponents to less than five goals, Slovenia would do just that against Norway. Slovenia would get scored on midway through the second period. The score would keep 1-0 until a minute left in the third. Miha Logar would score for Slovenia to tie the game and force overtime. The game went all the way to a shootout, which Slovenia would lose. Slovenia went back to giving up many goals against Austria. Slovenia give up three goals in both the first and second periods, ultimately losing the game 7-3. With relegation all but assured, Slovenia would end the tournament on a high note. Slovenia would score six time in the first period against Italy. They cruised from there, winning the game 9-5. Slovenia finished the tournament in sixth place, and will be playing in Group B next year.
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