Note: Most information from the (fancy) IIHF website.
Standings
|
Team
|
Wins
|
OTW/SOW
|
OTL/SOL
|
Losses
|
Points
|
Goal Diff.
|
|
Kazakhstan
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
15
|
+17
|
|
Hungary
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
12
|
+3
|
|
Poland
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
|
Japan
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
-6
|
|
Italy
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
-5
|
|
Ukraine
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
1
|
-9
|
Results
April 19
Hungary 4 - Japan 2
Ukraine 2 - Kazakhstan 5
Poland 1 - Italy 2
April 20
Kazakhstan 5 - Hungary 0
Italy 2 - Ukraine 1 (OT)
Japan 0 - Poland 2
April 22
Kazakhstan 7 - Japan 2
Italy 1 - Hungary 4
Poland 3 - Ukraine 2
April 23
Japan 3 - Italy 2
Ukraine 2 - Hungary 4
Kazakhstan 3 - Poland 2
April 25
Japan 3 - Ukraine 1
Italy 0 - Kazakhstan 3
Hungary 2 - Poland 1
Team Recap
Kazakhstan: The Kazakhs started off facing Ukraine. It was all Kazakhstan early on, as they scored twice in the first. The second was a little more even, but it was still Kazakhstan who found the back of the net. A Kazakh penalty in the third help end Pavel Poluektov's shutout bid, as Ukraine scored their first of the game. Kazakhstan answered back soon after to regain their 3-goal lead. Both teams swapped goals near the end, as Kazakhstan took the game 5-2. Kazakhstan's powerplay helped them against Hungary. They capitalized early on, as Konstantin Rudenko scored on a 2-man advantage just under two minutes into the game. The Kazakhs scored three times in the second (twice on the powerplay) and once in the third. Poluektov had a light workload, stopping 12 shots, as Kazakhstan shut out Hungary 5-0. Kazakhstan looked to continue rolling as they faced Japan. They would start out well, scoring three times in the first period. The second saw Kazakhstan actually being outshot, but the game would remain 3-0. An early goal in the third by Japan must have awaken Kazakhstan, as they answered back with four goals in 10 minutes. Another goal by Japan did not matter, as Kazakhstan won the game 7-2. Against Poland, it took a while for Kazakhstan to find the back of the net. A powerplay chance midway in the second was when Roman Savchenko scored to open the scoring. Poland tied the game minutes later, thanks to Kazakhstan taking a couple penalties to go down two men. Roman Starchenko scored a minute and a half later to put the Kazakhs back in the lead. They held the lead until midway though the third, when once again Poland managed to tie the game. With under 5 minutes to go, Starchenko would score his second of the game, once again putting Kazakhstan out front. They would hold on to win the game 3-2. With promotion in hand, Kazakhstan would face Italy to end their tournament. Poluektov stood tall in the game, turning aside 24 shots. A goal in the first and two in the third was all Kazakhstan needed, as they shut out Italy 3-0. Kazakhstan had little trouble, finishing first in the tournament and earning a spot in next year's World Championship.
Hungary: The Hungarians kicked off the tournament facing Japan. Hungary would fall early, giving up the first goal of the game in less than two minutes. Daniel Koger scored midway through the first to tie the game. Hungary fell behind midway through the second, but quickly struck back to once again tie the game. The game was tied 2-2 until late in the third, when Frank Banham scored on a powerplay to give Hungary their first lead of the game. An empty net sealed it, as Hungary won the opening game 4-2. Hungary had a tougher time against Kazakhstan. A couple of penalties early in the game hurt their chances, as they gave up Kazakhstan's first goal while down two men. They fell further behind in the second, as they let up three goals. They would surrender one more, as Hungary was shut out by Kazakhstan 5-0. Looking to rebound against Italy, Hungary would have a good start. They outshot the Italians 6-1 in the first, and ended the period up 2-0. The score remained that way until early in the third, when Istvan Sofron scored to extend Hungary's lead. The shutout did not last though, as Italy responded minutes later. Hungary added an empty netter, as they won the game 4-1. Against Ukraine, Hungary would outplay them in the first, but the game stayed scoreless. A penalty by Hungary early in the first saw them concede the first goal of the game, as Ukraine scored on the man advantage. Hungary fell behind 2-0 before breaking through, as Andrew Sarauer scored to put them on the board. Midway though the third, Hungary would get a 2-man advantage. Koger scored on the opportunity to tie the game. With four minutes left, Sarauer scored his second goal of the game to put Hungary in the lead. A shorthanded goal by Sofron add to their lead, as Hungary went on to take the game 4-2. Hungary faced Poland in the last game of the tournament, which was also the second place game. The Hungarians had the lead in shots, but the game remained scoreless through two periods. Janos Hari scored a minute and a half into the third to put Hungary in the lead. It lasted until late in the period, when Poland pulled the goalie and scored with the extra man. Poland once again pulled the goalie, but this time Hungary scored on the empty net. That stood as the winner, as Hungary took the game 2-1. Hungary's win put them in second place, which gives them a promotion to the main tournament for next year.
Poland: The hosted faced Italy for their first game. Poland could not get much going early, and eventually saw Italy score first to take the lead. The second was a different story, as Poland started to take over. Grzegorz Pasiut scored in the first half of the period to tie the game. Poland had a couple of powerplay chances, but it may have been to their detriment, as Italy scored a shorthanded goal. Poland was dominated in the third, giving them little chance of scoring an equalizer. Polish goalie Rafal Radziszewski was assessed a 5 and a game for charging Italian Mark Gander (Gander was getting a slashing call before the charge). Poland lost the game 2-1. Poland looked to rebound against Japan. The game remained scoreless until the third, when Tomasz Malasinski scored on the powerplay to give the host a 1-0 lead. Marcin Kolusz scored midway through the period to extend Poland's lead. Przemyslaw Odrobny stopped 26 shots, as Poland shut out Japan 2-0. The host faced Ukraine next. The game stayed scoreless until midway though the second, when Adam Baginski scored shorthanded to put Poland on the board. Poland entered the third on a 2-man advantage, and made good on that opportunity, as Mateusz Rompkowski found the back of the net. Their 2-0 lead would quickly go away, as Ukraine scored twice in three minutes to tie the game. Poland received one more powerplay midway through the third, and it was all they needed. Rompkowski added his second of the period, which stood as the winner. Poland held on to win the game 3-2. Against Kazakhstan, Poland would hold their own. The game remained 0-0 until midway through the second. A Polish penalty lead to a Kazakh goal. Poland would get a powerplay chance of their own later in the period, and made good of it. The tie did not last long, as Kazakhstan responded soon after. Midway though the third, Kolusz scored to once again tie the game. Poland could not hold off Kazakhstan's attack though, and ended up conceding the winning goal with four and a half minutes left. Poland lost the game 3-2. Poland had a shot at the silver medal, as they needed a regulation win over Hungary. Poland held Hungary's attack at bay, as both would go into the third period without a goal. Hungary struck early in the third, putting Poland behind 1-0. Just over four minutes left in the period, Poland's coach channeled his inner Patrick Roy and pulled the goalie. It worked a minute later, as Mateusz Bryk scored to tie the game. Going all-or-nothing for the regulation win, once again Poland pulled there goalie when they got the chance. Sadly, it did not pay off this time, as Hungary scored an empty netter to seal the game. The host suffer a 2-1 loss in their final game. Poland finished in third place, and while they did not get promoted, they did get the bronze medal.
Japan: Japan faced Hungary in the tournament's opening game. It didn't take long for Japan to strike, as Daisuke Obara scored under two minutes in to give Japan the 1-0 lead. That would be erased later in the period, as the first ended tied 1-1. Japan scored midway though the period to take the lead again, but Hungary scored seconds later to once again tie the game. A late penalty would cost Japan, as Hungary capitalized with the extra man. Japan could not find an equalizer, as they ended up losing their first game 4-2. Japan had a pretty uneventful game against Poland. While they outshot them in all three period, they could not solve the Polish goalie. Conversely, they held their own defensively until the third, when Poland scored twice (once on the powerplay). Japan were shut out by the host 2-0. It did not get better for Japan, as Kazakhstan opened the game with an early tally en route to a 3-goal first period. Japan fought back in the second, outshooting the Kazakhs 13-3, but could not find the back of the net. Shuhei Kuji scored early in the third to finally get Japan on the board. Any momentum Japan had built up was quickly destroyed, as Kazakhstan went on to score four unanswered. Go Tanaka added one more, but that was it, as Japan were blown out 7-2. Japan had a slow start against Italy, as they were heavily outshot, yet managed to escape the period down 1-0. It flipped in the second, as Japan turned it on, outshooting Italy 14-5. Mei Ushu scored late in the period to tie the game. Japan found themselves fall behind again in the third. Down 2-1, it wasn't until late in the third when Japan stormed back. Shinya Yanadori scored with just over four minutes left to tie the game. Just over a minute later, Yushiroh Hirano scored to give Japan the lead. That was enough as Japan held on to win 3-2. The Japanese faced Ukraine to end their tournament. The game remained scoreless until midway through the second, as a Japan penalty lead to a Ukrainian goal. Half a minute later it was reverse, as Japan capitalized on a Ukraine penalty. Hiroki Ueno scored three minutes later to put Japan ahead. Obara added a powerplay goal, as Japan ended period up 3-1. It remained that way for the rest of the game, as Japan won their last game. Japan ended the tournament in fourth place, just missing out of a medal.
Italy: The Italians first opponent was Poland. They managed to open the scoring midway through the first, as Brian Ihnacak scored to put the Italians up 1-0. Italy would be outplayed in the second, and surrendered the tying goal under seven minutes into the period. Midway though the period, Anton Bernard scored a shorthanded goal to retake the lead for Italy. The Italians controlled the third, and gave Poland little chance at tying the game. Things would heat over in the third, as Mark Gander slashed Polish goalie Rafal Radziszewski, who then was ejected for charging Gander. It got more civil from there, and Italy cruised the rest of the way to the 2-1 victory. Italy had another low-scoring affair, this time against Ukraine. Italy scored first, as Ihnacak capitalized on a powerplay early in the second period. It did not take long for Ukraine to respond, as they tied the game two minutes later. Despite dominating the shot counter, Italy could not find the go-ahead goal in regulation. Overtime was needed, but only for 16 seconds. Marco Insam scored in the extra frame, as Italy won another game 2-1. Italy had a tough time against Hungary, as they only managed one shot in the first while giving up two goals. They gave up one more goal (early in the third) before finally breaking through and getting on the board. Unfortunately that was all they could muster, as Italy lost to Hungary by a score of 4-1. Italy dominated the first period against Japan, and would be reward late, as Luca Frigo scored the opening goal with 26 seconds left in the period. It would flip in the second, as Italy were the ones being dominated then giving up a late goal. The third was less one-sided, and it didn't take as long for a team to score. Joachim Ramoser scored over seven minutes in to give Italy the lead. They could not hold on though, as Japan not only scored the tying goal late, but added the winner a minute later. Italy suffered another loss, this time by a score of 3-2. Italy faced Kazakhstan in their final game. It wasn't good for the Italian side, as they could not find the back of the net on any of their 24 shots on goal. They saw their opponents score though, as Kazakhstan scored once in the first and twice in the third. Italy ended the tournament with a 3-0 loss. Italy finished safely in fifth place, and will be back in Group A next year.
Ukraine: It was a battle of former Soviet countries, as Ukraine faced Kazakhstan. It was not good for Ukraine in the first, as their shot total for the period equaled Kazakhstan's goal total (2). They picked up their play in the second, but still saw Kazakhstan extend their lead. Finally, a powerplay opportunity in the third helped Ukraine get on the board, as Dmytro Nimenko scored on the man advantage. Ukraine surrendered two more goals before ending the game with one of their own. Ukraine lost their first game 5-2. Ukraine faced Italy next. It remained scoreless until the second, when Italy scored after Ukraine took a too many men penalty. It didn't take long for Ukraine to tie the game though, as Viktor Zakharov scored two minutes later. The game stayed 1-1 for the remaining of regulation, meaning overtime was needed. Overtime was short-lived though, as Italy scored 16 seconds in, giving Ukraine another tally in the loss column. Ukraine looked to have a similar game against Poland, as the first period remained scoreless. Ukraine gave up a shorthanded goal midway through the second. Two penalties late the second helped Poland in the third, as Ukraine fell behind 2-0 after giving up a goal while down two men. It did not take long for Ukraine to respond though, as they scored twice in a three minute span to tie the game. Once again, a penalty would cost Ukraine, as Poland took the lead on a powerplay goal midway through the third. This time, Ukraine did not have a response, as they wound up losing the game 3-2. Against Hungary, Ukraine would get outplayed in the first, but both teams ended the period 0-0. Ukraine stuck first in the second period, as Roamn Blagy scored on the powerplay. Both teams swapped goals later in the period, as Ukraine held a 2-1 lead going into the third period. Ukraine's fortunes turned in the third, as a couple of penalties by them midway though the third saw Hungary tie the game. Ukraine conceded two more, as they ended up losing the game 4-2. With relegation guaranteed, Ukraine would play out the strings against Japan. Ukraine controlled the play in the first, but could not beat the Japanese goalie. They broke through in the second, as Blagy scored on the powerplay. Ukraine took a penalty shortly after the goal, and it cost them the lead. Ukraine saw the game slip from them, as Japan scored twice more before the end of the period. Ukraine could not rebound, and lost their final game 3-1. Ukraine went winless in this tournament, finishing sixth and being relegated to Group B.
No comments:
Post a Comment