Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Standings
Team
|
Wins
|
OTW/SOW
|
OTL/SOL
|
Losses
|
Points
|
Goal Diff.
|
Australia
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
14
|
+48
|
Mexico
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
13
|
+17
|
Israel
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
-11
|
New
Zealand
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
+8
|
North
Korea
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
-18
|
Bulgaria
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
-44
|
Results
April 9
New Zealand 6 - Israel 3
North Korea 9 - Bulgaria 3
Mexico 4 - Australia 5 (OT)
April 10
Israel 8 - North Korea 4
Australia 14 - Bulgaria 0
New Zealand 1 - Mexico 2
April 12
Australia 11 - Israel 3
New Zealand 4 - North Korea 7
Mexico 10 - Bulgaria 1
April 14
Bulgaria 1 - New Zealand 14
North Korea 1 - Australia 22
Israel 3 - Mexico 9
April 15
Australia 6 - New Zealand 2
Bulgaria 3 - Israel 5
Mexico 5 - North Korea 3
Team Recap
Australia: The Aussies rolled over the competition in this tournament. Their biggest (and only) challenge came in their first game against Mexico. Australia let up the first goal of the game seven minutes into the first. It took less time in the second, as Mexico scored just over five minutes into the second. Australia then turned on the jets, scoring four times (twice on the powerplay) to take the lead after 40 minutes. They could not hold the lead though, as Mexico came back and tied the game in the third. 60 minutes wasn't enough, overtime was needed. James Byers looked to have taken a costly penalty in the extra frame. It ended up being a blessing in disguise, as Mitch Humphries scored shorthanded to win the game for Australia. The final score was 5-4. Australia showed Bulgaria no mercy. Lead by Cameron Todd's four-goal performance, the Aussies had eight different goal scorers (four with a multi-goal game). Anthony Kimlin and Charlie Smart split duty in net, stopping seven shot combined. Australia shut out Bulgaria 14-0. They continued against Israel. Despite giving up the first goal less than a minute in, Australia managed to reel off six unanswered goals. Their scoring (and play to an extent) slowed down as the game went on, but the damage was done. Kimlin had a tougher night, stopping 32 of 35 shots. Australia still won the game 11-3. If the 11-goal performance wasn't enough for the Aussies, they challenged themselves to double it against North Korea. Wehebe Darge scored four times, Todd and Michael Schlamp had hat tricks, and seven others had goals in the game. Kimlin and Smart once again shared the net, and saved all but one shot. Australia showed no mercy against North Korea, demolishing them 22-1. Australia got to end the tournament facing their neighbour New Zealand. They didn't rack up the goals like in other games, but Australia wasn't completely quiet either. They scored twice in the second, then exploded for four in the second. That was all for Australia, as the six goals was more than enough. They gave up two in the third, but that was all for New Zealand. Australia beat their neighbour 6-2. Going undefeated, Australia rolled through the group en route to a first place finish. They earned the gold medal and a spot in Group A for next year.
Mexico: The host opened against Australia. Hector Majul led the way for Mexico on the scoreboard, getting goals in the first and second period. After Majul's second goal though, it went downhill for the host. Australia scored four unanswered to end the period in the lead. Mexico did come back, first with Adrian Cervantes scoring early in the third. Brian Arroyo's powerplay goal late in the third tied the game. Overtime was needed to decide a winner. Mexico looked to caught a break, as Australia received a penalty for tripping. It wasn't the case though, as Australia scored while shorthanded. Mexico lost the game 5-4. The host had another tough go, this time against New Zealand. Mexico let up the first goal, as they gave up a penalty shot early in the second. It wasn't until the third when Mexico found an answer. Arroyo struck twice in less than a minute, as he single-handedly put Mexico in the lead. They hung on to win the game 2-1. The host found their groove against Bulgaria. They had three players have a multi-goal game, while four other chipped in offensively. Andres de la Garma and Alfonso de Alba both stopped three saves a piece, with de la Garma allowing the only goal against. Mexico easily won the game 10-1. Mexico looked in control against Israel, outshooting 17-3 them in the first. The shot disparity didn't measure up with the score though, as both teams headed into the intermission tied 2-2. The puck did start finding the net in the second, scoring four times (two of them thanks to Cervantes). Luis Alberto de la Vega had a two-goal third period, as Mexico ended up winning the game 9-3. Mexico ended the tournament facing North Korea. The first wasn't good for Mexico, as they gave up the opening goal five minutes into the game. The later half of the second period was when Mexico started hitting the back of the net. Majul scored twice, with Arroyo getting one in between. Arroyo added one early in the third before North Korea started clawing back. A pair of North Korean goals made Mexico's lead go down to one goal. Arroyo would strike again later in the period, as he capped off his hat trick with a penalty shot goal. Mexico hung on to win 5-3. The first lost was hard for Mexico, but they performed well after that. They finished the tournament in second, giving the home fans the chance to celebrate a sliver medal.
Israel: The Israelis started off against New Zealand. It didn't look good for them in the first, as New Zealand put up a three-spot. Elie Klein scored on the powerplay early in the first to put Israel on the board. New Zealand would strike back seconds later, putting Israel behind by three again. Daniel Mazour scored midway through the period to pull Israel to within two. Klein once again struck early in a period, as his third period goal made it a one-goal game. That was as close as they got though, as New Zealand added two more before the final whistle. Israel lost their first game 6-3. They had a much better time against North Korea. Israel scored five unanswered in the first period. They gave up a shorthanded goal before the period ended, as they headed into the intermission up 5-1. Israel added two more to their goal total in the second before North Korea got another goal. It was rough in the second, as Ilya Spektor and Yuval Rosenthal (along with North Korea's Nam Hyok Kim) all got penalized for bad hits minutes apart from each other. All of the got two and a ten (only Spektor's was early enough so he could play after serving his penalties). North Korea did outscore Israel in the period 2-1. Israel won the game though, by a score of 8-4. Israel did not have a good game against Australia. It looked good early on though, as Rosenthal scored 49 seconds in to put Israel in the lead. Australia then answered with six straight goals. Artur Pyshkin scored on the powerplay before the period ended to cap off the first. Australia kept adding to their lead, even as Israel picked up their play. Rosenthal scored on a two-man advantage in the third period, which was Israel's only other goal. They lost the game to Australia by a score of 11-3. Facing Mexico wasn't much better. Israel gave up two early goals, but clawed their way back and tied the game later in the period. Despite the 17-3 shot disparity, Israel escaped the period tied 2-2. Mexico would make up for it in the second, scoring four unanswered. Mexico scored twice more in the third before Pyshkin scored to break up their run. Mexico added one more, as Israel suffered a 9-3 loss. Israel faced Bulgaria in their last game. Israel was in control for the majority of the game, but ended the first and second periods tied. Israel finally took the lead for good in the third, thanks to Roey Aharonovich powerplay goal. Mazour added an empty net goal. Alexander Loginov had light work, stopping seven of ten shots. Israel won the game 5-3. Thanks to tiebreakers, Israel ended up in third, taking home the bronze medal.
New Zealand: The Kiwis started the tournament facing Israel. It was a good start for New Zealand, as Mitchell Frear scored on the powerplay minutes into the game. They added two more midway through the first, taking a 3-0 lead. Israel broke the shutout early in the second, but Ryan Ruddle responded soon after to regain New Zealand's three-goal lead. Israel scored midway through the third and early in the first to pull within a goal. New Zealand would not let them get any closer though, and added a couple in the third for insurance. The Kiwis won their first game 6-3. Against Mexico, the game was pretty close. The first period was pretty uneventful, with no goals or penalties and a low shot total (16 combined). Andrew Cox got the Ice Blacks on the board early in the second, scoring on a penalty shot. That lasted until the third, when Mexico struck twice in quick succession. New Zealand had no answer for this, as they ended up losing the game 2-1. Looking to rebound against North Korea, New Zealand would go through another scoreless first period. Lachlan Frear scored minutes into the second, but North Korea responded seconds later, tying the game. Midway through the period, Nicolas Henderson scored on the powerplay to put the Kiwis back in the lead. It didn't last the rest of the period though, as North Korea scored twice to take the lead themselves. Chun Rin Hong (North Korea) and Andrew Cox (New Zealand) were at it for the first half of the third, as both scored twice. New Zealand could not find a tying goal, as North Korea potted two more on an empty net. The Kiwis lost their second in a row, this time by a score of 7-4. New Zealand's offense came alive against Bulgaria. Lead by hat tricks from Jacob Ratcliffe and Callum Burns, the Kiwis had eight different scorers. Michael Hopkinson stopped eight of nine shots (Richard Parry stopped three shots in the first period). New Zealand beat Bulgaria 14-1. Finishing off against neighbouring Australia, New Zealand had a rough time. They were scored on twice in the first and four times I nteh second. Mitchell Frear did break the shutout early in the third, and finally put the Kiwis on the board. Ratcliffe managed to get one more for the Ice Blacks, as they ended the tournament with a 6-2 loss. Due to tiebreakers, New Zealand finished the tournament in fourth place.
North Korea: North Korea started off against Bulgaria, and what a start they had. Three goals (two by Chun Rim Hong) in the first five minutes caused Bulgaria to change goalies. Both teams scored later in the period. The second period saw North Korea with another good start, scoring twice. Bulgaria did get one of their own midway through the period. Bulgaria also scored early in the third, but that was all North Korea would allow. North Korea scored three more before the game ended (the last two courteous of Chol Hyok An). North Korea won the game 9-3. Their second game, against Israel, did not got as well. Israel scored five unanswered before Chol Min Ri score shorthanded late in the first. The second was similar, as Israel scored twice, and Hong added one for North Korea late in the period. It got a bit rough in the third, as two Israelis and a North Korean got hitting from behind or to the head penalties and 10-minute misconducts (all three happened within minutes of each other). Score did happen late in the period, as a pair of Kuk Chol Kim goals sandwich an Israeli one. The end result was North Korea losing to Israel 8-4. Things were much better against New Zealand. While New Zealand struck first (early in the second), it took seconds for North Korea to tie the game. New Zealand scored midway through the period, but In Hyok Kang scored a pair of goals before the end of the period. The teams swapped goals a couple of time, with North Korea keeping in the lead. Two empty net goals sealed the game for North Korea, as they beat New Zealand 7-4. Against Australia, North Korea had no chance. Song Jin Pak scored North Korea's only goal of the game. Both Il Pak and Kuk Chol Pak had a rough night, only able to stop 20 of 42 shots combined. North Korea got walloped by Australia 22-1. North Korea ended the tournament facing the host Mexico. North Korea had a good start, thanks to Chum Rim Hong's goal minutes into the game. The second period was not as kind, as Mexico scored three time, putting North Korea down by two heading into the third period. Mexico scored once more in the third before North Korea started their comeback attempt. Man Gum Kang and Hong (second of the game) pulled North Korea to within a goal. Unfortunately, the tying goal never happened, as Mexico added one more to seal the game. North Korea lost their last game 5-3. North Korea ends the tournament in fifth place and gets to hang around in Division II for another year.
Bulgaria: This was a tournament Bulgaria will want to forget pretty soon. Against North Korea, Bulgaria had a poor start, as they were down 3-0 within the first five minutes. A goalie change was needed, as Todor Petkov went in for Dimitar Dimitrov. Midway through the first, Tareq Abdi scored to put Bulgaria on the board. North Korea added one more before the period end. The second period was similar, with Bulgaria getting scored on twice early in the period. Again, Bulgaria scored a mid-period goal, this time thanks to Tomislav Georgiev. Bulgaria struck early in the third, as Abdi scored his second of the game just five minutes into the final frame. That was as close as Bulgaria got though, as North Korea added three more. Bulgaria lost their first game 9-3. Their second game was even worst, as Australia didn't let Bulgaria do much. Bulgaria only managed 7 shots in the game, but gave up double the amount in goals. Dimitrov and Petkov did what they could, stopping 26 of 40 shots. Bulgaria was shut out by Australia 14-0. Things weren't much better against Mexico. Bulgaria still managed only seven shots, but one of them by Veselin Dikov did find the back of the net. Dimitrov stayed in net the whole game, stopping 33 of 43 shots. Bulgaria suffered another bad loss, this time by the score of 10-1. It must be something with Oceanic teams, as Bulgaria surrendered another 14 goals, this time against New Zealand. It wasn't all doom and gloom though, as Georgi Iskrenov scored on the penalty shot, guaranteeing that Bulgaria would not get shut out. They still lost 14-1. Bulgaria ended their tournament facing Israel. Once again, Bulgaria was horribly outplayed, but kept the score close. They even scored first, thanks to Iskrenov. Israel scored seconds before the first period ended, making it 1-1. Iskrenov scored five minutes into the second, putting Bulgaria ahead once again. Israel did score twice later in the period, but Dikov responded, tying the game at 3-3. That was it for Bulgaria's scoring, as Israel scored twice in the third to win 5-3. Bulgaria finished the tournament in sixth place, going pointless, and will be sent down to Division III for next year.
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