The home fans really enjoyed this tournament, as Mexico got to celebrate the gold medal and a promotion to Division II on their own ice. Back-to-back losses sunk Bulgaria's chances of moving up, as they end up in second place, taking home the silver. A last-day win by New Zealand bumped them up into third place, earning the bronze in the process. Israel had a good tournament, but wound up in fourth place. Iceland could not win their final game, and as a result ended up in fifth place. Turkey ended up in sixth, but had a bit of an odd tournament, as both their wins were shutouts and they ended with a positive goal differential. South Africa will want to forget this tournament as soon as they can. Finishing seventh, South Africa failed to get a point in the standings and were the only team to have a negative goal differential.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Standings
Team
|
Wins
|
OTW/SOW
|
OTL/SOL
|
Losses
|
Points
|
Goal Diff.
|
Mexico
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
15
|
+10
|
Bulgaria
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
12
|
+5
|
New
Zealand
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
12
|
+13
|
Israel
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
10
|
+16
|
Iceland
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
8
|
+3
|
Turkey
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
6
|
+5
|
South
Africa
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
0
|
-52
|
Results
January 15
New Zealand 1 - Bulgaria 4
South Africa 0 - Turkey 10
Mexico 6 - Israel 5
January 16
Iceland 2 - Bulgaria 4
Israel 2 - New Zealand 6
January 17
Turkey 2 - Mexico 3
January 18
Iceland 6 - Israel 5 (SO)
South Africa 2 - Bulgaria 4
New Zealand 3 - Turkey 2
January 19
Israel 17 - South Africa 0
Turkey 3 - Iceland 0
Bulgaria 0 - Mexico 3
January 21
Israel 4 - Bulgaria 3
Iceland 7 - South Africa 2
New Zealand 1 - Mexico 2
January 22
Bulgaria 3 - Turkey 1
South Africa 1 - New Zealand 12
Mexico 1 - Iceland 4
January 24
Turkey 2 - Israel 6
Iceland 5 - New Zealand 6
Mexico 9 - South Africa 2
Team Recap
Mexico: The host team started off facing Israel. It didn't look good for them early on, as Israel scored just under two minutes into the game. A powerplay five minutes later lead to Antonio Najera scoring to tie the game. Israel closed out the period with a goal, as Mexico found themselves down 2-1 after the first. Mexico had a quick start to the second, scoring twice in three minutes to take the lead. Israel tied the game up midway through the period. Goals by Andy Senties and Arunas Bermejo late in the period helped Mexico regain the lead. A goal by Israel closed out the period, as this time Mexico went into an intermission up a goal. They kept in the lead the rest of the way. Arturo Garcia scored to put Mexico up by two, but Israel responded minutes later. Mexico held on to win the game 6-5. Mexico had a strong start against Turkey, but a couple of penalties late in the period derailed that momentum. Turkey scored on the powerplay twice (late in the first then early in the second), as Mexico found themselves down 2-0. Penalties were plentiful in the second, as both teams combined for 20 PIMs in the period (all minor penalties). Mexico finally broke the shutout in the third, as Senties scored early in the period. Alan Benabib potted one with over five minutes to tie the game. A powerplay minutes later led to Senties scoring to give Mexico the lead. They held on for the remaining three-plus minutes, as Mexico came back to win the game 3-2. Against Bulgaria, it was Mexico's turn to strike first. Luis Cruz scored almost eight minutes into the first to put Mexico on the board. Cruz wasn't done there, as he later converted on a penalty shot attempt. Mexico added one more goal late in the third. Jaime Perez stopped 18 shots in the shutout effort, as Mexico beat Bulgaria 3-0. Facing New Zealand, an early powerplay goal by Garcia gave Mexico the lead. It stayed that way until late in the period, when New Zealand got a powerplay goal of their own to tie the game. The tie was broken midway through the second, as Garcia netted his second of the game. Mexico did well in stifling New Zealand's offence in the third as they went on to win 2-1. Mexico had a less-than-ideal start against Iceland, as they gave up the first goal minutes into the game. Jorge Perez scored halfway through the period to tie the game. It stayed 1-1 until the third, when Iceland's offence came to life. Mexico couldn't contain Iceland, as they gave up three goals to them in the third period. Mexico ended up losing the game 4-1. Mexico's last opponent was South Africa. Mexico's offence was awake in the first, as they found the back of the net four times. The second period was a little closer thanks to powerplay goals, as Mexico outscored South Africa 2-1 in the period. Mexico changed goalies five minutes into the third, as Sebastian de la Vega (stopped eight of nine shots) gave way to Jaime Perez. Perez only faced one shot in the period, and they shot found a way past him. Mexico closed out the game with three unanswered, as they take it game 9-2. Mexico finished the tournament in first place, earning the gold in front of the home crowd, and a place in Division II for next year.
Bulgaria: The Bulgarians kicked the tournament off facing New Zealand. A high-shooting first period by both teams resulted in two goals, both by Bulgaria. The play carried over into the second period, expect this time it was New Zealand getting one on the board. It slowed down in the third, but Bulgaria was in more control this time. Veselin Dikov scored twice in the final frame, capping off his hat trick in the process. Bulgaria went on to win the game 4-1. Bulgaria had a good start against Iceland, as they scored twice midway through the first. a penalty late in the period would lead to Iceland scoring to break the shutout. The second period saw Tomislav Georgiev score on the powerplay to restore Bulgaria's two-goal lead. This lasted about two minutes, as Iceland was quick to respond. Bulgaria managed to fend off a ferocious Icelandic attack in the third, and even added on more, as they took the game 4-2. Against South Africa, Bulgaria did well in not giving their opponent much in the first. Dikov and Georgiev had goals in the opening period to give Bulgaria a 2-0 lead after the first. South Africa scored minutes into the second, but Georgiev was able to restore the two-goal lead later in the period. The third period was much of the some, as Bulgaria responded later in the period after South Africa potted a goal. Bulgaria would win 4-2 for the second straight time. Bulgaria had a tougher time against Mexico. The Bulgarians could not find the back of the net, and their offense declined as the game progress. Dimitar Dimitrov did what he could to keep his team close, stopping 29 of 32 shots. Bulgaria got shut out by the host 3-0. Looking to rebound against Israel, it did not look good for the Bulgarians. They gave up a powerplay goal seven minutes into the game. A penalty shot stop by Dimitrov gave Bulgaria some momentum, as Daniel Dilkov scored minutes later to tie the game. They took the lead early in the second thanks to Georgi Blagoev. the lead did not last the period, as two late goals by Israel again put Bulgaria down a goal. Bulgaria wasn't given much of a chance to tie the game in the third, as they only mustered four shots. Both teams scored in the final frame, as Bulgaria lost their second game in a row by a score of 4-3. Trying to end their tournament on a high note against Turkey, Bulgaria would open the scoring early. Atanas Chompolov's goal under four minutes into the game gave the Bulgarians a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until the second, when Petar Tchaliov scored to extend Bulgaria's lead. Bulgaria added onlt more in the third, thanks to Blagoev. They could not hang on for the shutout though, as Turkey scored midway though the third. Bulgaria did hold on to win 3-1. Bulgaria ended the tournament in second place, earning the silver medal.
New Zealand: New Zealand faced Bulgaria in the tournament's opening game. The Kiwis had the shot advantage in the first, but could not find the back of the net. Instead, it was Bulgaria who found it twice in the opening frame. The second period was a bit better for New Zealand, as Joshua Rawiri scored to put them on the board. The third was not good for the Kiwis, as on two separate occasions they were called for checking to the head (one penalty was a major and an ejection, the other was a minor and a misconduct). Bulgaria scored on the major, and added another later in the period. The Ice Blacks fell in their first game 4-1. Facing Israel next, New Zealand opened the scoring late in the first thanks to Oliver Hay. Israel tied the game early in the second on a powerplay goal. Hay's took over from their, scoring on the powerplay and penalty kill to earn his hat trick. Israel added one more on the powerplay before the end of the period. New Zealand added to their lead in the third, as they scored three times in the period. The Ice Blacks won the game 6-2. New Zealand didn't havea good start against Turkey, as they were outshot 10-5 in the period. Despite that, the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes. The Ice Blacks looked like a new team in the second, as they poured on the shots. Hay would finally break the tie midway through the period, scoring shorthanded. Mason Kennedy added a powerplay goal later on, as New Zealand headed into the intermission up 2-0. It took 33 seconds from the start of the third for Hay to score his second of the game. Penalty trouble by New Zealand saw their lead start slipping away, as Turkey scored twice on the powerplay. New Zealand managed to hang on to their one-goal lead, as they ended the game with the 3-2 win. New Zealnd faced Mexico next. A penalty early in the game by the Kiwis led to Mexico taking the lead. New Zealand did get a powerplay goal late in the period to tie the game. Mexico regained the lead midway through the second. New Zealand could not get anything going in the third, as they were limited to three shots. The Kiwis lost 2-1 against the host. New Zealand looked to rebound against South Africa. They looked good early on, as they netted a pair of goals in the first. South Africa scored late in the period to cut the Kiwis lead in half. The rest of the game were all New Zealand. They found the back oft eh net six times in the second and four times in the third. Evan Froger had little to do, stopping eight of nine shots, as New Zealand blew out South Africa 12-1. New Zealand closed out their tournament against Iceland, in what was the bronze medal game. New Zealand had a good first period, as Joel Scott and Robin Vortanov scored to put the Kiwis up 2-0. The second was goal city, starting off with a pair from Iceland to tie the game. Noah Leahy responded minutes later to put the Ice Blacks in the lead. Some penalty trouble hindered New Zealand, as Iceland scored two powerplay goals to take the lead. The Kiwis did catch a break later in the period, as they got a powerplay goal from Mason Kennedy. A powerplay early in the third led to Thomas Carson-Pratt scoring to once again put New Zealand ahead. It didn't last long, as Iceland tied the game a minute-and-a-half later. The game looked to be going to overtime until late in the period, when Iceland took a penalty. Carson-Pratt scored his second powerplay goal of the period with just under two minutes left. The Ice Blacks hung on to squeeze out the 6-5 victory. New Zealand finished in third place, taking home the bronze medal.
Israel: It looked good for Israel early on against Mexico. Ilya Spektor scored just under two minutes in to put the Israelis in the lead. A penalty by Spektor minutes later opened the door for Mexico to tie the game, which they did. Spektor would make it up before the end of the period, as he scored to give Israel a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission. Mexico started quick in the second scoring twice. Now down by a goal, Israel would tie the game up midway through the second, as Spektor found the back of the net to cap off his hat trick. Mexico scored twice later on in the period, while Mark Revniaga added one, as Israel now found themselves down a goal. Israel looked to tie the game in the third, but their efforts were all for naught. Spektor scored his fourth goal of the game after Mexico extended their lead. Israel wound up losing 6-5 in their opening game. Against New Zealand, Israel would find themselves down 1-0 after the first. Mark Revniaga scored on the powerplay early in the second to tie the game. That didn't last long, as a too man men penalty by Israel led to New Zealand re-taking the lead. Israel looked to have an advantage late in the period, as a New Zealand player was assessed a five and a game for kneeing. Denis Kozev did score on that powerplay, but not before New Zealand scored shorthanded. Israel did not have an answer for New Zealand in the third, as they gave up three goals to the Kiwis. Israel went on to lose 6-2. Facing Iceland next, Israel did not have a good start. Iceland scored twice in 21 seconds midway through the first to take a 2-0 lead. Revniaga scored later in the period to pull Israel to within a goal. Israel gave up a goal halfway htough te second period, once again going down two goals. Oro Kafri scored on the powerplay before the period ended, as Israel went into the intermission down 3-2. A one minute span midway through the third saw Iceland score twice, with Israel getting a goal in between the Icelandic ones. Needing two goals to tie the game and time winding down, Israel pulled their goalie. It worked, as Roey Aharonovich scored with the extra attacker. A minute later, with the net still empty, Aharonovich scored again, tying the game. Overtime wasn't eventful, as the game needed a shootout to decide a winner. Israel could not complete the comeback as they could not convert on their shootout chances. Israel lost to Iceland 6-5. Facing South Africa, Israel gave them no chance. Spektor (four goals) and Evgueni Natalchenko both got hat tricks in the game, with a couple other players scoring two. Max Gokhberg (seven saves) and Raz Werner (two saves) shared duties in stopping all nine shots they faced (combined). Israel blew out South Africa 17-0. Israel looked to continue rolling against Bulgaria. It looked good early on, as Aharonovich scored on the powerplay to put the Israelis up 1-0. Gur Sever had a chance to extend the lead on a penalty shot, but missed on his attempt. Bulgaria scored late in the period to tie the game. Bulgaria took the lead early in the second, but Aharonovich and Revniaga scored late in the period to put Israel up 3-2 after 40 minutes. Aharonovich capped off his hat trick with a goal midway through the third period. Bulgaria scored once more, but that was all Israel allowed, as they hung on to win 4-3. Israel ended their tournament against Turkey. Kozev opened the scoring late in the first, as Israel had a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Israel had quite a few penalties in the second, and it ended up biting them. Turkey scored on a powerplay midway through the second to tie the game. Spektor and Revniaga each had a pair in the third, as Israel rattled off four unanswered. Both teams swapped goals late in the period, as Israel went on to win 6-2. Israel finished in fourth place.
Iceland: Iceland started off their tournament on day two, facing Bulgaria. It did not look good for Iceland, as they fell behind 2-0 midway through the first. Vignir Arnason scored late in the first to pull Iceland to within a goal. Both teams scored a goal in the second. Iceland poured on the shots in the third, but were unsuccessful at finding the back of the net. Bulgaria added one more, as Iceland lost their opening game 4-2. Iceland had a much better start against Israel, as Edmunds Induss and Bjarki Johannesson scored 21 seconds apart to give Iceland a 2-0 lead. Israel scored later in the period. Iceland scored halfway through the second to take a two-goal lead, but an Israeli powerplay goal late in the period brought Iceland's lead back down to one. Hafthor Sigrunarson scored his second of the game in the third. That was followed by Israel and Iceland swapping goals in less than a minute. Iceland was looking to hold on to the 5-3 score line for the remainder of the third period. Unfortunately, they could not, as Israel scored twice with an extra attacker to tie the game. Overtime solved nothing, as a shootout was needed. Iceland prevailed in the end, as they converted on both their attempts. Iceland took the game 6-5. Against Turkey, it was a low event game for Iceland. It wasn't until midway through the second when Turkey broke the deadlock. Turkey added two more in the third, as Iceland could not solver the Turkish netminder. Atli Valdimarsson stopped 13 of 15 shots for Iceland, as his team was shut out 3-0. Iceland had a great start against South Africa, as they scored three times in the first nine minutes. Iceland scored two more in the second before South Africa got on the board. It was the same in the third, as Iceland scored twice before South Africa got a goal. Iceland ended up scored more goals than South Africa had shots, as they took the game 7-2. Iceland had a tougher task in their next game, as they faced the host Mexico. They got off to a quick start, as Johannesson scored just over three minutes in to give Iceland the lead. Mexico did respond midway through the period to tie the game. It stayed tied until the third, when Elvar Olafsson scored to put Iceland ahead. They added two more in the period, as Iceland stunned the host 4-1. Iceland faced New Zealand in their last game, with the possibility of winning a bronze medal. It did not look good for the Icelandic squad, as New Zealand scored twice in the first. It was goals galore in the second, starting off with a pair from Iceland just two minutes into the period. New Zealand responded minutes later. Iceland converted on a couple of powerplays, taking their first lead of the game in the process. New Zealand scored a powerplay goal of their own, as the game went into the third period tied 4-4. Both teams scored early in the third. The game looked to be heading until overtime, until Iceland took a penalty late in the game. New Zealand took advantage of it, scoring to regain the lead. Iceland ran out of time, as they lost 6-5. Iceland finished the tournament in fifth place.
Turkey: Turkey's first opponent was South Africa. Turkey showed no mercy to their opponents, as they scored five times in the first period. Their goal scoring slowed down in the later periods, but they still managed to put up 20-plus shots in each period. Hakan Slat scored a natural hat trick, and Tolga Bozaci stopped eight shots, as Turkey shut out South Africa 10-0. Turkey faced Mexico next. It didn't look good for the Turks in the first, as Mexico controlled most of the play. They did catch a break late in the period, when Mexico committed two minor penalties. Huseyin Secer scored on the two-man advantage to put Turkey in the lead. Still on the powerplay to start the second, Ferhat Bakal scored to extend Turkey's lead. Their shutout was broken early in the second, as Mexico scored to cut Turkey's lead to one. The lead evaporated late in the third, as Mexico tied the game. A badly timed penalty by Turkey ended their hopes of escaping with at least a point, as Mexico scored on the powerplay to take the lead. Turkey ran out of time, as they ended up losing the game 3-2. Turkey had a good start against New Zealand, but despite doubling them in shots, could not find the back of the net. The deadlock would be broke by New Zealand in the second, as Turkey could not handle their special teams. Turkey went down 3-0 in the third, as New Zealand scored 33 seconds after the period started. The Turks did catch a break a little later, as a powerplay resulted in Ogun Uzunali scoring to put Turkey on the board. Another powerplay soon after saw Bakal score to pull Turkey to within a goal. Turkey tried to tie the game, but failed to do so in the end, as they lost to New Zealand 3-2. Against Iceland, Turkey had a low-event game. The Turks would strike first, as Bakal scored on the powerplay midway through the second. Bakal scored again early in the third to extend Turkey's lead. Fatih Faner added an empty netter, and Bozaci stopped all 17 shots he faced, as Turkey shut out Iceland 3-0. Against Bulgaria, Turkey did not have a good start, as they gave up the opening goal four minutes into the game. They fell behind 2-0, as Bulgaria extended their lead late in the second. The score would be 3-0 before Uzunali scored midway through the third to put Turkey on the board. That ended up being Turkey's lone goal, as they lost to Bulgaria 3-1. Turkey played Israel in their final game. Once again, Turkey gave up the oping goal of the game, as Israel scored late in the first period. Bakal found the back for the net in the second period to tie the game. The third period was bad for Turkey, as they could not buy a save. Almost everything Israel threw at them went in the net. Abdullah Avci had a late goal for Turkey, as they ended up losing 6-2. Turkey finished the tournament in sixth place.
South Africa: South Africa had a very disappointing tournament. Starting off against Turkey, they had no answer. Turkey pour it on them, scoring five in the first period. South Africa struggled the rest of the way. It got so bad that they didn't register a shot in the third period. Marcello Strydom and Aslam Khan did what they could for their team, stopping a combined 55 shots, but in the end South Africa would be blown out 10-0. South Africa had a much better game against Bulgaria, as they managed to hold them to just two goals in the first period. A powerplay early in the second saw Janus Saaiman score, giving South Africa their first goal of the tournament. Bulgaria scored before the end of the second period. Gareth Bremner scored in the third to pull South Africa to within a goal. That was as close as they got though, as Bulgaria added one more. South Africa might have lost again, but it was by a much more respectable 4-2 score line. It went back to being really bad for South Africa when they faced Israel. It was so bad that Strydom and Khan were replaced twice during the game. The nine shots South Africa put on net were all stopped, as Israel shut them out 17-0. It didn't get much better against Iceland, as South Africa gave up five unanswered before Sky Johnson scored midway through the second to break the shutout. Iceland scored twice in the third, while Bremner scored before the end of the game. South Africa lost 7-2 to Iceland. Against New Zealand, it looked like there would be a bit of hope for South Africa. While they were outshot 11-4 in the first, they were only down 2-1 after 20 minutes thanks to Matthew Ruthven's late goal. That was as close as South Africa would be, as New Zealand poured it on, scoring six in the second and four in the third. For the third time in the tournament, South Africa lost by a double-digit margin, as they were walloped by New Zealand 12-1. South Africa ended their dismal tournament facing the host Mexico. It was bad for them in the first, as Mexico scored four times. South Africa gave up one more goal in the second before Bremner scored on the powerplay to break the shutout. Mexico added another on the powerplay before the period ended. Saaiman scored in the third to give South Afica their second goal of the game. Mexico scored three unanswered to end the game, as South Africa lost 9-2. South Africa finished the tournament in seventh, going pointless and finishing as the only team to not have a positive goal differential.
