Italy - Hungary 4-3 (3-1, 0-1, 0-1, 1-0) Game Sheet Photos

BUDAPEST – Italy will be back in the Top Division next year in Finland and Sweden. The Azzurri won the deciding game against Hungary 4-3 in overtime. Armin Helfer scored the overtime game winner while Giulio Scandella netted two goals.

“It was my dream to win this game as a team,” Helfer said. “It was kind of luck that it was me, who scored the goal. We began like a rocket and had a quick lead, but we let them come back. Somehow we managed not to concede another goal and had the luck we needed in overtime.”

While Italy changes between the Top Division and Division I for the fourth straight season, Hungary will have to stay in the second tier for the third straight year after being relegated in 2009.

“It was a hell of a game!” said Scandella, another key player in Italy’s triumph in Budapest. “We knew it’s going to be a battle out there as Hungary really played a great tournament. Our guys worked hard for the full time, we never gave up and kept pressing and forcing them until we came out with the win.”

The game before 8,723 fans at the Laszlo Papp Sportarena was a drama with more than 100 shots (57-48 for Italy) and with the better end for the Italian side. The blue squad gave up a two-goal lead in a great Hungarian comeback, but eventually Italy decided the game after 56 seconds of the extra period.

“We saved the best for last. We have great leaders on our hockey team. We wanted to catch our breath and give our leaders the opportunity to lead,” Italy’s head coach Rick Cornacchia said. “But Hungary was a great team. They put in a great effort. They came back into the game, but we didn’t break.”

Everything was ready for a party for the Hungarians, who have had the best tournament record before the deciding game. Thousands of coloured sheets were distributed in the arena so as to have the Hungarian tricolour throughout the entire venue.

But then it was the Italians who celebrated on the ice shortly after the first puck drop, and the “Ria, Ria, Hungaria” chants were interrupted by the Azzurro goal song played for the Italians more often than the home fans could have imagined in their worst nightmare.

Michael Souza gave Italy the lead at 3:36 when he shot the puck in after a centering pass from Matt de Marchi.

Souza was also in the spotlight some minutes later. The Italians enjoyed a man advantage after an unnecessary hit from behind by Hungary’s Balint Magosi, but only half-a-minute later an interference penalty was called against Souza and the game continued with 4-on-4 action.

Italy won the face-off in its own zone and the puck went to Scandella, who rushed along the boards before beating Hungarian netminder Zoltan Hetenyi with a low shot for a 2-0 lead at 10:00.

This was one goal too many for the liking of Hungary’s coach Ted Sator, who replaced Hetenyi with Levente Szuper.

“Hetenyi has been strong the whole week and in the practices,” Sator said after the game when asked about the decision who would be the starter.

The signal to his team paid off. The power play started to work and a penalty call against Jonathan Pittis created a two-man advantage for the Hungarians that Balazs Ladanyi converted into a goal. Italy’s lead was cut to 2-1 after Ladanyi’s low shot from the left side.

The Hungarians, however, couldn’t gain momentum from that situation, partly due to taking two penalties. The Italians converted on the second man advantage with 9.5 seconds left in the first period. Scandella scored his second goal after Armin Helfer made a good pass from the blueline to the crease.

Just like the first period, the second featured lots of scoring opportunities at both ends. Although the Italians had more shots on goal, it was the Hungarians who scored the only goal of the period.

Italian goalkeeper Daniel Bellissimo, who got his second start of the tournament according to Cornacchia’s initial plan to split goaltending, blocked a shot by Adam Hegyi, but Ladislav Sikorcin was in the right spot to capitalize on the rebound at 9:57.

The Hungarians had a strong start to the third period. They didn’t capitalize on a power play in the beginning, but soon afterwards. Istvan Sofron skated from the right side toward Bellissimo and was blocked by Italian defenceman Armin Hofer, but the puck slid to Martin Vas, who tied the game at 3-3 at 4:21.

Hungary outshot Italy 20-17 in the third period, but the score remained 3-3, and the game for the Division I gold medals and promotion had to be decided in overtime.

“We knew it would be a fantastic hockey game. Our team showed a lot of character and heart, it’s a very special group,” Hungary coach Sator said. “Being down 2-0 after ten minutes was not what we envisioned, but we did a good job after.”

“It’s never a nice feeling when you lose a two-goal lead,” Scandella said. “But we regrouped on the bench and kept going and we got that fortunate power play at the end that definitely helped us.”

The Italians started the extra time with the man advantage as Andras Horvath had got a penalty for hooking down Scandella with 45 seconds left in the third period.

They immediately put pressure on Szuper’s goal and 56 seconds into the overtime period the Italians started to cheer. A long-range shot from Helfer went in off the crossbar in the top-right corner. After video review and a short period of trembling for both squads, the goal was confirmed, and the Azzurri started to celebrate their return to the top division.

“There’s no big difference between Italy and Hungary. Today it was maybe the shape or luck that decided in our favour,” Helfer said after his overtime goal. “It was a very attractive game from both teams and there were lots of shots. In the end we had the ounce of luck that you need to win such a game, and they didn’t.”

Final Ranking:
1. Italy 11
2. Hungary 10
3. Korea 4
4. Netherlands 3
5. Spain 3

Individual Awards as selected by the Tournament Directorate:
Best Goalkeeper: Hyun Seung Eum, Korea
Best Defenceman: Armin Helfer, Italy
Best Forward: Istvan Sofron, Hungary

Korea vs. Spain 2-3 (0-1, 1-0, 1-1, 0-1) Game Sheet Photos

BUDAPEST – Spain finished its Division I adventure on a positive note with a 3-2 win in overtime against Korea, but thanks to the point won in this game the Koreans received the bronze medals despite the defeat.

Spain hadn’t beaten Korea in the World Championship since the 1995 C-Pool before Saturday’s encounter in Budapest. Korea had won six games against Spain since while one match ended in a tie.

The game meant more trouble for Korea than expected as Spain claimed the lead twice despite being outshot 59-25 by the Koreans.

Spain had more luck with its offensive action also in overtime. Juan Brabo passed the puck along the boards after four minutes, but it bounced out of track at the end boards towards the Korean cage, where Salvador Barnola defeated a surprised Korean goalie Hyun Seung Eum.

The end of the game didn't spoil the Korean party as the Asians just needed one point to receive their first-ever Division I medals in the bronze colour, and that’s exactly what they got.

Prior to this event, last year’s fifth-place finish had been the best Division I placing ever for Korea.

Spain will be relegated despite the overtime win. The Spaniards would have needed a regulation time win with a margin of at least five goals to stay in Division I after their first-ever participation at this level.

The Netherlands finished the event in fourth place after defeating Spain in regulation time but losing yesterday’s match against Korea.

Korea had a good start into the game with lots of shots and three power plays, but the Asians weren’t able to outplay the opponent’s defence as they partly did one day ago.

Korean head coach Hee Woo Kim took his time-out already after 13 minutes of play to wake up his team, but it didn’t have the effect he wanted.

Spain put itself on the scoreboard for the first time with two minutes left in the first period. Korea goalkeeper Eum didn’t bring the puck under control after a weak shot from Bastien Ribot-Tona, and Juan Jose Palacin capitalized on the rebound.

The beginning of the second period wasn’t promising for the Asians, either. Tae An Kwon was sent to the dressing room with a five-minute major and a game misconduct penalty for boarding. He hit Daniel Hilario into the boards, but the Spaniard managed to return later.

Spain, however, couldn’t capitalize on the long power play, and with 3:37 left in the second period Korea’s Kim line tied things up. Won Jung Kim scored after Geun Ho Kim’s drop pass from behind the net.

Korea was close from gaining the lead during a penalty kill in the third period when Spain cleared a puck on the goal line, but it was Spain’s youngsters that succeeded at 5:23 on the other end.

Korean netminder Eum was down after blocking a shot from Alejandro Pedraz, and Carlos Quevedo shot the puck into the empty net from a sharp angle for the 2-1 goal.

Because Korea needed to reach overtime at least to earn bronze, the Asians were desperately looking for their second goal – and again it was the Kim unit that tied the game.

Spanish goalkeeper Alcaine was struggling with a shot from the blueline from Hyeok Kim, and Won Jung Kim was there to push the puck over the goal line.

It was the goal that helped write Korean hockey history, but in overtime Barnola wrote hockey history for Spain as well with his overtime goal despite the relegation back to Division II.

MARTIN MERK

KYIV – With a tournament-closing 3-2 overtime win over host Ukraine on Saturday, Kazakhstan returned to the elite division for 2012 after just a one-year absence. In earlier Division I Group B action, Great Britain earned silver by beating Poland 3-2, and Lithuania relegated Estonia with a 5-2 victory.

Kazakhstan – Ukraine 3-2 (0-0, 1-1, 1-1, 1-0) Game Sheet Photos

Earning its fifth straight victory on what was ultimately an inconsequential OT goal by Fyodor Polishuk at 2:01, Kazakhstan parked Ukraine’s hopes of rejoining the elite 16 like the two Skoda cars at either end of the packed Palace of Sports. The Ukrainians settled for bronze.

"Kazakhstan has been the best team of the tournament," said Ukrainian head coach Dave Lewis. "They deserve where they're going next."

"If you win something, it’s always special, especially with your national team,' said happy Kazakh forward Konstantin Pushkaryov. "It’s twice as good."

Although Ukraine brought the tournament’s top scoring trio in the Minsk-based line of Oleg Shafarenko, Oleg Tymchenko, and Olexander Materukhin, it couldn’t muster the offence it needed – victory by four or more goals – to take top spot.

Even the relentlessly enthusiastic crowd, including the military cheering section that occupied the Kazakh end of the arena for Periods One and Three, wasn’t able to lift the home team quite high enough.

It was a physical, fast-skating game with stickwork aplenty in front of the net and along the boards.

"This was the most difficult game for us, both psychologically and because Ukraine created more chances against us than anyone else did," said Kazakh head coach Andrei Khomutov.

The Ukrainians ran into penalty trouble at the outset, giving Kazakhstan an extended two-man advantage. However, they killed it off with authority, and goalie Kostyantyn Simchuk grabbed the puck with extra flourish when he made a save.

At 8:24, Ukraine’s Dmytro Nimenko was sent off for checking from behind in the Kazakh zone. Simchuk stood tall again again, stopping Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev on a golden chance from the right faceoff circle. While the Ukrainians managed another kill, they wasted precious time that should have gone toward goal-scoring.

"We were forced into penalties because of how fast Kazakhstan played," said Lewis. "They came at us hard."

Kazakhstan’s Roman Savchenko tripped up Alexi Mikhnov to give the Ukrainians a man advantage to close out the period. Yet Kazakhstan’s strong box play left Ukraine without a single prime scoring opportunity.

The penalty parade continued in the second period. Ukraine’s Sergei Klymentiev clipped Yevgeni Fadeyev with a high stick in the Ukrainian end just after the four-minute mark.

It was with Tymchenko in the box for tripping that Maxim Belyayev opened the scoring with a solo power play effort for Kazakhstan at 11:11 of the second, coming around the net and putting it upstairs on Simchuk.

After that, the Kazakhs began clogging up the neutral zone to frustrate their opponents. Still Ukraine, continued to press and the Kazakhs bent, taking three consecutive minor penalties.

Ukraine finally broke through with 20 seconds left in the period, as Yuri Navarenko grabbed the puck to the right of Kazakh goalie Vitali Yeremeyev and banged it in the open side. (Navarenko, quirkily, once played three years in Spain before returning to his native land.) The crowd exploded with relieved joy.

There was more excitement just past the five-minute mark of the third when Tymchenko backhanded home a rebound to make it 2-1 Ukraine. The Ukrainians lost some momentum, though, when Klymentiev took a slashing penalty almost immediately afterwards.

With 7:38 remaining, Kazakhstan fought back and got the tying goal courtesy of Andrei Gavrilin on a nice setup by Alexei Troshinski.

Facing a desperate situation, the Ukrainians tried to break through the Kazakh defence. But there was no way for them to score enough goals with the limited time remaining.

"As far as our approach to the tournament, I don't know that I would change a lot," said Lewis.

When the buzzer sounded to end regulation time, the Kazakhs rushed to the bench to congratulate one another, knowing they'd won whatever happened next, since they would get at least one point. It was certainly an unusual way to celebrate, but that didn't matter to Kazakhstan.

"This was a tough game," said Pushkaryov. "We scored, they scored. Lots of power plays, lots of penalty-killing. But we stayed in the game and we did the right things."

Now Kazakhstan will look ahead to 2012, wondering whether it can stay up in the top division or even improve on its all-time best finish, 12th place in 2005.

Despite not getting promoted, Ukraine can take pride in a hospitable, well-organized, and well-supported Division I tournament. The Ukrainians will now look forward to news next month from the IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. Competing with Denmark and Russia, they’re bidding to host the 2016 Worlds, and the allocation will be announced during the IIHF General Congress in Bratislava.

Final Ranking:
1. Kazakhstan 14
2. Great Britain 12
3. Ukraine 10
4. Poland 6
5. Lithuania 3
6. Estonia 0

Individual Awards as selected by the Tournament Directorate:
Best Goalie: Stephen Murphy, Great Britain
Best Defenceman: Roman Savchenko, Kazakhstan
Best Forward: Olexander Materukhin, Ukraine

Poland – Great Britain 2-3 (1-2, 1-0, 0-1) Game Sheet Photos

Great Britain ultimately earned silver with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Poland in Saturday’s Division I Group B action.

With 6:56 left in the game, working with a 5-on-4 advantage, Ben O’Connor scored the winner from the side of the net, stuffing one past Polish goalie Rafal Radziszewski’s pad and punching the air in exultation.

"We're obviously elated," said British coach Paul Thompson. "Poland is a very good team, and we had to contain lots of pressure. Our goalie, Stephen Murphy, proved he's as good as any goalie."

After Kazakhstan beat Ukraine 4-3 in overtime in the closing game, Britain's 12 points assured it of silver.

Jonathan Weaver chipped in a goal and an assist and David Clarke added two helpers for the British.

"Great Britain was very good, maybe better than in previous years," admitted Polish coach Wiktor Pysz.

For this game, the Poles were drastically undermanned. They played with just 16 skaters, lacking injured forwards Jakub Witecki, Damian Slabon, and Krzysztof Zapala, and defenceman Jaroslaw Klys. Yet they outshot the British 37-20.

With the loss, Poland finished fourth in Group B. It’s just the second time in the last nine years that Poland has wound up lower than second in a Division I group.

The Poles grabbed a 1-0 lead at 6:51 when Filip Drzewiecki accepted a slick Krystian Dziubinski centering pass from behind the goal and beat Murphy from the edge of the crease. That tally sparked the red-and-white squad for a while, as they carried the play with crisp passes and put the British back on their heels.

A pair of quick goals restored the Union Jack’s momentum. The British capitalized with 6:45 left in the first period, using a sweet three-way passing play on the man advantage. Jonathan Weaver finished it off by beating Radziszewski high to the glove side from the slot.

"We were banking on our power play and it paid off," said Thompson.

Just 40 seconds later, Britain took a 2-1 lead when Russell Cowley burst into the zone and flung a wrister that tipped off the Polish defender into the net.

The second period was a tense duel. The crowd gasped when Britain’s Danny Meyers stepped into the Polish zone and rang one off the goal post. Apart from the small but vocal contingent of British fans, they heartily chanted “Polska!”, knowing that a Polish victory would make it easier for host Ukraine to earn promotion. 

Poland gained courage, bagging the equalizer with 6:24 left in the second period, as Krystian Dziubinski one-timed home a Filip Drzewiecki feed from behind the goal line. The Poles began going hard to the net, and Murphy had to be sharp to foil a 2-on-1 attack with under two minutes left.

Vigorous Polish forechecking slowed the pace and forced Britain into the third period’s first penalty, as Corey Neilson was sent off for tripping at 6:48. But considerable pressure around Murphy’s crease yielded nothing.

The Poles pulled their netminder with under a minute left, but no avail. The British mobbed their goalie in celebration before the playing of "God Save The Queen."

Thompson spoke afterwards about the importance of continuing to add players in their teens and 20's to the British roster, preparing for the day when valued veterans like David Longstaff and Ashley Tait no longer carry the load. "We had just four days to prepare," he added, noting that an increase in that area would also pay dividends.

Lithuania – Estonia 5-2 (2-1, 1-1, 2-0) Game Sheet Photos

Povalis Verenis scored two goals to lift Lithuania to a 5-2 win over Estonia in Saturday’s Division I Group B opener. The result gives Lithuania fifth place and a Division I berth next year, while Estonia is relegated.

Lithuania has hung on to its spot in Division I each year since securing promotion from Division II in 2004.

Verenis got the winner midway through the game. At 11:57 of the second, he took a pass from Arnoldas Bosas, cruised to the top of the hash marks, and shot a low wrister past Koitmaa, restoring Lithuania’s two-goal lead.

Donatas Kumeliauskas led Lithuanian point-getters with a goal and a pair of assists, and Bosas and Egidijus Bauba had two helpers apiece.

"The key to our victory was good discipline," said Lithuanian coach Sergej Borisov. "I am satisfied with the result."

The Estonians were outscored 29-8 over five games and will treat this as a learning experience. They topped Division II in 2010 with a massive goal differential of 62-5. But the speed and intensity of Division I, relatively speaking, was a bit too much for them to handle, although they improved in their last two games, including a 5-2 loss to host Ukraine.

"We had some problems with goaltending in this tournament," said Estonian coach Dmitrij Medvedev. "Our top goalie, Mark Rajevski, couldn't play because he couldn't get away due to work commitments. In this game, Villem-Henrik Koitmaa had some difficulties. Also, we took a lot of penalties and you can't win that way."

The power play was a major key for Lithuania.

Leading Lithuanian scorer Mindaugas Kieras drew first blood at 5:12 on the power play, sending a center point drive past Koitmaa. At 9:49, it was Arturis Katulis firing home a power play slapper from the left faceoff circle before Koitmaa could get across. Despite skating hard, the Estonians didn’t move the puck well enough to capitalize on either of their two man advantages.

Estonia got on the board with 43 seconds left in the first period when Vassili Titarenko poked the puck past the left post of Lithuanian goalie Mantas Armalis.

In the second period, the Estonians started laying on the body to slow down their Baltic rivals, but they ran into more sin bin trouble with stick fouls.

Underdog Estonia refused to quit, making it 3-2 with 4:40 remaining in the middle frame. Aleksandr Petrov knifed through the Lithuanian defence before dishing a lovely pass right to Toivo Sursoo, who fired it in the open side.

The Lithuanians got some breathing room at 8:28 of the third period when Kumeliauskas came down the right side and unleashed a shot that squeaked through Koitmaa's glove.

Hopes of an Estonian comeback faltered in the last 10 minutes with more untimely penalties, including a double-minor for high-sticking to top sniper Andrei Makrov. Verenis added an empty-netter with 1:02.

There is a bright spot for the future of Estonian hockey in 18-year-old Robert Rooba. Although the tall Espoo Blues junior forward went pointless in his Division I debut, he is ranked 92nd among European skaters for the upcoming NHL draft. No Estonian-born and trained player has ever played in the NHL.

LUCAS AYKROYD

BUDAPEST – After three wins and a 26-7 goal difference, it’s the moment of truth for Hungary, the host of the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A. The game against Italy will decide who will be top – and who not – next year.

The Laszlo Papp Sportarena in Budapest has been a good venue for the Hungarians so far. Not only because it was full and the atmosphere great when the home team played, but also because of the team’s perfect record.

However, against Italy it will be another story. It would be a surprise if the Hungarians could score that easily against the physically strong Italians.

The Magyars are in a similar situation as last year when they topped the standings but faced tough opposition in Slovenia in the deciding game and eventually lost.

One big difference is that Slovenia hosted last year’s event in Ljubljana. This time it’s the Hungarians who play on home ice.

While the 13-1 victory against Spain might have been fun for the players, the time comes now where heroes are needed. Heroes like the founders of Hungary whose sculptures proudly guard the Hősök tere, the gorgeous Heroes’ Square in downtown Pest.

Many players from the team had the opportunity to score goals in the last few days – 15 of them actually did – but the most impressive offensive work was done by the first line with the tournament’s scoring leader Balazs Ladanyi (1+9=10 points), Istvan Sofron (6+3=9) and Martin Vas (2+5=7).

Sometimes they outplayed their opponents with their rushes and passes as the Soviets did in the old days when facing underdog opponents. Ted Sator, the American head coach of the team since last season, found a mix of different generations and different roles.

Martin Vas, the centre of the top line, is 31 years old and is playing his ninth World Championship with the men’s national team. His brother, Janos, is also on the team.

Winger Ladanyi, 35, has been kind of his twin in their native club Dunaujvaros, later in Briançon in the French league, and now for Fehervar, the Hungarian team that plays in the Austrian league. It’s already the 17th World Championship participation for him from the third tier to the top division in 2009.

Sofron, 23, looks like the exotic guy on the line. Born in Miercurea Ciuc, a Romanian hockey town mostly populated by ethnic Hungarians, the winger debuted in the Hungarian league as an 18-year-old and just finished his fourth year in the Austrian league with Fehervar. He debuted with the men’s national team last year.

Putting the line together was no rocket science. The trio, along with defencemen Andras Horvath and Viktor Tokaji, has already been Fehervar’s top line and together they accounted for 75 goals in the Austrian league this season.

For the Division I they simply had to take over their roles and their good chemistry to the national team, and that’s exactly what they’ve done.

“The coaches in the club found a well-balanced line with us. I’m the oldest of the forwards, and the playmaker, and we have a good worker and a good shooter too in the offence,” Ladanyi said, describing the line.

That the veterans were joined by a young guy was the best that could happen for him.

“If he works well and if he keeps it simple, we will play well,” Ladanyi says about Sofron. “If he wants to be too playful rather than just shooting the puck, we could come into trouble.”

“It’s very important to play with them in the club. I think everybody can see that we feel comfortable that all five of us play together in the same line in the club,” Marton Vas echoes the sentiments of his line mate.

“I’ve played with three of them for a long time, and Sofi jumped in this year and he’s doing what we expect him to do,” the centre says. “He’s skating hard, he’s hitting people, he’s there where we need him and he’s putting the puck in the net. It was the most important thing that we found a guy who can score the goals because Ladanyi and me, we’re more the playmakers.”

Sofron remains simple and modest despite all the praise. And that’s what his line mates want. Stay simple.

“I’m happier about the wins than the six goals I scored. The only important thing is to score more goals than the opponent. It doesn’t matter who scores,” Sofron says in deflecting praise to his colleagues. “We know each other very well, that’s why we scored so many goals here. Ladanyi and Vas are two very talented players. That’s why it’s easy to work with them.”

One important reason why Hungary has become stronger in the last few years is the inclusion of the club team from Szekesfehervar into the Austrian EBEL league.

While the club has had limited success in the league, it proved to be an ideal solution for the national team.

“The club teams in Austria are better than in Hungary. We can improve there as players, but also the national team as a whole,” Sofron said.

But for now the focus is only on Italy. Ladanyi is sure that a breakdown in the worst moment like last year against Slovenia won’t happen again.

“I think we are in a different shape. Last year something wasn’t good. We played well and in the last game we played our worst hockey,” Ladanyi explains. “Now we’re in a better shape. I can’t say we will win, but we’ll try everything to win.”

MARTIN MERK

BUDAPEST – Hungary goes undefeated into the deciding game for promotion against Italy on Saturday. They steamrolled newly-promoted Spain, 13-1. In the early game Korea notched its first-ever victory against the Netherlands and aims for a historic Division I bronze placement.

Hungary vs. Spain 13-1 (5-0, 3-0, 5-1) Game Sheet Photos

Hungary showed no mercy and defeated newly-promoted Spain in a painful lesson, 13-1. It was the highest score in men’s Division I this season.

Andras Horvath, Krisztian Palkovics and Csaba Kovacs each scored two goals. The other Hungarian markers came from Pozsgai, Benk, Ladanyi, Magosi, Galanisz, Bartalis and Sofron.

Juan Brabo scored the consolation goal in the third period when Hungary had already enjoyed an eight-goal lead.

Tamas Pozsgai opened the scoring with his first goal of the tournament during a man advantage at 9:15.

The goal marked the start of the teddy bear toss. Thousands of cuddle toys from small to big were thrown onto the ice in the third time the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation organized this charitable event. The toys will be brought to charitable organizations, children’s hospitals and orphanages.

The Hungarian players were less generous with their opponents. 77 seconds after the game could be continued, Andras Benk extended the lead when he capitalized on his own rebound, and again 52 seconds later Horvath made it 3-0 after a pass to the crease from Balazs Ladanyi.

Spain head coach Antoine Lucien Basile took his time-out, but Ladanyi with a shorthander at 15:41 and Balint Magosi with a shot from the boards one minute later made it 5-0 before the first intermission.

The direction didn’t change in the middle stanza. Horvath scored the sixth goal after a centering pass from Ladanyi, Palkovics’s shot from the blueline made it 7-0, and Kovacs netted the eight goal on a rebound after Daniel Koger saw his shot blocked.

The third period was more of a warm-up for the Hungarians, who will face tougher opposition tomorrow against Italy. It will be a winner-take-all game for the gold medal and for promotion to the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Finland and Sweden.

For Spain the Division I adventure seems almost over. Only a victory with a margin of at least five goals tomorrow against Korea can save the Spaniards from the straight relegation back to Division II.

“I’m glad for the opportunity that the players were able to play against such an opponent and in such an arena before so many fans,” Spain’s coach Basile said. “If you’re smaller, slower and less talented, there’s not much to win. We worked hard, but honestly, we don’t belong to this level.”

Netherlands vs. Korea 3-6 (1-1, 2-4, 0-1) Game Sheet Photos

Was it the speed? The heart of the hard-working Koreans? Or the confusion of nine players – five of them in the same line – and the coach having the name Kim? Whatever it was, the Koreans wrote history again this year.

After their first-ever Division I victory last year, against Croatia, the Asians defeated the Netherlands for the first time ever, 6-3, and they could not only avoid relegation in the last game against Spain on Saturday, but also win the bronze medal.

“We already had the chance to beat the Netherlands three years ago, so we didn’t want to miss it this time,” Korea’s captain Woo Jae Kim said.

Three years ago the Netherlands sent Korea back to Division II with a 6-5 overtime win in a game of two completely different teams. On one side, the tall, physically strong Dutch, on the other side the smallish, speedy Koreans. Also in 2002 the first encounter between those two countries was a tight clash with a 7-5 win for the Netherlands.

Third time was a charm for Korea. This time the Asians were better and they improved especially in the discipline that was their biggest weakness in the past: shooting.

Yong Jun Lee opened the scoring at 3:48 with a shorthander. After a rush he deked both Netherlands defenceman Mike Dalhuisen and goalkeeper Ian Meierdres, but Ivy van den Heuvel tied it up with two minutes left in the first period. Diederick Hagemeijer stole the puck at the end boards from Sang Wook Kim before sending a back pass to van den Heuvel.

The Dutch began the second period with the 2-1 goal after 35 seconds when Jamie Schafsmaa scored after a side pass from Anthony Demelinne, but after that the speedy Koreans outplayed, outpassed and outshot their opponents.

“We are shorter and less strong than them, so we had to skate more than the Netherlands to defeat them,” Woo Jae Kim explained.

“We don’t have much experience against the European teams and the experience we have gained in the last few years was important for us.”

Only one minute later Won Jung Kim equalized after a pass from Sang Wook Kim. Midway through the game the Koreans regained the lead when Geun Ho Kim put the puck in after a drop pass from Woo Jae Kim. Woo Sang Kim made it 4-2 two minutes later after some more nice passing, and after two more minutes it was already 5-2 thanks to a goal from Don Ku Lee.

Ronald Wurm cut the lead, to 5-3, with four minutes left in the middle stanza with his shot from the face-off dot, but the Dutch were not able to stage a comeback in a third period with chances on both sides.

Two minutes before the final buzzer two Koreans escaped and Geun Ho Kim scored the 6-3 goal after Min Ho Cho's pass.

For Korea the Netherlands are the best-ranked opponent they have ever defeated in hockey history. Thanks to the win the bronze medals are in reach, which means they could continue the tradition of having an Asian team in third place in Japan’s absence.

The Japanese, who had won bronze in five consecutive years, couldn’t participate due to force majeure after the natural disaster that hit the country so hard. Also 14 players of the Korean national team were struck by the earthquake when they were in the Fukushima region in Japan for the Asia League finals.

Korea now just needs one point from their last game against Spain to secure third place.

If Spain wins in regulation time this would cause a three-team tie between Korea, the Netherlands and Spain in which the goal difference in the head-to-head games would decide. Before the Korea-Spain game on Saturday it’s Netherlands +3, Korea +3, Spain -6.

In the case of a Spanish win in regulation time, the Netherlands would likely move up to third place. Spain, however, would need to defeat Korea by a margin of at least five goals to avoid relegation and send Korea to Division II instead.

For the Netherlands the event is over, but in any case they cannot finish worse than fourth and will be back in Division I next year.

MARTIN MERK

BUDAPEST – Netherlands coach Tommie Hartogs can count on many players with Division I experience, but there are also new players around.

Three U20 players are participating in their first or second World Championship Division I with the big guys, notably forwards Mickey Bastings, Levi Houkes and Lars von Sloun, who all play in the Netherlands’ top-league, the Eredivisie.

Another rookie, at age 24, is the 190cm defenceman Michael Brandasu, who went an unusual way in Dutch hockey. While most players were raised in the Netherlands, with the exception of some Dutch-Canadians, Brandasu calls Norway his home.

“I was born in Holland and my parents moved to Norway when I was 10 because of work. I have played in Norway since except for two years in Denmark,” said Brandasu, who started playing hockey with the Dordrecht Lions when he was five.

While his ties to the Netherlands remained with one U18 and two U20 IIHF events, he started his senior career in 2005 in Norway’s second-tier league with Viking Stavanger and the Stavanger Oilers B-team.

After two years in Denmark’s second division for Amager Ishockey, Brandasu returned to Stavanger in 2009 where he had his debut in the top league winning his first Norwegian championship one year ago. The 2010-2011 season marked his first complete season with Norway's top team that ended with the silver medals in the playoffs this time.

„I played in the junior national teams, then we kind of lost contact, but when I won the Norwegian championship last year they contacted me,” Brandasu said. Last November he played his first exhibition games for the men’s national team at a tournament in Poland.

Playing his first World Championship Division I with the men’s team is something special for Brandasu, coming from Scandinavian hockey back into the environment of his native country with the stamp of Canadian hockey.

“It’s great to be here. It’s a bunch of good guys and it’s good to get to know them. I think it’s a talented group, it’s just a matter of time until we get better and better,” the 24-year-old says. “They play more the North American style while we play more the Scandinavian style, so it’s hard to get used, but I try my best.”

He must have done something right as coach Hartogs put him on the first line forming a back pair with Mike Dalhuisen, another of the towering defencemen the team provides. Dalhuisen is a younger guy, too. He joined the team from his second season in NCAA hockey with Quinnipiac University.

“They also have some very decent guys in the Dutch league as I can see here, although the game here in the World Championship Division I might be at a higher than they’re used to back home,” Brandasu says, “but I think they keep up pretty well. We’re doing a pretty good job and I’m proud of being with the team.”

The Netherlands will play their last game of the event today against Korea. A victory would remove them from the relegation threat and to the bronze medals after a 2-1 record with an expected win against newly-promoted Spain, and expected defeats against Hungary and Italy.

“Our goal is to stay in Division I with the best place possible,” he says and since Japan isn’t here to defend the bronze medals due to force majeure after the natural disaster, it might well be the Dutch who win their first Division I medal since 2005.

Brandasu will then return to Norway, but he will always be happy to receive a call to represent his native country.

“I hope to stay in Norway and develop my game there and come back with the Netherlands national team,” he said, outlining his career plans for the future.

MARTIN MERK

KYIV – Earning promotion from Division I is a big accomplishment, but it’s hardly the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Teams that finally make it to the elite division want to stay there. But will they?

Let’s take a look at the numbers and see what they tell us about the potential future for this year’s soon-to-be-known Division I winners.

The Division I format was instituted by the IIHF in 2001, and a total of 18 teams were promoted to the elite division in Division I competitions from 2001 to 2009.

(For the purpose of this analysis, we exclude the 2010 Division I competition, since we don’t know yet whether the two teams that earned promotion there to the elite division, Slovenia and Austria, will survive in Slovakia 2011 or be relegated immediately. Therefore, we can’t fairly judge the length of their stay. However, for teams that were promoted from Division I prior to 2010 and stayed up, we do count Slovakia 2011 as part of their extended stay.)

After being promoted, those 18 teams made it into a grand total of 49 IIHF World Championships in the span of 2002 to 2011.

At one extreme, nine (or half) of those teams were relegated immediately. They included Poland (2002), Belarus (2003), France (2004), Austria (2007), Slovenia (2008), Hungary (2009), Austria (2009), Italy (2010), and Kazakhstan (2010). In fairness, we should note that Poland and Belarus would not have been relegated immediately in the aforementioned years if it were not for the Far East Qualifier clause that reserved a place for an Asian nation (Japan in each case) in the elite division between 1998 and 2004. And Austria would not have been relegated immediately in 2009 if a 2010 place hadn’t been automatically reserved for host Germany.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have the inspirational examples of Denmark (promoted for 2003, nine straight tournaments), Belarus (promoted for 2005, seven straight tournaments), Norway (promoted for 2006, six straight tournaments), Germany, promoted for 2007, five straight tournaments), and France (promoted for 2008, four straight tournaments). As mentioned before, the Germans would have had their string broken in 2009 after finishing 15th if they weren’t hosting in 2010.

Bottom line: the average length of stay in the elite division for a team promoted from Division I is 2.72 tournaments.

So whoever gets promoted should enjoy it while it lasts. Think about the unfortunate Hungarians. After 1939, they had to wait 70 years before finally gracing the top division again, and then got relegated right away in Switzerland 2009.

LUCAS AYKROYD

BUDAPEST – After a relatively slow start – despite achieving a spotless record – the Italians seem ready to face Hungary for promotion on Saturday. On Wednesday they defeated Korea 6-0 after two surprisingly tight wins against Spain (2-0) and the Netherlands (3-2).

While Italy hasn’t been an offensive superpower in the first two games, the team of Italian-Canadian coach Rick Cornacchia has relied on strong defence. And defence will remain the key for Italy.

“Maybe we underestimated our opponents in the beginning and thought that everything would go the right way automatically,” said Armin Helfer, playing in his 12th World Championship.

His name literally means “helper”, and Italy is glad to have the help the experienced defenceman provides. In his first three games, he got a goal and two assists along with a +3 plus-minus rating, ranking him among the best blueliners at this event.

Against Korea, things went better when the team focused on its Asian opponent, rather than looking ahead to the last and most exciting challenge on Saturday against Hungary. The host nation is the only other undefeated team at the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A.

“We have been improving our game and now we can finally think about Hungary,” said goalkeeper Thomas Tragust, who’s been the starter in two games and hasn’t conceded a goal so far.

“We’re very motivated to play against them. We know they are strong and fast in front of the net. We know we’ll be the enemy playing in front of a loud home crowd. We need to be strong defensively and make as few mistakes as possible. It’ll be very exciting on Saturday.”

Italy has gone back and forth between IIHF World Championship divisions over the last ten years. The Azzurri were relegated from the top division in 2002, 2008 and 2010, but they earned promotion in 2005 and 2009.

What does Italian hockey need to stay with the elite nations longer? Just look at Denmark, France or Germany, three other nations that have gained promotion since the start of the new millennium, and have managed to stay there for an extended period.

“We need younger players at this level that can be integrated by the coach,” Helfer said.

Indeed, the team consists mostly of players that have appeared frequently with the senior national team. Only two players are younger than 22.

Marco Insam, 21, returned to Italy last summer after two years with the Ontario Hockey League’s Niagara IceDogs. He’s coming off his first year with the Bolzano Foxes.

And Thomas Larkin, 20, is playing in his first event with the senior national team after his second NCAA season with Colgate University. He became the first Italian-trained NHL-drafted player two years ago when the Columbus Blue Jackets selected him in the fifth round.

Apart from these two players, Cornacchia is looking at an experienced roster with players who know how to win a deciding game for promotion.

“I think we should look at how the Swiss are doing it. They should be a model,” Helfer said. “They allow only four imports in their league and these are top players who can make a difference. That helps develop other players, and there’s more space for home-grown players on the rosters. In Italy we have eight imports that are not at such a high level. Money could be spent differently.”

Switzerland is also the place Helfer will move after two years with his hometown team, Pustertal Bruneck. He signed with the B-league club HC Thurgau for next season, and hopes to earn a spot in the top league.

But for now, the Italians have only one focus after two off-days: their next opponent, Hungary. Strong goaltending and a good defence will be crucial against the offensive talent the Hungarians have shown so far.

MARTIN MERK

KYIV – Olexander Materukhin scored twice and added an assist to lift host Ukraine to a 5-2 victory over Estonia in Thursday’s last Division I Group B game. In earlier action, Group B leader Kazakhstan beat Poland 4-2 and Great Britain stayed in contention with a 5-2 win over Estonia.

Ukraine – Estonia 5-2 (1-0, 4-2, 0-0)

In order to fulfill its dream of promotion at the Palace of Sports, Ukraine must now defeat Kazakhstan in Saturday’s final showdown. However, if that scenario is coupled with a Great Britain win over Poland, it would lead to a three-way tie (three teams with 12 points), and the British might be able to secure top spot based on goal differential.

Against Estonia, Vadym Shakhraichuk and Sergei Klymentiev added a goal and an assist apiece, and Oleg Shafarenko and Vitali Lyutkevych had a pair of helpers each.

"We had a couple of lucky bounces that led to goals, but the Estonians didn't go away," said Ukrainian head coach Dave Lewis. "They gave us everything we could handle."

Andrei Makrov scored both goals for Estonia, which will aim to fend off relegation by beating Lithuania on Saturday. Both nations are winless thus far.

"It's a tradition for me to score against Ukraine," said Makrov with a smile.

"This was a good game for us," said Estonian head coach Dmitrij Medvedev. "But it was just preparation for the next game against Lithuania."

After allowing seven goals in the first period versus Great Britain en route to a 7-0 defeat, the Estonians gave themselves a better start against Ukraine. Goalie Villem-Henrik Koitmaa looked steady, staying square to the shooter, and his teammates skated hard and competed physically with the larger, more powerful Ukrainians.

Ukraine came very close to opening the scoring on its first power play of the game. If it wasn’t the puck skittering through the crease, it was Shakhraichuk ringing one off the post.

Shakhraichuk finally broke through on another power play with 2:33 left in the period when he skated into the right faceoff circle, took aim, and beat Koitmaa with a high zinger on the stick side.

The second period was a wild affair with six goals in total. Ukraine grabbed a 2-0 edge at 3:15. Working a 2-on-1 rush, Oleg Tymchenko tried to send a pass across, but the puck hit the skate of an Estonian defender and skittered in past the hapless Koitmaa.

The Estonians replied promptly. Just over a minute later, Andrei Makrov lifted a shot over Fedorov’s glove and the boys from the Baltic seemed to have new life. Yet that was crushed just as promptly when Sergei Klymentiev’s shot from the right side fooled Koitmaa through traffic at 15:01, restoring Ukraine’s two-goal advantage.

Buoyed by chanting supporters, from shirtless dudes to uniformed military, the Ukrainians kept coming. At 13:37, they made it 4-1 with the man advantage when Materukhin was allowed to cut in front of the net and zap a close-range shot past Koitmaa.

The shifty Makrov showed why he’s Estonia’s go-to guy when he cut the deficit to 4-2 at 17:17. But Materukhin demonstrated his canny veteran nature equally well with a shorthanded tally, beating Koitmaa from the left faceoff circle with 53 seconds left before the buzzer. That would end Estonia’s comeback hopes.

"That's what our first line does, score goals," said Lewis.

After the game, Lewis addressed the status of Alexi Mikhnov, who was injured and didn't play after the first period: "We're hopeful he'll be available for Saturday."

Ukraine last appeared in the top division in 2007.

Poland – Kazakhstan 4-2 (0-2, 0-1, 2-1)

Kazakhstan controls its own destiny atop Group B after holding on to beat Poland 4-2 for its fourth straight win.

The Kazakhs now have 12 points. If Kazakhstan defeats Ukraine on Saturday or loses in extra time, it will earn promotion to the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Finland and Sweden.

Poland, meanwhile, will settle for another year at the Division I level. It hasn’t made the top division since Sweden 2002.

Konstantin Pushkaryov scored the eventual winner with about five minutes left in the second period. Kazakhstan’s Vitali Yeremeyev won the goaltending duel with Poland’s Przemyslaw Odrobny, with shots on goal favouring Kazakhstan 26-25.

At 6:57, Kazakhstan’s Maxim Belyayev drew first blood with a tremendous one-timer from the slot. At 11:37, Roman Savchenko’s bullet drive from the blueline made it 2-0. Throughout the first period, the Kazakhs tormented Poland with their superior speed and puckhandling, outshooting the red-and-white squad 11-5.

"The start of the game was very bad for us, " said Polish coach Wiktor Pysz. "We began to play better after that, but couldn't convert all our chances."

The Poles hung in doggedly deep into the second period, getting territorial pressure in the Kazakh zone but not generating enough offensively.

The momentum Poland might have had was deflated when Odrobny let a Konstantin Pushkaryov shot from the right wing sneak through him at 14:58, giving Kazakhstan a 3-0 lead. That would make the comeback mountain a little too steep to climb for Poland.

Maciej Urbanowicz finally got Poland on the scoreboard at 1:06 of the third period. With Kazakhstan’s Yevgeni Bumagin off for hooking, the Poles made it exciting when captain Leszek Laskiewicz scored on a tap-in at 10:06 after some excellent power play puck movement. But that was as close as they’d get, despite one more power play chance and some heavy late pressure.

The Kazakhs flirted with disaster when they were caught with too many players on the ice with under two minutes left, but Maxim Semyonov iced the victory with a shorthanded empty-netter at 19:08.

Kazakh head coach Andrei Khomutov, a legend of the 1980s Soviet national team, celebrated his 50th birthday on Thursday. In honour of the occasion, IIHF Marketing Director Christian Hofstetter, a teammate of Khomutov’s with Switzerland’s Fribourg-Gottéron in the 1990s, presented him with an IIHF necktie before the game.

"I'm happy we won this game," said Khomutov. "Fortune was on our side."

Great Britain – Lithuania 5-2 (4-0, 1-1, 0-1)

Great Britain picked up against Lithuania where it left off in yesterday’s rout of Estonia, posting a 5-2 victory in Thursday’s first Division I Group B game. A four-goal first period sealed the third win in four tries for the Union Jack squad.

The British have one game left versus Poland on Thursday, and with nine points, they still have a chance to make it back to the top division for the first time since 1994.

Corey Neilson led the way offensively with a goal and two assists, and David Longstaff had a goal and a helper. Jonathan Weaver added a pair of assists.

"We had a good first period," said British coach Paul Thompson. "We scored a lot of goals and then we relaxed."

Lithuania and Estonia will battle it out on Thursday to determine who goes down to Division II. Both Baltic states are winless at this tournament.

The punchless Lithuanians have scored just four goals in four games so far. Darius Pliskauskas paced his side with a goal and an assist here.

"We wanted to win this game, but the first period was bad for us, and we took lots of penalties," said Lithuanian coach Sergej Borisov. "I don't know a team that can win taking as many minors as we did."

At 2:31 of the first period, Matthew Myers found himself unguarded in front of the Lithuanian net and coolly tapped home a Jonathan Phillips feed from the right side boards to open the scoring for Great Britain.

With a power play one-timer from the right faceoff circle at 13:26, Ben O’Connor stretched the British lead to 2-0. It took less than three minutes for Longstaff to add another at even strength.

British goalie Stephen Murphy was sharp on the rare occasions he had to be, blocking a close-range slapper by Mindaugas Kieras with less than three minutes left in the first. Britain outshot Lithuania 15-7 in the first.

David Clarke was awarded a penalty shot with 36 seconds left in the period, and he made no mistake, firing home a high wrister for his team-best fourth goal of the tournament.

Lithuania had a possible goal disallowed after a video review 4:13 into the second period, and Murphy stoned Kieras again at close range near the midway point of the game.

At 10:12, Neilson teed up a slapper from the high slot to make it 5-0 Great Britain.

Lithuania ended Murphy’s shutout bid less than three minutes later when Darius Lelanas finished off a shorthanded rush with a high shot stick side. Things got penalty-heavy toward the end of the period, with some dicey hits along the boards and shoving matches.

In the third period, Pliskauskas launched a one-timer from the right faceoff circle and beat a lunging Murphy, cutting the gap to 5-2.

"Murphy made several good saves for us," said Thompson. "We're satisfied with the outcome."

Forward Colin Shields, who’s contributed three points in three games for the British, sat out this game due to an upper-body injury. Defenceman Danny Meyers was also injured versus Lithuania, and held out for precautionary reasons, but is expected to return against Poland.

Only one current British player, Longstaff, played for the 1994 World Championship team. The Newcastle native was 19 at the time.

LUCAS AYKROYD

BUDAPEST – IIHF President René Fasel came to Budapest for the opening of the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A, but also to meet the country’s President, Pal Schmitt.

It’s the first time Fasel and Schmitt met since the latter became President of Hungary in August 2010.

Both share a long friendship. Schmitt won two Olympic gold medals as a fencer during his time as an athlete. He is a member of the International Olympic Committee, same as Fasel, who is also on the IOC’s Executive Board and the Chairman of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations.

“Schmitt asked Fasel for advice and a strategy to further develop and manage ice hockey in Hungary,” Miklos Nemeth, the President of the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation, told news agency MTI after the reception at Sandor Palace with Fasel, Schmitt and György Pasztor, the honorary chairman of the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation.

“We talked with the President of the Republic about the future and present of Hungarian ice hockey, and after that, he signalled that he would like to get a comprehensive strategic plan about the future,” Nemeth said.

Fasel also held the opening speech at the Laszlo Papp Sportarena before the Netherlands-Hungary game.

Meanwhile he has returned to Zurich for the 2011 IIHF World Women’s Championship where he will also open on Friday the first-ever International Women’s Coaching Symposium, one of the IIHF’s new measures to strengthen the development of women’s hockey worldwide.

MARTIN MERK

KYIV – In Wednesday’s most hotly anticipated Group B tilt, host Ukraine delivered the goods, staying in the race with a 4-1 victory over Poland. In earlier Division I action, Kazakhstan beat Lithuania and Great Britain defeated Estonia, both by 7-0 scores, ending the Baltic states’ chances of promotion.

Ukraine – Poland 4-1 (1-0, 3-1, 0-0) Game Sheet

Oleg Shafarenko led the Ukrainian charge with two goals and an assist. Oleg Tymchenko contributed a goal and an assist, and Vitali Lyutkevych had two helpers. The opening goal came from Andri Mikhnov, who was a looming force all night long.

"This is probably the best game Ukraine has played for me," said head coach Dave Lewis. "We were fortunate to get some loose pucks in front of their goalie. That was the difference. It was a close, hard-fought game."

Grzegorz Pasiut had the lone marker for Poland.

"The main reason we lost is that we have two injured players [Jakub Witecki and Damian Slabon]," said Polish coach Wiktor Pysz. "But it was the best game of the tournament, and the Ukrainian team showed its skill."

The charged-up Ukrainian crowd at the Palace of Sports reveled in its team’s urgent play in its biggest test so far. With Kazakhstan unbeaten and boasting a 14-2 goal differential, Ukraine has no more margin for error.

Two wins and a loss – it’s the record that Great Britain, Poland, and Ukraine now all share. The door is wide open for the top four teams with two days of competition left.

The first period revolved around power plays. Initially, the Ukrainians struggled. Shortly after the five-minute mark, they got a chance as golden as an Orthodox church cupola: a two-man advantage for 1:12. But even with top defencemen Olexander Pobyedonostsev and Vitali Lyutkevych firing bullets from the point, they couldn’t break through.

Happily for the home spectators, it took just nine seconds to get on the board after Polish forward Marcin Kolusz was sent off for high-sticking Pobyedonostsev in front of Ukraine’s bench. With 5:13 left in the first, Andri Mikhnov took a pass from Vadim Shakhraichuk down low, cut around Rafal Radziszewski’s crease, and powered the puck past the Polish goalie’s right skate.

The Ukrainians also killed off a pair of minors late in the period. Optimism grew.

The crowd erupted again at 3:54 of the second period when Ukrainian pressure down low paid off and Oleg Shafarenko’s charge to the front of the net produced the 2-0 goal.

"The puck hit our goalie in the mask when Shafarenko scored," said Pysz. "In my opinion, the referee should have stopped the play, but it's his decision."

A mid-game power play for Poland saw the Ukrainians back on their heels, but as the crowd exuberantly did the wave, the Polish advantage finally washed away.

The Ukrainians grabbed a 3-0 lead at 14:37 when Oleg Tymchenko took a Shafarenko feed and snapped the puck home from the right faceoff circle. Chants of “Molodsty!” (“Good fellows!”) echoed through the arena.

Poland got some life when, on a shorthanded 2-on-1, Grzegorz Pasiut raced down right wing and unleashed a shot that beat Ukrainian starter Kostyantyn Simchuk. That cut the deficit to 3-1 with 37 seconds left before the end of the period.

But the Ukrainians had a swift answer. Shafarenko collected a loose puck in the crease at the end of the power play and banged it into the open side of the net at 19:58, restoring the three-goal edge and the crowd’s joy.

The Poles replaced Radziszewski with backup Przemyslaw Odrobny for the third period, but it didn't make a difference.

Showing some of the North American influence that Dave Lewis has brought, the Ukrainians continued to press in the third period rather than sitting on their cushion. Halfway through, they had Poland bottled up while Olexander Materukhin did his best Wayne Gretzky impression behind the goal line, which generated a couple of good scoring chances.

Even though there was no further scoring, the Ukrainians stayed quicker and hungrier than Poland right to the end.

"If the Polish team thought they had a chance in this game, they were wrong," said Shafarenko.

The Ukrainian army’s massive coordinated cheering section ramped up its efforts for this key game, introducing a horns section and full battery of drums into the mix.

The race for promotion continues Thursday, as Poland tackles Kazakhstan and Ukraine plays bottom-ranked Estonia in the evening game.

Estonia – Great Britain 0-7 (0-7, 0-0, 0-0) Game Sheet

A seven-goal first period eruption lifted Great Britain to a 7-0 romp over Estonia on Wednesday. The game was effectively over halfway through the first period. All the British had to worry about after then was preserving their first shutout of the tournament. Their record improved to two wins and one loss.

"It's taken five years to get to this point," said British coach Paul Thompson of his team's success thus far. "You have to develop players, and that's what we've been doing over the last four or five years. We've got young, talented British players that didn't make this team. The future is bright."

Estonia is now officially out of the running for the elite division in 2012, and will likely find itself battling Lithuania on the last day to avoid going back to Division II. Estonia just got promoted to Division I this year.

"The start of the game was very bad for us," said Estonian coach Dmitrij Medvedev. "The British team is very strong with talent and experience. We saw that from their games against Ukraine and Kazakhstan."

Robert Dowd, Ben O'Connor, and David Clarke chipped in a goal and an assist apiece, while Jonathan Weaver and Greg Weaver both had two helpers.

Great Britain stormed the Estonian goal from the get-go, and that steadfast approach soon bore fruit. Suffice it to say the Estonians had difficulty clearing loose pucks from scoring areas.

At 3:06, Phil Hill cashed in his own rebound right in front of the net on the power play. An easy goal, it was an omen of things to come.

Just before the five-minute mark, a turnover inside the Estonian blueline spawned a British 3-on-1, and after having his initial attempt blocked, Ashley Tait zinged a shot high past Estonian starting goalie Villem-Henrik Koitmaa for a 2-0 lead.

The British set up neatly in the Estonian end and a sweet Jonathan Weaver feed from the right faceoff circle was converted at the opposite post by David Longstaff at 8:19. It took a mere 26 seconds for Jonathan Phillips to capitalize on another breakdown, and Estonian coach Dmitrij Medvedev had seen enough, yanking Koitmaa in favour of Aleksandr Kolossov.

Not that the goaltending change made much difference. David Clarke blazed to the net shortly after the halfway mark of the opening period and beat Kolossov on the stick side for a 5-0 British edge.

Ben O’Connor’s blueline drive along the ice with 1:43 left in the first gave Great Britain its sixth goal, and Dowd made it 7-0 on the power play when he streaked down the right side and roofed one glove side with 18 seconds before the buzzer. Those seven tallies came on just 16 shots.

In the scoreless second period, neither team mustered much conviction – what was there left to fight for? Koitmaa returned between the Estonian pipes, improving his save percentage slightly. A little bad blood was stirred when Vassili Titarenko hammered Jeff Hutchins near the Estonian bench seconds before the period concluded.

British second-string goalie Nathan Craze replaced starter Stephen Murphy early in the third period, getting his first playing time in Kyiv. With 8:38, the Estonians thought they’d finally scored after a goalmouth scramble, but referee David Lewis ruled no goal after a video review.

"The change was to give Stephen a rest and Nathan an opportunity," said Thompson, explaining that Murphy would start again versus Lithuania on Thursday.

An interesting sideline to Estonia's anticipated tournament-closing showdown with Lithuania on April 23: Dmitrij Medvedev previously served as Lithuania's head coach for nine years. He knows his opponent well.

Kazakhstan – Lithuania 7-0 (2-0, 3-0, 2-0) Game Sheet

Talgat Zhailauov and Yevgeni Bumagin both scored twice to pace Kazakhstan to a 7-0 win over Lithuania in Wednesday’s first Group B game. While Kazakhstan remains undefeated in Division I play, the result ends Lithuania’s slim hopes of earning promotion.

Goalie Vitali Kolesnik, who won the Gagarin Cup earlier this month as a backup with the KHL’s Salavat Yulayev Ufa, earned an easy shutout in his tournament debut. Shots were 41-12 for Kazakhstan.

Konstantin Romanov tallied a goal and an assist for the Kazakhs. Andrei Gavrilin, Alexei Troshinski, Alexei Vassilchenko and Konstantin Pushkaryov recorded two assists apiece.

“It was a pretty easy game for us,” said Pushkaryov. “We scored some quick goals. We were focused on working on all areas of our game, from defence and offence to power plays and penalty kill’s. This game was like a practice for us.”

Kazakhstan quickly established its dominance with skillful puck movement and a tempo Lithuania couldn’t match. About the only weakness in the victors’ game was not scoring more than once on the power play, as Lithuania took eight minors, mostly stick fouls.

It took just 3:05 for Zhailauov to open the scoring, cutting through the Lithuanian defense and sliding a shot inside the right point of goalie Nerijus Dauksevicius. Just over four minutes later, Bumagin made it 2-0 Kazakhstan with his first goal of the tournament.

In the second period, the Kazakhs jumped into a 3-0 lead at 6:54 when Bumagin finished off a rush, flipping the puck up over the glove of Dauksevicius. At 11:26, Konstantin Romanov waltzed into the Lithuanian zone and fired home a laser slapshot to make it 4-0.

Only 38 seconds later, Roman Starchenko deked his way in from the left side and got a backhand up over Dauksevicius to put Kazakhstan up by five.

With under seven minutes remaining in the game, the Lithuanians had a chance on a 2-on-1, but shot the puck into the corner. That summed up their performance this afternoon.

“I think the Lithuanians probably knew they couldn’t beat us,” said Pushkaryov. “They’re waiting for their game against Estonia, which will be the big one for them. They want to stay in this division.”

The Kazakhs added another goal on the power play at 13:45 of the third as Zhailauov was left wide open in the slot to make it 6-0. Maxim Khudyakov rounded out the scoring with just over four minutes left.

Kazakhstan will face Poland in a battle of contenders on Thursday, while Lithuania will look for its first tournament win against Great Britain.

“It looks like Poland’s playing pretty well,” said Pushkaryov. “The coaches say they’re quite quick and physical, and we expect a good game from them.”

Kazakhstan has spent more time in the elite division recently than any other Group B team – four appearances in the last seven years – except Ukraine, which had a nine-year run from 1999 to 2007.

LUCAS AYKROYD