DUNEDIN, New Zealand – It was mission accomplished for Iceland when they beat China in the deciding game of the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division III to get back into Division II next year.

The Icelandic team broke into emotion when their national anthem was played and they received their gold medals in Dunedin on Sunday.

Iceland beat China 5-1 in the virtual final of the tournament at the Dunedin Ice Stadium to regain a spot in Division II Group B next year.

The team came to New Zealand with one target and only one. They wanted to get back into the higher grade and remained disciplined throughout the tournament.

But they could not restrain themselves any longer as they hugged each other and lustily sang the Icelandic national anthem.

It was a proud team for a small island with a population of only 300,000 to down China. It was especially significant for captain Olafur Bjornsson.

“I am very happy,'' he said after the game. “It showed we don’t belong here. We are pleased to get back into the second division.”

It was Bjornsson’s third year in the team but his first as captain. He scored the last goal to clinch the win.

“It was a good feeling,” he said. “I have done this once before and taken a step up from third division to second division.”

It was his last year in the grade for Bjornson (19) and it meant a lot to take his team back.

“We got relegated on a single goal last year,” he said. “I’m glad for my boys to play in the second division next year.”

It was also special for head coach Joshua Gribben who had moulded the team into a skilful and determined unit.

“It was what we wanted and was our goal,” he said. “We believe we are a Division II team.

“We had a tough relegation last year. We were right on the bubble and just one goal away from a bronze medal.

“These guys needed to go up and compete against better competition next year.”

China came out firing and Hang Li scored a goal after less than three minutes. But this did not upset the Icelanders.

“I think we got the edge when we tied it up after six minutes in the first period,'' Bjornsson said. “I wasn't scared when China scored that first goal because the game changes so fast.

“I was kind of happy that they got that first goal because sometimes in a 0-0 game it tends to stay 0-0.

“From my experience I have found that it is not always the best thing to be up 1-0.”

Iceland had a clear plan for the deciding game against China.

“We have great speed and have a good depth on our team,” Gribben said. “Our plan was to outskate them and maintain puck possession to control the game and I believe we did that.

“We know that we have a highly skilled group and have a lot of guys that play significant roles in their teams back home. Our experience and maturity showed out in a tournament like this.”

It was the depth of the Icelandic team that gave them the edge against China.

“We have three lines of guys that can go and they all manage the puck really well. So many other teams struggle with depth. When it comes down to the point it is our skating skill that was so much higher than the competition.”

At the end of the first period Iceland led 2-1 thanks to goals from Ingthor Arnason and Steindor Ingason.

Bjorn Sigurdarson added another goal in the second period when China had two players side-lined with penalties.

“We knew that was a good opportunity for us to capitalise on,” Gribben said. “Ultimately that was the advantage that gave us the leg up.”

The 30-year-old Canadian coach was certain that Iceland would win going into the third period.

“We were a confident group right from the outset of the tournament. But when we were 3-1 up going into the third period, I knew we could win if we stuck to our game plan.''

A fourth goal by Arnar Ingason with only 4:01 left was the clincher. Captain Bjornsson added another late goal for the 5-1 score.

“In our minds that was it and I think our opponents felt that,” he said.

Iceland played controlled hockey, dictated the play and shot China out.

The score could have been even larger for the courageous Chinese goaltender Shengrong Xia, but he conceded only five goals from 53 Iceland shots. China only had 14 shots on goal.

China played a looser and more fluid game and it worked to their advantage when they scored in the first few minutes. But as the game progressed, Iceland's close knit play and crisp passing saw them dominate the game.

Iceland was the only unbeaten team in the round-robin competition and finished with 12 points from their four games to claim the U20 Division III gold medals. They were followed by China 9, New Zealand 6, Bulgaria 3 and Turkey 0.

Ian Challis, the manager of the New Zealand’s team, the Ice Blacks, was impressed by the standard of Iceland’s team.

“They are one of the better teams I have seen for a long time at this age group,” he said. “China is also a classy team, but unfortunately in Division III the teams are poles apart. There is a wide spectrum from top to bottom.”

He said it was good for New Zealand teams to be exposed to the level of competition posed by Iceland and China.

“Every time our youngsters are exposed to high level competition it helps prepare them for the big stage when they move into the Ice Blacks [men’s national team].”

New Zealand’s best game was the 5-3 loss to China when it stunned the Chinese by leading 3-1 at the end of the first period.

The host team went on a scoring spree to add eight goals in the second period when it beat Turkey 12-1 in its last game.

Seven players from the New Zealand U20 team have been promoted into the latest Ice Blacks squad.

There was also satisfaction for Turkey when Gokalp Solak scored the first goal of the game. It was Turkey's only goal of the championship.

There were high-quality goal keepers on display with Shengrong Xia (China) being the best.  Of the rest Petrov Radosvet (Bulgaria) stood out.

Xia saved 128 shots and conceded 10 goals and Radosvet Petrov (Bulgaria) saved 100 goals and conceded 11.

The tournament directorate awards were: Goalkeeper Shengrong Xia (China), Defenceman Ingolfur Eliasson (Iceland), Forward Cheng Zhang (China).

Zhang scored four goals and had five assists. Remy Sandoy (New Zealand) scored three goals against Turkey to share the top goal scoring spot with Canji Zheng (China) with five goals.

The best players in each team selected by the coaches were: Radosvet Petrov (Bulgarian goalkeeper), Jin Chen (Chinese forward), Olafur Bjornsson (Iceland forward), Mitchell Frear (New Zealand defender and captain), Fikri Atali (Turkey goalkeeper).

A crowd of 2,037 spectators watched the games held in the middle of New Zealand’s summer.

More: Scores & Stats, Photo Gallery

ALISTAIR MCMURRAN