Poland arrived in Bled, Slovenia with one goal in mind. That was promotion, and they delivered with authority.
Unbeaten through all four games, the team stormed to the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship Division II, Group A title, powered by the electric scoring touch of Karolina Pozniewska and the brick‑wall goaltending of Nadia Ratajczyk.
Pozniewska was unstoppable, leading the entire tournament with 8 goals and 5 assists, earning her the Top Forward Award. At the other end of the ice, Ratajczyk was nearly perfect, posting a 97.96 save percentage and a microscopic 0.38 goals‑against average across her four starts.
With the gold and championship secured, Poland now earns promotion to the 2027 IIHF Women’s World Championship Division I, Group B, building on last year’s silver‑medal performance.
The championship game featured the two top teams: undefeated Poland and host nation Slovenia. The packed arena in Bled made sure the atmosphere lived up to the stakes.
Poland struck first with 3:43 left in the opening period, when Wiktoria Sikorska burst into the zone and ripped a shot past Slovenian goaltender Ajda Jost.
Jost was spectacular under relentless pressure, facing 69 shots as the home crowd roared behind her. But Poland found breathing room midway through the second period. On a shorthanded rush, Natalia Nosal broke free and fired high blocker side to make it 2–0, a dagger Slovenia could not recover from.
Pozniewska’s dominant tournament earned her the Top Forward honour, while Slovenia’s Lea Buljeta was named Top Defender.
Chinese Taipei Claims Bronze in Dramatic Shootout
The battle for bronze between Chinese Taipei and Iceland was a thriller that needed all 60 minutes, overtime, and a shootout to settle.
Chinese Taipei opened the scoring in the first period when Yun‑Chu Huang buried a rebound created by En‑Ni Chang and En‑Wei Chang. Huang doubled the lead early in the second, navigating heavy traffic to slide the puck through Andrea Bachmann’s pads.
Iceland answered back on the power play through Teresa Snorradottir, but Huang completed her hat-trick minutes later with a power‑play blast that deflected past Bachmann. Iceland refused to fade as goals from Herborg Geirsdottir and, with just 47 seconds left, Magdelena Sulova forced overtime.
A late overtime power play gave Iceland a golden chance, but Chinese Taipei held firm. In the shootout, Christine Tzu‑Shen Chao delivered the lone goal, going top‑shelf to secure Chinese Taipei’s first bronze after two consecutive fourth‑place finishes in the tournament.
Goaltender Tzu‑Ting Hsu was rewarded for her outstanding play, earning Top Goaltender honours with a 95.74 save percentage, a 1.85 GAA, and two shootout victories.
A Tournament Classic
One of the week’s most exciting matchups came earlier, when Chinese Taipei edged Australia in another shootout thriller. After a scoreless first period, Huang opened the scoring off a feed from En‑Wei Chang. Australia tied it in the third thanks to Phoebe Roberts, who curled into space and fired past Hsu.
In the shootout, Chao struck first with slick edgework that froze Olivia Last, and Ting‑Hu Hsu sealed the win with a top‑shelf finish.
Final Standings:
1. Poland – 12 points
2. Slovenia – 6 points
3. Chinese Taipei – 4 points
4. Australia – 4 points
5. Iceland – 4 points
Game Results:
13 April: AUS 0-5 POL, ISL 4-3 SLO
14 April: TPE 2-1 AUS [SO]
15 April: POL 4-1 ISL, SLO 6-3 TPE
16 April: AUS 3-5 SLO
17 April: ISL 1-4 AUS, POL 12-1 TPE
18 April: TPE 4-3 ISL, SLO 0-2 POL
Unbeaten through all four games, the team stormed to the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship Division II, Group A title, powered by the electric scoring touch of Karolina Pozniewska and the brick‑wall goaltending of Nadia Ratajczyk.
Pozniewska was unstoppable, leading the entire tournament with 8 goals and 5 assists, earning her the Top Forward Award. At the other end of the ice, Ratajczyk was nearly perfect, posting a 97.96 save percentage and a microscopic 0.38 goals‑against average across her four starts.
With the gold and championship secured, Poland now earns promotion to the 2027 IIHF Women’s World Championship Division I, Group B, building on last year’s silver‑medal performance.
The championship game featured the two top teams: undefeated Poland and host nation Slovenia. The packed arena in Bled made sure the atmosphere lived up to the stakes.
Poland struck first with 3:43 left in the opening period, when Wiktoria Sikorska burst into the zone and ripped a shot past Slovenian goaltender Ajda Jost.
Jost was spectacular under relentless pressure, facing 69 shots as the home crowd roared behind her. But Poland found breathing room midway through the second period. On a shorthanded rush, Natalia Nosal broke free and fired high blocker side to make it 2–0, a dagger Slovenia could not recover from.
Pozniewska’s dominant tournament earned her the Top Forward honour, while Slovenia’s Lea Buljeta was named Top Defender.
Chinese Taipei Claims Bronze in Dramatic Shootout
The battle for bronze between Chinese Taipei and Iceland was a thriller that needed all 60 minutes, overtime, and a shootout to settle.
Chinese Taipei opened the scoring in the first period when Yun‑Chu Huang buried a rebound created by En‑Ni Chang and En‑Wei Chang. Huang doubled the lead early in the second, navigating heavy traffic to slide the puck through Andrea Bachmann’s pads.
Iceland answered back on the power play through Teresa Snorradottir, but Huang completed her hat-trick minutes later with a power‑play blast that deflected past Bachmann. Iceland refused to fade as goals from Herborg Geirsdottir and, with just 47 seconds left, Magdelena Sulova forced overtime.
A late overtime power play gave Iceland a golden chance, but Chinese Taipei held firm. In the shootout, Christine Tzu‑Shen Chao delivered the lone goal, going top‑shelf to secure Chinese Taipei’s first bronze after two consecutive fourth‑place finishes in the tournament.
Goaltender Tzu‑Ting Hsu was rewarded for her outstanding play, earning Top Goaltender honours with a 95.74 save percentage, a 1.85 GAA, and two shootout victories.
A Tournament Classic
One of the week’s most exciting matchups came earlier, when Chinese Taipei edged Australia in another shootout thriller. After a scoreless first period, Huang opened the scoring off a feed from En‑Wei Chang. Australia tied it in the third thanks to Phoebe Roberts, who curled into space and fired past Hsu.
In the shootout, Chao struck first with slick edgework that froze Olivia Last, and Ting‑Hu Hsu sealed the win with a top‑shelf finish.
Final Standings:
1. Poland – 12 points
2. Slovenia – 6 points
3. Chinese Taipei – 4 points
4. Australia – 4 points
5. Iceland – 4 points
Game Results:
13 April: AUS 0-5 POL, ISL 4-3 SLO
14 April: TPE 2-1 AUS [SO]
15 April: POL 4-1 ISL, SLO 6-3 TPE
16 April: AUS 3-5 SLO
17 April: ISL 1-4 AUS, POL 12-1 TPE
18 April: TPE 4-3 ISL, SLO 0-2 POL