hckošice

TEAM RUSSIA Goaltenders: Vasili Koshechkin (Metalurg Magnitogorsk, KHL ) Ilya Sorokin (CSKA Moscow, KHL ) Igor Shestyorkin (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Defencers: Nikita Zaitsev (Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL, ) Vladislav Gavrikov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Yegor Yakovlev (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Dinar Khafizullin (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Nikita Nesterov (CSKA Moscow, KHL ) Bogdan Kiselevich (CSKA Moscow, KHL ) Alexei Bereglazov (Metalurg Magnitogorsk, KHL ) Nikita Tryamkin (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, KHL ) Forwards: Pavel Datsyuk (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Nikita Gusev (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Alexander Barabanov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Ilya Kablukov (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL ) Mikhail Grigorenko (CSKA Moscow, KHL ) Kiril Kaprizov (CSKA Moscow, KHL ) Sergei Andronov (CSKA Moscow, KHL ) Maxim Shalunov (CSKA Moscow, KHL ) Artem Anisimov (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, ) Nikita Soshnikov (St. Louis Blues, NHL, ) Pavel Buchnevich (New York Rangers, NHL, ) Yevgeni Dadonov (Florida Panthers, NHL, ) Maxim Mamin (Florida Panthers, NHL, ) Alexander Byvaltsev (Amur Khabarovsk, KHL ) Igor Mikheyev (Avangard Omsk, KHL )

TEAM SWEDEN Goaltenders: Anders Nilsson (Vancouver Canucks, NHL, ) Magnus Hellberg (Kunlun Red Star, KHL, ) Filip Gustavsson (Belleville Senators, AHL, ) Defencers: Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes, NHL, ) John Klingberg (Dallas Stars, NHL, ) Adam Larsson (Edmonton Oilers, NHL, ) Hampus Lindholm (Anaheim Ducks, NHL, ) Erik Gustafsson (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, ) Mikael Wikstrand (Färjestad BK) Lawrenc Pilut (HV71 Jönköping) Adam Almqvist (Frölunda HC Göteborg) Forwards: Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers, NHL, ) Rikard Rakell (Anaheim Ducks, NHL, ) Magnus Pääjärvi (Ottawa Senators, NHL, ) Johan Larsson (Buffalo Sabres, NHL, ) Jacob de la Rose (Montreal Canadiens, NHL, ) Mikael Backlund (Calgary Flames, NHL, ) Lias Andersson (New York Rangers, NHL, ) Gustav Nyquist (Detroit Red Wings, NHL, ) Mattias Janmark (Dallas Stars, NHL, ) Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings, NHL, ) Dennis Everberg (Neftekhimik Nizhekamsk, KHL, ) Carl Klingberg (EV Zug, ) John Norman (Jokerit Helsinki, KHL, ) Elias Pettersson (Växjö Lakers )

Happy belated birthday @dcro

TEAM UNITED STATES Goaltenders: Scott Darling (Carolina Hurricanes, NHL) Keith Kinkaid (New Jersey Devils, NHL) Charlie Lindgren (Montreal Canadiens, NHL, ) Defencers: Connor Murphy (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL) Jordan Oesterle (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL) Will Butcher (New Jersey Devils, NHL) Quinn Hughes (University of Michigan, NCAA) Nick Jensen (Detroit Red Wings, NHL) Alec Martinez (Los Angeles Kings, NHL) Neal Pionk (New York Rangers, NHL) Forwards: Cam Atkinson (Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL) Sonny Milano (Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL) Blake Coleman (New Jersey Devils, NHL) Brian Gibbons (New Jersey Devils, NHL) Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL) Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL) Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames, NHL, ) Chris Kreider (New York Rangers, NHL) Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings, NHL) Anders Lee (New York Islanders, NHL) Derek Ryan (Carolina Hurricanes, NHL) Tage Thompson (St. Louis Blues, NHL) Colin White (Ottawa Senators, NHL, )

TEAM GERMANY Goaltenders: Mathias Niederberger (Düsseldorf EG) Timo Pielmeier (ERC Ingolstadt) Niklas Treutle (Nurmberg Ice Tigers) Defencers: Bernhard Ebner (Düsseldorf EG) Korbinian Holzer (Anaheim Ducks, NHL, ) Björn Krupp (Grizzlys Wolfsburg) Oliver Mebus (Nurmberg Ice Tigers) Jonas Müller (Eisbären Berlin) Moritz Müller (Kolner Haie) Dennis Seidenberg (New York Islanders, NHL, ) Yannic Seidenberg (EHC Red Bull Munchen) Forwards: Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers, NHL, ) Yasin Ehliz (Nurmberg Ice Tigers) Markus Eisenschmid (Laval Rocket, AHL, ) Patrick Hager (EHC Red Bull Munchen) Dominik Kahun (EHC Red Bull Munchen) Nicolas Krämmer (Kolner Haie) Marc Michaelis (Minnesota State University, NCAA, ) Marcel Müller (Krefeld Pinguine) Marcel Noebels (Eisbären Berlin) Daniel Pietta (Krefeld Pinguine) Matthias Plachta (Adler Mannheim) Frederik Tiffels (Wheeling Nailers, ECHL, ) Sebastian Uvira (Kolner Haie) Manuel Wiederer (San Jose Barracuda, AHL, )

TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC Goaltenders: Pavel Francouz (Traktor Chelyabinsk, KHL, ) David Rittich (Calgary Flames, NHL, ) Dominik Hrachovina (Tappara Tampere, ) Defencers: Radko Gudas (Philadelphia Flyers, NHL, ) David Musil (HC Oceláři Třinec) Michal Moravčík (HC Škoda Plzeň) David Sklenička (HC Škoda Plzeň) Martin Pláněk (Mountfield HK Hradec Králové) Filip Pyrochta (Bílí Tygři Liberec) Michal Jordán (Amur Khabarovsk, KHL, ) Adam Polášek (HK Sochi, KHL, ) Forwards: Roman Červenka (Fribourg-Gotteron, ) Robin Hanzl (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, KHL, ) Andrej Nestrašil (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, KHL, ) Radek Faksa (Dallas Stars, NHL, ) Tomáš Plekanec (Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL, ) Dominik Kubalík (HC Ambri-Piotta, ) Dmitrij Jaškin (St. Louis Blues, NHL, ) Michal Řepík (HC Sparta Praha) Martin Kaut (HC Dynamo Pardubice) Roman Horák (Vityaz Podolsk, KHL, ) Tomáš Hyka (Chicago Wolves, AHL, ) Filip Chytil (New York Rangers, NHL, ) Martin Nečas (HC Kometa Brno) Robert Kousal (HC Davos, ) David Šťastný (PSG Zlín)

MEN´S UNDER 18 DIVISION III GROUP B 2018 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ice Blacks move up New Zealand takes gold in WM18 IIIB New Zealand U18s won gold in 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division III Group B, topping a three-team tournament on home ice in Queenstown. The junior Ice Blacks faced off against South Africa and Hong Kong during the event, winning both games to secure a return to Division IIIA next season. A 4-1 victory over South Africa got things started then, after a night off watching Hong Kong’s 4-2 win over South Africa, New Zealand finished the job with a lively 8-5 success against the Asian team. That bore out the pre-tournament confidence of Kiwi head coach Steve Reid. Prior to the action, he told New Zealand hockey website ‘Puck Yeah’: “All the guys have come in and physically they’re ready, but also mentally, like picking up the systems we’re putting in place. They’ve done a really good job picking those up quickly.” Home ice advantage also helped. Queenstown’s rink is relatively small, forcing visiting teams to adapt their game. With Reid keen to emphasise skill and creativity, boasting that he had three lines that could score, the stage was set. Game one ended in a convincing home win. Goalie Finley Forbes, who was part of New Zealand’s U20 roster in Bulgaria earlier in the season, impressed with 12 saves. In front of him the defence did a fine job in limiting South African chances – the visitor’s only goal came from an early power play, converted by Delano Schuurman to give his team a seventh-minute lead. Then the NZ PP came out to play. South Africa struggled to stay out of the box all night, and the Ice Blacks took advantage with three goals. Defenceman Harrison Mills got the first, then captain Matheson Graham made it 2-1 early in the second period. Jackson Flight extended the lead with another PP tally, then Lochlan Butler wrapped up early in the third with the only equal-strength goal of the game. Three of NZ’s four goals came from D-men, and that pattern would repeat in the decider against Hong Kong. Coach Reid admitted to knowing little about Hong Kong before the tournament but he had a chance to see them in action with a win over South Africa. That set up a win-or-bust match-up for both teams and New Zealand took the verdict after a high-scoring game. The pattern was similar to the opener as New Zealand came from behind and built a decisive advantage in the second period. Hong Kong struck early, with Cheuk Long Ngan scoring after 79 seconds. New Zealand replied through a short-handed goal from Christian Regan and a power play marker from blue-liner Ben Miller to lead at the intermission. The middle frame saw the host take the game away from Hong Kong, scoring four times. There was a penalty shot from Mason Rees and a second short-handed goal of the night, this time from Jack Robbie. In between, Josh Hurley scored and Regan got his second of the game. Hong Kong reduced the deficit in the third, and Ngan joined Michael Lee Heng Shum on three goals for the tournament. Regan completed his hat-trick, moving on to five points to lead the tournament scoring; Butler potted his second of the campaign to seal an 8-5 win. Results Thread

MEN´S DIVISION II GROUP A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dutch Dominance The Netherlands make instant return to Division I Similar to 2016, the Netherlands made sure their stay in Division IIA would be limited to just a single year. Carrying the pressure of being the gold medal favourite, the Netherlands thrived on home ice at the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A in Tilburg. In front of a capacity crowd at the IJssportcentrum in Tilburg, the hosts did not leave anything to chance and defeated unbeaten Australia 9-2 on the final day to win promotion to Division IB. Serbia claimed bronze while Iceland was relegated to the Division IIB. Although the colour of the medal is similar, the 2018 Dutch team is not to be compared with the one that won gold two years ago. The majority of the best Dutch players are representing the Tilburg Trappers team, which has successfully transitioned to the German Oberliga boasting three consecutive championship titles. Whereas the move to Germany offered the players to play at a more competitive level, the long playoff runs consequently resulted in the players to be unavailable to participate in the World Championships to represent the Netherlands. No such issues this year as this year's tournament schedule allowed for the Tilburg players to join the squad of head coach Doug Mason. No less than 15 players were selected by the veteran coach and it paid immediate dividends. The Dutch dominated the scoring charts with the top six of the scoring leaders all donning the orange jersey. On top of that the Dutch defence was rock solid allowing just five goals in five games. “The team was fantastic. From the very first minute until the last they have played super ice hockey,“ Mason lauded his players. “An unbeaten record makes a coach look good but with these players it made my job really easy.“ Playing in front of their home crowd, the Netherlands sent out a clear signal to the rest of the teams brushing aside China 7-0 in their opening game before settings aside Iceland 11-1. Serbia was the first team that was able to somewhat neutralize the Dutch offence but eventually had to concede a 5-0 loss. The Netherlands recorded double digits once again in game 4 against neighbours Belgium, who were swept 10-2. With four straight wins, the Netherlands were on course to complete their mission but they had to wait until the final game day before being able to lock the first spot. On Game Day 5, the hosts met an Australia side which had been a positive surprise all tournament long. The Ozzie team coached by Brad Vigon had impressed with a solid performance in Tilburg. “I’m extremely proud of the guys to see how my team has achieved in Tilburg. Most players haven’t been playing competitively for seven months before we got here,“ Vigon refers to the Australian AIHL league only having started last week. “The players have to make personal sacrifices in terms of funding and taking time off work to participate in this championship. We only had a single exhibition game in the Czech Republic, so I was anxious to see how the players responded during the tournament. I believe we took a step forward with Australian hockey capturing two consecutive silver medals.“ The Ozzies were off to a good start thanks to a pair of goals in the final two minutes to defeat Iceland 3-0 in game one which built the momentum. Goaltender Anthony Kimlin recorded his second shutout against Belgium; 6-0 before his team scored three unanswered third period goals against China to claim a 3-1 victory. Australia continued their run by dashing Serbia’s hopes of grinding out a gold medal after a penalty shot victory on day four. The Serbs started the game emphatically taking a 2-0 lead but saw Australia take over control of the game scoring four unanswered goals. Credit to Serbia for not giving up. Marko Sretovic scored shorthanded to cut the deficit to one and with time running out and the goalie pulled, Petar Novakovic scored 10 seconds left to play to tie the game 4-4. Beau Taylor scored the fifth and decisive penalty shot ensuring Australia to remain unbeaten ahead of the clash against the Netherlands on the final day. The Dutch were off to a great start against Australia taking the lead after just one minute and never looked back. Raymond van der Schuit converted a beautiful tic-tac-toe combination with Reno de Hondt and Danny Stempher. Five minutes later Van der Schuit scored his second of the game and defensemen Jurry Smid and Jordy van Oorschot also tallied to put a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Australia was unable to keep up with the tempo of the Netherlands who outshot their opponents 66-19. Mickey Bastings and Jordy Verkiel had lifted the score to 6-0 before Kieren Webster put Australia on the scoreboard after 31 minutes. Misery wasn’t done yet. Defenceman Giovanni Vogelaar’s trademark booming slapshot has been terrorizing opposition netminders throughout the tournament and also against Australia he found the net twice. Vogelaar ended up as the tournament’s top goal scorer with eight goals. “We kept our focus and stuck to our game plan for the full 60 minutes,” Vogelaar commented. “We always felt we were going to win this tournament. Most of the Tilburg Trappers players know by now what it takes to win and that mentality was brought over to the rest of the team.“ Eventually the scoring spree stopped at nine goals with Thomas Powell saving the honour for Australia with a late goal to make it 9-2. “The moment that first goal came I knew it was going to be a long game. It was such a high-quality goal as well from high-quality players,“ admitted Vigon. “We felt like we had no pressure on us to play this game so we were loose. In the end of the day the Dutch were just plain better than us. They are at a different level than us.” Newly promoted China finished a respectable fourth after victories over Iceland (3-1) and Belgium (5-2), which had to settle for fifth place. Avoiding relegation was the main goal for the team of head coach Jyrki Aho, who knows his team still has a long way to go if they want to be competitive for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games the country will host in Beijing. Belgium coach Gil Paelinck was visibly upset after his team’s disappointing fifth place finish. “We have been outworked by most teams here this week. Our guys let their heads down the moment we fell behind,” he expressed afterwards. “Some players entered the tournament with the wrong attitude coming off a good season with their club team. I had rather seen a hard working gritty team on the ice instead.” Last year’s surprise team Iceland could not repeat miracles and was relegated to Division IIB. The team of head coach Vladimir Kolek lost the crucial match against China and bowed out the tournament pointless. “It was unfortunate we could not select our best players for this tournament,” Kolek said. “We now had to play a number of young players who are not yet ready for this level. Each game we made a couple of costly mistakes we could not overcome. However, I’m confident they will use this experience to improve and compete for promotion next year.” Results Thread

MEN'S UNDER 18 IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018 UNOFFICIAL FINAL STANDING RANK NATION WCh 2019 1 Finland A 2 United States A 3 Sweden A 4 Czech Republic A 5 Canada A 6 Russia A 7 Slovakia A 8 Belarus A 9 Switzerland A 10 France I A 11 Latvia A 12 Germany I A 13 Denmark I A 14 Kazakhstan I A 15 Norway I A 16 Slovenia I B 17 Ukraine I A 18 Austria I B 19 Japan I B 20 Hungary I B 21 Italy I B 22 Romania II A 23 Great Britain I B 24 Lithuania II A 25 Poland II A 26 South Korea II A 27 Estonia II A 28 Australia II B 29 Spain II A 30 Croatia II B 31 Serbia II B 32 Netherlands II B 33 China II B 34 Iceland III A 35 Belgium II B 36 Mexico III A 37 Bulgaria III A 38 Israel III A 39 Turkey III A 40 Chinese Taipei III B 41 New Zealand III A 42 Hong Kong III B 43 South Africa III B

That´s really kind from him

and it´s all over Congrats Brazil, Congrats vini for the amazing show and amazing weekend you did it all with great bravery. Respect so time to tilt the sails on the boat and take back home. we returns home with beautiful memory and huge hangover (thanks a lot Seamus)... see you all in the US

Yes, Honestly I did not expected such big dominance, the dutch entered as favorites, that´s yes, there no doubts about, but they just destroyed the field here in a very impressive manner. 5 games 5 wins with a total of 42:5 score. just wow. Really sad for Serbia, at lest your game with the host was the closest matches from all dutch games here, so at least something on what to build on, and hopefully next year it will be finally the right one for (even if with returning Spain from Div II B and freshly relegated Croatia from Div I B + last years, really dynamically improving Australia it should be a really tight and interesting tournament next year too)

MEN´S UNDER 18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finland wins it all! Nordgren's shorthanded beauty gives Finns gold Niklas Nordgren's shorthanded goal with 9:19 left gave the Finns a thrilling 3-2 final victory over the Americans. It's Finland's fourth U18 gold medal ever. The defending champion U.S. came back from a 2-0 first-period deficit, but the Finns pulled it out in the third -- in unforgettable style. It was sweet revenge after losing last year's final 4-2 to the Americans. Nordgren blocked defenceman Cameron York's shot at the blue line and exploded down on a 2-on-1 with Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Kotkaniemi slipped it over and Nordgren hammered it into the open short side for his tournament-leading eighth goal. "It was the most amazing thing that ever happened to me," said Nordgren. "I got a good pass from Kotkaniemi. I had lots of good chances to score but, you know, one is enough." But not when it comes to championships. The Finnish program is on fire. This nation of 5.5 million people has now appeared in four consecutive U18 finals, winning twice. Suomi triumphed on American ice in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2016, trouncing Nordic rival Sweden 6-1 with Jesse Puljujarvi's hat trick. In this game, Rasmus Kupari and Kaapo Kakko also scored power play goals for Finland, and Anttoni Honka had two assists. "It's something you can't describe," said ecstatic Finnish coach Tommi Niemela. "The players are having an amazing time. They believed in themselves. They understood that if we are 'we,' we are going to win against a group of 'me's.' Youngsters are amazing! When you look at them, the joy is real. The sorrow is real, too. There is no pretending." Despite the loss, the Americans played a tremendous tournament en route to their fourth silver medal ever. In the big picture, the U.S. has won seven of the last 10 U18 World Championships. This was a testament to the potency of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, which furnished the talent for coach Seth Appert's roster. Even though their reign is over, they have nothing to be ashamed of. "I told them to wear the silver medal with pride," said Appert. "As much as it hurts right now, wear it with pride. It was earned. It’s hard to get. It wasn’t what we came for, but still, you have to respect the game, the tournament and your opponents, and put that medal around your neck with pride." Patrick Giles and Trevor Janicke scored for the Americans, while Tyler Weiss added two helpers. "This group is special for sure," said Joel Farabee, who in last year's final scored twice, including the winner. "From where we came from...we had five guys quit our team and two coaches leave. The world didn’t want us to win, but we persevered. We came two years all the way to a gold medal game and we were just one goal short. It’s just really tough right now." It was a great goaltending showdown between the U.S.'s Spencer Knight and Finland's Justus Annunen. Shots were even at 28 apiece. The Finns won seven straight games in regulation and are deserving champions. This final had everything you could ask for: a high tempo, intensity, adrenaline, and an off-the-charts Chelyabinsk crowd of 7,499 banging thundersticks and brandishing U.S. and Finnish flags. The quality of play was right up there with recent classic World Junior finals. Niemela's charges came out of the gate looking fast and hungry. Even if they weren’t quite “gorillas coming out of a cage,” to borrow Ilya Bryzgalov’s famous quote about Canada’s 7-3 win over Russia in the 2010 Olympic quarter-final, they got in on the forecheck and fired shots from everywhere. When Hughes, the tournament scoring leader and MVP, took the first penalty for interference at 8:45, it proved costly. Just 28 seconds later, Kotkaniemi fed the puck from the corner to Honka at the left point, and the younger brother of Dallas Stars defenceman Julius Honka unleashed a rising drive that Kupari tipped past Knight. At 12:33, Finland struck again with the man advantage. Honka sent it cross-ice to Kakko and he stepped into the right faceoff circle before lining up a perfect wrister high to the stick side. Rarely tested in the early going, Annunen was ready when Oliver Wahlstrom, who entered this game tied with Nordgren for the tournament goals lead, was left unguarded to the goalie’s right. Moments later on a U.S. man advantage, Hughes zipped one off the crossbar. At 16:53, the U.S. broke through with a delayed penalty coming up to the Finns, and their two assistant captains got it done. Inside the offensive blue line, Ty Emberson swept the puck left past a cluster of Finnish defenders to Giles, and he hammered it past Annunen. Knight came up huge to stop the blindingly fast Kupari on a breakaway with under two minutes left in the first period. "Knight was amazing," said Niemela. Despite being denied on a power play to kick off the second period, the Americans really picked it up. Hughes found Farabee coming with speed, and he rang it off Annunen's right point. At 8:24, the relentless Americans tied it up. Weiss sent a Wayne Gretzky-style centering pass from behind the net to Pivonka in the slot, and Annunen blocked his release, but couldn't stop Janicke on the rebound for his second of the tournament. Even play prevailed and both teams had their chances as the middle frame wore on. If it wasn't Kim Nousiainen coming late on the rush and ringing one off the crossbar, it was Janicke catching the Finns on a bad line change but whiffing on his shot as Annunen stared him down. Nordgren also waltzed into the slot off a Finnish faceoff win in the American end but couldn't find a chink in Knight's armor. And Annunen barely stopped Hughes on the doorstep with just over a minute till the second buzzer. It was one wild rush after another. "After the second period, when we were in the locker room, you could hear from the guys that we are not done here," said Niemela. "They believed." During an early third-period power play with Wahlstrom off for tripping in the offensive zone, Knight made a mind-blowing stick save on Nordgren, who couldn't convert Anton Lundell's crafty backhand pass. Still, the Finns were driving the play. Of Knight, Farabee said: "He was the backbone of our team. When we were struggling, he came out to save us. That really helped us, and that got us to the gold medal game. He’s a very special player." The U.S. got a chance to turn the tide when Ville Petman was sent off for interference with just over 10 minutes left in regulation and Wahlstrom sent a laser off the goal post. After Nordgren's shortie, the Americans failed to capitalize with Kotkaniemi off for tripping four minutes later. Desperate for the equalizer, they pulled Knight for the extra attacker with 1:07 left. But the U.S. struggled to coordinate its attack, although the Finns missed the empty net multiple times, and this game would not go to overtime. "Knight played well, but they didn't get that many chances to score on us," said Kotkaniemi. "We got a few chances and we scored. We skate well, we battle well." At the final horn, the Finns celebrated with explosive teenage enthusiasm, while the Americans were left crumpled and kneeling in dismay. "The level of hockey, the level of competitiveness on both sides, is very unique and special to be part of," said Appert. "We had our looks, even at the end. It just wasn’t meant to be tonight." This was the fourth time the U.S. and Finland have squared off for U18 gold, with the Americans winning all three previous confrontations (2006, 2015, 2017). For Finland, the 2015 and 2017 heartbreaks were particularly fresh. In 2015, Veini Vehvilainen’s incredible 60-save performance in Switzerland wasn’t enough to stop the Auston Matthews-led Americas from winning 2-1 in overtime on Colin White’s goal. Last year, Joel Farrabee tallied twice, including the eventual winner, in a 4-2 decision in Slovakia. But now, that storyline has finally changed. The result improved Finland's all-time U18 record versus the Americans to six wins and 11 losses. Asked about being the world's top U18 hockey nation, Niemela responded in typically Finnish fashion: "At the moment! But we have to improve, still lots to improve." Gold Medal Match Highlights Results Thread

2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A In Tilburg, , 23-29 April 2018 Sunday April 29th, 2018 - Round-Robin Last Day Results (GMT +2) 13:00 Belgium 2 - 5 China 16:30 Netherlands 9 - 2 Australia 20:00 Iceland 2 - 5 Serbia Final Standing 1. Netherlands 15 Qualified for the Men´s Division I Group B World Championships 2019 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Australia 11 3. Serbia 10 4. China 6 5. Belgium 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Iceland 0 Relegated for the Men´s Division II Group B World Championships 2019 Congrats @heywoodu Not many coutries triumphed this year in their respective tournaments with the perfect record of the max possible of points

2018 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship In Chelyabinsk & Magnitogorsk , 19-29 April 2018 Saturday April 28th, 2018 - Bronze Medal Game Result (GMT +5) (in Chelyabinsk) 15:30 Sweden 5 - 2 Czech Republic Gold Medal Game Result (GMT +5) (in Chelyabinsk) 19:30 Finland 3 - 2 United States Final Standing 1. Finland Men´s Under 18 World Champions 4th Title ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. United States 3. Sweden 4. Czech Republic ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Canada 6. Russia 7. Slovakia 8. Belarus ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. Switzerland ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. France Relegated for the Men´s Under 18 Division I Group A World Championships 2019

TEAM SLOVAKIA Goaltenders: Marek Čiliak (HC Kometa Brno, ) Patrik Rybár (Mountfield HK Hradec Králové, ) Denis Godla (KalPa Kuopio, ) Defencers: Adam Jánošík (HC Bílí Tygři Liberec, ) Michal Čajkovský (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, KHL, ) Marek Ďaloga (HC Sparta Praha, ) Martin Fehérváry (IK Oskarshamn, Allsvenskan, ) Dominik Graňák (Mountfield HK Hradec Králové, ) Mário Grman (Piráti Chomutov, ) Christián Jaroš (Ottawa Senators, NHL, / Belleville Senators, AHL, ) Andrej Sekera (Edmonton Oilers, NHL, ) Forwards: Pavol Skalický (HC 05 Banská Bystrica ) Martin Bakoš (HC Bílí Tygři Liberec, ) Lukáš Cingel (Mountfield HK Hradec Králové, ) Dávid Bondra (HK Poprad ) Dávid Buc (HK Poprad ) Patrik Svitana (HK Poprad ) Michal Krištof (HK Nitra ) Juraj Mikúš (HC Litvínov, ) Marcel Haščák (HC Kometa Brno, ) Tomáš Marcinko (HC Oceláři Třinec, ) Andrej Kudrna (HC Sparta Praha, ) Ladislav Nagy (HC Košice ) Marek Hovorka (HC Košice ) Tomáš Jurčo (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, / Rockford IceHogs, AHL, )

Road to IIHF World Championships Exhibition Games Sunday April 29th, 2018 Russia - Czech Republic 4 - 2 (*EURO-HOCKEY TOUR) Sweden - Finland 1 - 3 (*EURO-HOCKEY TOUR)

We had today the Last day of the EURO HOCKEY TOUR 2017/18, with the final day of the 4th stage the traditional Sweden Hockey Games, Russia won against the Czech Republic 4-2 and Sweden lost to Finland the overall winner 1-3 Sweden Hockey Games Final Standing: 1. Finland 8 pts, 2. Sweden 6 pts, 3. Russia 4 pts, 4. Czech Republic 0 pts. EURO HOCKEY TOUR 2017/18 Final Standing: 1. Finland 21 ------------------------------------------------ 2. Czech Republic 14 3. Russia 13 4. Sweden 12

We lost yesterday the last test match before the WCh after a let say some 40% effort from the team, players clearly trying to not get injured and key guys only on the bench after 1st period to France. but well, in overall quite well preparation from our guys, after two debacles in Sweden in the first week came then in the next weeks 6 winning matches streak in a row (2x in Germany, 2x against Latvia at home, win against S. Korea and win in the first match against France with clearly the best performance of all preparation periods, then as said the lost 2-3 yesterday, so the guys showed that we can have hopes for a successful fight for the quarterfinals this year, which remains our main goal. The final roster flying to Denmark will be known in the next few hours The teams agreed also yesterday to trains after the match (however the result will be) the penalty shoot-outs, and we had the possibility to see thisbeautiful jewel from Bakoš Highlights fro the last two test matches against France

MEN´S DIVISION I GROUP A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Britain & Italy up! Farmer scores clinching goal with 15.8 seconds left From dreamers to winners: Congrats Great Britain and see you next year at the 2019 WCh in Slovakia! Great Britain got the point it needed when Robert Farmer tied the game against Hungary at two with 15.8 seconds left in regulation time. We are going up! We are going up!” the British fans chanted on the tribune. 15.8 seconds were missing in regulation time that changed everything. For a long time it looked like host Hungary would win the game in regulation time and get promoted together with Kazakhstan in a four-team tie at nine points. But the last-minute bounce made Great Britain tournament winner and Italy will be promoted too as second-placed team. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. I was looking to shoot for a rebound, a lucky bounce, and we won a gold medal, so it’s great! We kept battling, we have a lot of team spirit, we believe in ourselves as a group of people and that came through in the end,” Farmer said and is looking forward to next year in Slovakia. “We might never get the chance to do this again. What an opportunity for us to go and showcase ourselves!” After the 2-2 tie the rest of the game wouldn’t change anything anymore but Great Britain continued its party on the ice by eventually beating Hungary 3-2 in shootout with Ben O’Connor scoring the winning goal in the fifth round. Great Britain tried to get into the game for most of the time and outshot Hungary 43-33. Team GB won four out of five games but this was actually the only game the team had more shots on goal than its opponent. “We just had an unbelievable tournament. We never say die. We had a great first period, absorbed the pressure and took it back to them. Anything can happen when you dream and that’s what was shown in this tournament,” said O’Connor, who was named Best Defenceman of the tournament. “We’re like a family, we pulled together, we’re all best friends. We worked together as a team and believed and it is possible. Back-to-back gold medals, when’s the last time that has ever been done?” It was the fitting ending of a tournament that was full of drama, surprises and tight standings from the first to the last day, to the last game and the last minute. Five teams were still in run for promotion before the final day and four teams could still have made it before the last game’s result. For Great Britain it will be a return to the top division after 24 years. And like in the ‘90s they made it from the third to the top tier with two consecutive promotions in two years. “To win it with all these guys is unbelievable. It’s just literally indescribable. I can’t wait for next year! It’s gonna be busy but it’s gonna be fun!” said goalie Ben Bowns, who had another busy night with 31 saves. While Great Britain and Italy will be promoted to the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia, Kazakhstan had to settle for bronze before Hungary, Slovenia and Poland, which will be relegated. Earlier that day Italy won its game against Slovenia also in the last seconds of regulation time to get itself into this position. In front of a loud and passionate sell-out crowd of 7,870 spectators Hungary had a perfect start on home ice at the Laszlo Papp Sportarena in Budapest also thanks to a tripping call against British goaltender Bowns. At 3:31 the Hungarian players covered him with shots and had several rebounds until Christopher Bodo eventually succeeded and beat Bowns for the 1-0 goal. The British had their chances too but didn’t manage to create enough danger to tie the game during the rest of the period. In a scoreless second period Daniel Koger had the probably best chance for Hungary when Bowns deflected a shot with his glove. A bit later on the other side Adam Vay had to be sharp when Mark Richardson shot after a great pass from Mike Hammond. A lucky bounce gave Hungary the 2-0 lead at 1:53 of the third period. Janos Hari brought the puck high to the crease where it hit Csanad Erdely’s shoulder and from there went in. The goal was confirmed after a video review. The British still continued to work hard and when they were looking for a rebound, Robert Down eventually broke the spell and beat Adam Vay for the 2-1 goal with nine minutes left for GB to tie. The British were pushing but the best chance was Hungary’s when Hari missed out on a penalty shot with four minutes left. The Hungarians seemed to win it and to go up with Kazakhstan. But then, with 15.8 seconds left a nightmare broke out for the hosts. The British occupied their zone, had their time-out and their goalie pulled for a sixth skater. Farmer brought the puck from a sharp angle from the left side to the goal and surprised Vay. The puck slid down from his glove and slid between his legs across the goal line. It was 2-2. Now suddenly Great Britain would be tournament winner and take Italy as second-place team to the top division. It was not over yet. Now Hungary took its time-out. With eight seconds left and after a glove block from Bowns the fans started to cheer after a rebound but the puck just came onto the net from outside. Great Britain won and the players and the “Barmy Army”, their loud fans on the tribune, celebrated loudly. It was the start of the British party while the Hungarian fans chanted farewell to their visibly broken players with the traditional singing of the national anthem as they do even in defeat. “We achieved the dream. I’m so happy for the players and the country. I don’t think we really know what has happened to us. [In the last period] we changed the approach a little bit, tried to push them back, threw pucks to the net. We had luck, 15 seconds to go and Farmer puts it between his feet. Dreams happen,” said head coach Peter Russell, the Scotsman who took over the national team three years ago. The British went from one lucky streak to another during the tournament and never gave up even if a glimpse of hopelessness was in the air after two scoreless periods against Hungary. The tournament victory is especially impressive since the team doesn’t have many camps or tournament participations during the season due to the long club season. Something Russell doubts will change. “We can’t do that with the Elite League. We have the seven-day camp and two games. We skated five days before we came here and played two games against Lithuania. I don’t see that changing because some Elite League guys play 90 games and after the playoff final they come straight to camp. We get used to. It’s fast track. But I don’t really know what’s going to happen next year,” Russell. Something that will go on is having his team competing among the 16 best nations in the world at the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship not far from here in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia. “That’s wild! It’s a crazy journey. Some guys on this team have been 15 years. When you work hard things can happen. It’s a great experience and everybody is looking forward to.” Italy wins empty-net clash Crazy game eliminates Slovenia last minute With a tie not helping either team first Slovenia then Italy both pulled their goalie for a sixth skater. Diego Kostner scored the game-winner for Italy. It was one of these curious moments in this tournament where all six teams are close and five teams remained in contention for promotion with two games left. Now only four teams are left as Italy beat Slovenia 4-3. Because only a regulation-time victory would help either team both pulled their goalies when it was 3-3 in the last minute to battle for the game-winner. Diego Kostner got it for Italy with 2.3 seconds left before the buzzer. “We’re glad. It was a great team performance. When they pulled their goalie we wanted to try to score. It was a great game for us and now we have to wait and hope. There were chances on both sides and it was a good game from both teams with good goalies and the luck on our side,” Kostner said. “I hope we will be promoted. We can just hope but we can’t do anything.” “We had an excellent performance in all game, maybe against not so good. Against Great Britain we would have deserved more but that’s hockey. Overall we showed a good tournament.” While Slovenia missed promotion, Italy now has to hope for a favourable outcome in the last game. If Great Britain gets at least one point against Hungary, the British and Italy will go up to the top division. If Hungary beats Great Britain in regulation time, there will be a four-team tie for first place with Kazakhstan and Hungary earning promotion. “It was an open game but we knew we needed three points and put everything in the third period and didn’t care whether we get one point or two points, we needed three. We had a lot of chances but unfortunately we didn’t score,” Slovenian defenceman Sabahudin Kovacevic said. “This was a special game. Some day you win this kind of game and some time you lose but you have to respect the result. It’s unusual. Both teams needed three points and you needed to do something as a coach, both took the goalie out. We had our momentum in the game to score more goals but sometimes it’s like this,” said Slovenia head coach Kari Savolainen. “For our team this tournament was a little difficult. The start was not the best possible but we came back. We got two victories and I respect the players and am grateful for the players, team staff and fans. Unfortunately we didn’t have luck today.” For Italy it was the first win against Slovenes in 27 years. Since 2010 Slovenia has always been ranked before Italy whenever the teams played in the same division. Italy had never beaten Slovenia in men’s World Championship play. The best result was a 3-3 tie at the 2006 Worlds in Latvia. The last win dates back to times when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and Italy won on the opponent’s soil in Ljubljana 13-3. Italy had the luckier start into the game. When Bostjan Golicic was sent to the penalty box for holding in the first minute of play the Azzurri converted their first power play. Diego Kostner saw Markus Gander free on the left side, who one-timed the puck top-shelf for the opening marker at 1:39. Slovenia made pressure but didn’t have luck with their shots until 17:11 when Matic Podlipnik was fortunate with his shot from the left boards that went through Marco de Filippo Roia’s five-hole to make it 1-1. Slovenia got its first lead early in the second period during a power play. Jan Urbas sent a horizontal pass to the left side where Rok Ticar converted it with a top-shelf shot at 3:55. But also the lynx’s lead was only short-lived joy once Italy had its next power play. With the penalty almost expired, Michael Sullivan skated himself free on the right of the net and tied the game at two. Of course that wasn’t enough for either team and in an open game it was the Italians who scored next after killing a penalty. Ivan Deluca on the left side skated around Aleksandar Magovac to skate to the crease. Gasper Kroselj blocked the shot but Alex Trivellato scored on the rebound. The goal still didn’t define the direction of the gam as with 68 seconds left the Slovenes came back when Sabahudin Kovacevic sent off another hammer of a shot from the blueline – the third goal of the tournament for the defenceman. Both teams had their scoring chances in the third period to with a shot advantage for Slovenia but Italy having a post shot with eight minutes left in regulation time. Slovenia got its big chance when Italy’s Luca Felicetti lost a puck battle with Ken Ograjensek and was assessed a penalty for high-sticking. Slovenia took its time-out but had trouble setting up its power play. The teams entered the last minute with a tie, which would finish the dream of promotion for both teams and send Kazakhstan up instead. The Slovenes were the first team to be brave enough and pull their goalie, then Italy pulled their goalie too in order to play 6-on-6! The teams didn’t give each other anything and eventually the Italians had the puck in the last seconds of the game. While their goalie was on his way out to make room for a sixth skater, Diego Kostner scored the game-winner into the empty net with 2.3 seconds left on the game clock! Slovenia has now missed out on promotion in Division I play for the first time since 2009 while the Italians will have to cheer on Great Britain in the last game. “Both teams played well, Slovenia was probably better than us tonight and probably deserved the victory based on stats but that’s hockey, last night it was us who were unlucky. Both teams battled and showed character. It was very difficult to play Slovenia, they got stronger and stronger during the tournament and luck was on our side,” said Italy head coach Clayton Beddoes. “This is one of the best tournaments I have seen Italy play. Possibly we could have won four out of five but it didn’t happen that way. It’s also about winning the right games and today was the right game for us.” Kazakhstan hopes Wins game and sends Poland down Kazakhstan beat Poland 6-1 and can still hope for promotion depending on the other results. With the fourth loss in five games Poland is relegated. After two disappointing losses, Kazakhstan keeps its hope for promotion alive thanks to a 6-1 victory against Poland that sends the Poles down to the Division I Group B. Kazakhstan now has to hope it will be tied at nine points in a favourable fashion since it beat two direct opponents (Great Britain and Hungary) but lost against the other two promotion candidates (Italy and Slovenia). An overtime or shootout win by either team in the Slovenia-Italy game or a Hungarian win against Great Britain to create a three-team or four-team tie would benefit the Kazakhs. “We had to win and we played a good game. The guys were fighting until the end,” said Roman Starchenko, who was Kazakhstan’s man of the match with four goals and an assist. “Now we don’t know what will happen. We have to hope for the best, we will watch the other games, it’s 50-50. If we go up it’s great, if we don’t go up it means were not good enough.” The win also makes the scenarios for the other teams clearer. Great Britain will definitely need one point from the game against Hungary, otherwise they will drop to third of fourth place. Scenarios that see Great Britain promoted even in case of a regulation-time loss have been swiped out with Kazakhstan’s win. Slovenia will need a regulation-time win against Italy to be promoted, anything else will not help anymore. Italy will also need a regulation-time win but at the same time needs to hope that Hungary won’t beat Great Britain in regulation time. Hungary needs a regulation-time against Great Britain but this will only lead to promotion if Slovenia doesn’t beat Italy in regulation time. Poland cannot improve from sixth and last place anymore and will be relegated after four years in the Division I Group A. Despite a KHL-starred roster Kazakhstan entered the last team not only as one of five teams who can theoretically get promoted but also as one of three teams that can be relegated following two straight losses. It was a must-win game for survival and a chance for promotion for Kazakhstan and it Poland was in need for a regulation-time win to avoid relegation. The Kazakhs responded well to the pressure and showed their A-game with skill, pressure and punishing errors in the Polish defence. Alikhan Asetov missed out on a penalty shot when he was tripped by Damian Tomasik during a breakaway but in the next shift the Kazakhs opened the scoring at 12:20. Yevgeni Rymarev skated along the goal line and found Roman Starchenko in great position to score the 1-0 goal. One minute later the Kazakhs capitalized on a giveaway. Valeri Orekhov found Pavel Akolzin, who scored from the right face-off circle. “It was a tough game despite the result. [Poland] plays technical hockey like us. We were nervous in the beginning but we scored first and that helped us a lot,” said Kazakh head coach Galym Mambetaliev. “The teams at the tournament are at the same level. Everybody deserves to be in the top division. All the games have to be played from the first to the last second. Now we wait for the other results and will see.” Although Poland kept up on paper, it was the Kazakhs whose chances were more dangerous. Early in the second period they converted their first power play to make it 3-0. Starchenko sent off a long shot from the left boards that beat Przemyslaw Odrobny through his five-hole. Three minutes later it was the Kazakhs themselves who allowed a goal after a giveaway. Valeri Orekhov’s pass behind the own net jumped from Kirill Polokhov’s stick straight to Polish forward Krzysztof Zapala, who made it 3-1. Another situation behind the own net with Leonid Metalnikov being assessed a penalty for tripping gave the Poles further opportunities. However, with 47.7 seconds left in the period and the Kazakhs on power play, Starchenko scored the 4-1 goal to bring his team one more step into the upper direction of the standings. And if that didn’t seal the win, then Ivan Kuchin’s goal at 6:03 of the third period did. Unguarded at the centre of the blueline, he took the opportunity to increase Kazakhstan’s lead to 5-1. “I thought we played pretty well but unfortunately we couldn’t beat their goaltender. Their team just scored first, second, third on their chances. Every nation here is very well prepared and develops hockey, and in Poland we have to do the same thing. Before today there were 64 outcomes. There is a fine line between winning and losing,” said Poland’s head coach Ted Nolan. The further away the Poles were from coming back in the third period, the less disciplined they acted. Krystian Dziubinski’s five-minute major penalty for spearing was just the start of a serious of penalties that kept the Polish penalty box busy for the remainder of the game. That allowed Starchenko to end his day with a fourth goal during a 5-on-3 and the final score of 6-1. And here are the silver medallists, in true Italian fashion. You're looking good ragazzi! Congratulazione Italia! Italy together with tournament winner Great Britain is promoted to the 2019 Top Division WCh in Slovakia! Results Thread

MEN´S DIVISION I GROUP B WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lithuania moving up Next stop: Division I A In the battle of the Baltics, Pavilas Verenis scored a brace while blueliners Nerijus Alisauskas and Jaunius Jasinevicius scored one apiece as Lithuania went undefeated through the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group B in Kaunas. Lithuania's 4-1 final day win sealed their promotion to the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A. Japan finished second to win silver while Estonia slipped down to third in Division I Group B. "I think one of the biggest influence to our success was the arrival of Darius Kasparaitis and Dainius Zubrus to our team. We had read about them, but we never had them together in our locker room. We have a good team, but those two guys made the difference," said Lithuania's captain of the evening, Mindaugas Kieras who played his 100th and last game for Lithuania this evening. Robert Rooba got Estonia's marker as they went ahead before conceding four straight unanswered goals. Villem-Henrik Koitmaa recorded 39 saves and was voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament by the Directorate. "They guys gave it all and I am very proud of them. You could see right after the game that the players are disappointed as there was so much at stake. In the third period we still had chances which could have gotten us close, but tonight we lost against worthy winners and the best team of the tournament" said Estonia's head coach Jussi Tupamaki being gracious in defeat. The clash got off to an intriguing start as it was the surprise package Estonia that got in front. Lithuania's netminder Mantas Armalis had lost his stick when Rooba surprised by snapping a trademark wrister from the left boards after 4:20 for a shock lead that helped settle Estonian nerves. "It was such an important game for gold or bronze, and I've never played in front of so many people so it was a bit nervous, but when you got into the game it was ok," said Estonia's Artjom Gornostajev. The lead only lasted for just over three minutes before Zubrus won a draw and Alisauskas hit a bullet from the blueline for this first of the tournament to tie the game at one. "I was impressed by Estonia, they have a young team now and new guys stepping in and playing really good hockey without trying to make any mistakes. We knew they were a good team, but we felt that they would have to do something extra in order to take the win away from us," said Kieras. Winning the shots in the first frame 14-7, Lithuania went in front when Daniel Bogdziul fed Jasinevicius who lofted a shot past Koitmaa for 2-1 after 15:42. With the game still in the balance, Tadas Kumeliauskas collected the puck from his own defensive zone and charged towards Estonia's net, got intercepted by Marko Kettunen before the puck went to Verenis who showed no hesitation to hit high past Koitmaa to stretch Lithuania's lead to 3-1 at 35:58 With Verenis serving a cross-checking minor at the start of the final frame, Estonia piled up the pressure on powerplay with Robert Arrak and Andrei Makrov both denied by Armalis. As Estonia's energy level deteriorated, Tupamaki called a timeout with 8:53 for a well-deserved breather. With 3:41 left of the game, Estonia pulled Koitmaa from the net, but it took only 20 seconds before Verenis converted an empty-netter as the crowd got on their feet to celebrate a memorable night for Lithuanian hockey and its heroes. Japan routs Ukraine Final day win secures medal Two powerplay goals and a helper from Japan's top scorer Ryo Hashimoto led the way in a 7-1 destruction that crushed Ukraine's hopes for a medal at the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group B. Shogo Nakajima also played an influential role for Japan with three assists, while netminder Yutaka Fukufuji enjoyed a solid game with 27 saves. Japan has at least bronze secured but still has hopes for better things. They now need to keep fingers crossed for Lithuania to beat Estonia in regulation time during the final game to get their hands on the silver medals. "We came here to win gold and play creative hockey, but we now look to play with a more aggressive style with more shots and passes than we used to do in the past," said head coach Yuji Iwamoto as he looks to stamp his authority on Japan. "In our game against Lithuania, my players were perhaps a bit afraid at times. If we want to win gold we need to be stronger and physically cope with this level while also be more confident," continued Iwamoto in the aftermath of completing his first World Championship as head coach of Japan. Having been relegated from Division 1A last year, Ukraine now had to settle for fourth spot at the 2018 Division 1B in Kaunas and recording its lowest ever overall position since they entered World Championship play in 1993. Andri Mikhnov scored Ukraine's lone marker against Japan. Bogdan Dyachenko made 19 saves on 25 shots was replaced by Sergi Gaiduchenko with 14:32 to go. "We had put all our efforts into yesterday's game against Lithuania and were very tired as we had a very short period of recovery ahead of this afternoon game," said Ukraine's assistant coach Oleg Shafarenko. The point gained in last night's match against the hosts ensured survival in the division for Ukraine. In the wake of their late-night push against Lithuania to overtime, Ukraine struggled from the outset with the pace of Japan. Dyachenko left a rebound from a shot fired from the left face-off circle by Seiya Hayata with Yushi Nakayashiki reacting quickest to draw first blood after 2:38. The men in black doubled their lead as they converted on powerplay after 7:47. Moving the puck swiftly, Hiromichi Terao picked out Japan's top scorer Hashimoto who had time to stop the puck with his skate before firing past Dyachenko for 2-0. Ukraine needed a regular time win in order to win bronze, got a chance to claw themselves into the game. Playing on a 5-on-3 man advantage and holding the puck well, they lacked the killer touch with Dmytro Ignatenko having the final chance to score before the end of the first frame. Still playing on a one-man advantage, Mikhnov took things into his own hands at 22:19 to cut inside from the right past Kenta Tagaki to fire between the pads of Fukufuji to cut back the deficit to 2-1. Lethal on the powerplay, Hashimoto stretched Japan's lead to 3-1 after firing from the blueline on the powerplay at 27:05. Tomoya Echigo reacted quickly on a rebound for 4-1 with 4:41 left of the middle frame, before Ukraine's Dmytro Ignatenko slammed a bullet from the blueline off the post just before the second intermission. Goshi Ito bagged Japan's fifth as he whipped a wrist shot from the slot for 5-1. The misery continued for Ukraine, as Shogo Nakajima surged down from the right to find Echigo who picked out Hiroto Sato for a composed finish as Japan's scored its sixth at 45:28. In order to halt their slide, Ukraine head coach Olexander Savitsky called a time-out, replaced Dyachenko with Gaiduchenko, before Kenta Takagi closed the scoring with 9:06 as Japan's completed their 7-1 rout. "Japan was better than us in all components of the game and their league is currently much stronger than ours. We need a more powerful championship and then we will have a better national team," said Shafarenko. Romania survives Sweeps Croatia aside to beat drop A Romanian goal-spree downed Croatia 7-3 in the battle against relegation to stay in the Division I Group B. Croatia takes the step down to Division IIA. Romania finally found the goal with ease when it mattered the most. Csanad Fodor and Daniel Tranca both tallied 1+3. At the other end, Patrik Polc recorded 40 saves as his displays in his first World Championship played a crucial role in Romania's survival. Romania's final day 7-3 win at the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division 1 Group B in Kaunas is their first at this level since 2013. Their last two previous appearances in division 1B in 2014 and 2016 both ended with straight relegation. "We faced some adversity throughout the tournament as we have played with a short line up. We really needed this win today, and having gained a point in Japan in the previous game us a big boost going into this game," said Romania's captain Roberto Gliga. Croatia who has played five consecutive years in Division 1B will next year take a step down to Division 2A. David Brine scored a brace for Croatia while Vito Nikolic made his World Championship debut in net with 16:24 left of the contest. Romania who needed a regulation time win to ensure survival got off to a flying start 5:25 into the game. Fodor instigated the moved before Tranca picked out Molnar at the far post who slipped in a backhand past Mate Tomljenovic. The same line was at it at again after 11:31. 2-0 arrived following Fodor's feed from behind Tomljenovic's cage found an on-rushing Tranca who calmly slotted the puck into Croatia's net. Romania stretched their lead to three unanswered goals courtesy of a fine breakaway goal. 20-year-old Tamas Reszegh flew down the left wing, picked out Fodor cross-ice who boomed home a one-timer at 27:39. Croatia got a golden chance to claw their way into the game as Romania get into penalty trouble. Romania's blueline duo Catalin-Adrian Berdila and Tihamer Gyorfy both got hooking minors as Croatia stepped up the pressure on a 5-on-3. Failing to capitalize Croatia got another chance soon after with Romania's Tranca serving a cross-checking call, but it as to be all in vain. "We had some chances to score early in the game, couldn't score and our powerplay wasn't working so it was a tough afternoon and every time we gave away a two-on-one they scored," said Croatia head coach Enio Sacilotto. Buoyed by managing to keep the puck of their net, Romania surged forward as Tranca, Molnar and Gliga linked up for Romania's fourth on the afternoon. Domen Vedlin replied for Croatia's first of the afternoon with 2:39 left of the frame to cut the deficit to 4-1. Soon after, Borna Rendulic went clear with Polc, but failed to score during a dour afternoon for Croatia in Zalgiris Arena. While on powerplay Hugo Gecse shot from the blueline saw Tomljenovic leave a rebound, Gergo Biro reacted quickest for Romania's fifth. When Balazs Peter outmuscled the Croatian defence to pick out Zsolt Peter to hit home 6-1 for Romania the game was effectively over. Tomljenovic was replaced by 20-year-old debutant Nikolic and while Brine pulled on back for Croatia with 8:31 left, Tamas Reszegh still had time to score Romania's seventh of the afternoon, before Brine scored his second to close the scoring on a 5-on-3. In front of 10,170 ecstatic home fans, Lithuania celebrates winning gold in Division 1B after downing Estonia, 4-1. Results Thread

okay 1:30 AM, so time to finally sleep a bit, since I´m up today from 02:00 AM last night... Congrats once again and all medalists, all top 10. Thanks to all who voted for us, with special mention to our medal places and 2 beautiful golds from Algeria and Russia. Great thanks and cogratulations to @vinipereira for the amazing job around this edition. what a great show this was. see you all tomorrow, good night

nah what to expect from a speedskating country...

I knew it...