World Championship: Kazakhstan stays up; Poland, GB drop
A 3-1 win over Poland was enough to keep Kazakhstan in the top division at the IIHF World Championship. Goals from Nikita Mikhailis, Valery Orekhov and Roman Starchenko secured the verdict in a must-win game to conclude the Kazakhs’ campaign. Poland returns to Division IA, as does Britain after a 2-5 loss to Norway. Sweden clinched first place in Group B with a 3-1 win over France, while Finland moved back to fourth in Group A with victory over Denmark.
Group B
Sweden 3 France 1 (0-0, 1-1, 2-0)
The Tre Kronor confirmed top spot in Group B with a routine victory over France. This wasn’t a vintage performance from the Swedes, but they were never greatly troubled by a French team that defended in depth but offered little else.
The first period was goalless, but a shot count of 12-3 told the story of the game. In the middle frame, Lucas Raymond put Sweden up only for Charles Bertrand to tie the scores a minute later.
Captain Erik Karlsson struck on the power play at the start of the third, restoring Sweden’s lead. This time it held, and Andre Burakovsky’s empty-netter wrapped up the win.
Kazakhstan 3 Poland 1 (1-1, 0-0, 2-0)
Gagarin Cup winning duo Nikita Mikhailis and Valery Orekhov got the goals that kept Kazakhstan in the top division of the IIHF World Championship. It was a tense evening as the Kazakhs faced Poland needing at least one point to preserve its status. Anything better than a regulation loss would be enough for Galym Mambetaliyev’s team, while the Poles were preparing to pour everything into a surprise survival bid.
The high stakes made for tense hockey and there were few chances in the opening frame. Poland got the first power play of the night and produced its first PP goal of the tournament – Kamil Walega breaking the deadlock after nine minutes. Kazakhstan replied when Nikita Mikhailis took matters into his own hands. The Metallurg man hasn’t had the most productive of tournaments for his country, but he got his first of the competition at a vital time to tie the scores.
It stayed tight through a goalless second period. Then, midway through the third, Valery Orekhov hammered a shot through traffic to put Kazakhstan up 2-1. Alikhan Asetov provided the screen.
“We just stuck to our game and we knew the goals would come if we played the right way,” said defenseman Tamirlan Gaitamirov. “We just stuck to what the coaches told us. Thanks to our Andrei Shutov, our goalie, if it wasn’t for him this wouldn’t be possible today. At last we got the big win we needed.”
That lead meant Kazakhstan could even afford to allow Poland a tying goal and still remain in the top division. But the final word went to Roman Starchenko. The Kazakh captain was playing his 50th World Championship game and his 100th competitive encounter. Both are national records from a player synonymous with the team and it was fitting that his breakaway tally put survival out of Poland’s reach.
Now Kazakhstan can prepare for next year, with Gaitamirov hoping for bigger things.
“Staying up is huge,” he said. “We’re growing year by year. This year we didn’t develop the way we wanted but at least we got the job done. Next year is going to be a big battle for us again, coming back to the top division and trying to show a way better game than this year.”
Group A
Great Britain 2 Norway 5 (0-3, 1-1, 1-1)
Norway saved itself from relegation thanks to a three-goal burst in the first period. A regulation win for the Brits would have ended a run of 18 successive top flight tournaments for the Scandinavians, but a mix of youth and experience saw them to safety.
A fast start saw Norway up 2-0 inside seven minutes. Patrick Thoresen’s first goal of the tournament – at the ripe old age of 40 – helped give Norway a powerful position from the start. Mats Zuccarello, who played for Metallurg during the 2012-13 lockout, collected his sixth assist of the tournament as his team moved up 3-0 before the intermission.
In 2022, Norway blew a 3-0 lead over GB before winning a shoot-out. This time, they made no mistake. A power play goal for draft prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard made it 4-0 and effectively ended the game. Eskild Bakke Olsen’s second of the game made it five for Norway in the third. Although Thoresen and Zuccarello played a big role, 12 of Norway’s 15 goals in Prague were scored by players aged 25 or under: maybe future tournaments will be less stressful. GB returns directly to Division IA, but has a chance to get some revenge on Norway in Olympic Qualification in late August.
Finland 3 Denmark 1 (0-0, 0-0, 3-1)
This is unusual territory for Finland. Ahead of today’s game, Jukka Jalonen’s team was outside of the playoff places. Failure to beat the Danes would leave the Finns in grave danger of finishing outside the top eight for the first time since 1955.
Denmark, meanwhile, retained a theoretical chance of progress but needed victory here plus an improbable series of results tomorrow while unfancied Austria was hoping for help in holding onto fourth place.
For two periods, the Danes held on. Finland dominated the play, outshooting Denmark 24-12 through 40 minutes. However, Mathias Seldrup was flawless in the Danish goal and the game was goalless going into the third.
Nerves may well have been jangling from Oulo to Espoo, but relief came at the start of the final frame. Hannes Bjorninen put Finland ahead in the 44th minute, then Rasmus Rissanen’s unassisted effort doubled the lead 90 seconds later.
The teams traded late goals but the Finns had the win that sent it back into the top four. However, to advance to the knock-out round, Jalonen’s team must get something against Switzerland, or hope that relegated GB ends on a high note against Austria.
Main photo: PressFocus / MB Media / Getty Sport / GettyImages.ru
