In Bolzano, Italy, on April 28, the 2024 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A kicked off, where the Ukrainian national team is competing for the right to move up to the top tier of world hockey. Ukraine’s opponents include the national teams of Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Japan, and Romania. Based on the tournament results, the two best teams will be promoted to the elite division, while the team with the worst performance will be relegated to Division IB, reports the Baltimore Chronicle.
In their first match, Ukraine suffered a 1:3 defeat against Slovenia. The only goal for the “blue and yellows” was scored by Vladyslav Luhovyi. The next challenge for Vadym Shakhraichuk’s team was Hungary. Despite fighting until the end, Ukraine lost 2:5. Goals for Ukraine were scored by Illia Korenchuk and Oleksii Vorona.
In the third match, Ukraine showed determination by defeating Japan 3:1. The goals were scored by Illia Korenchuk, Vitalii Andriushchenko, and Kyrylo Bilousov. Ukraine’s next opponent will be the host nation, Italy. The game is scheduled for May 3 at 21:00 Kyiv time. The final group stage match for the Ukrainian team will be against Romania on May 4 at 17:00.
All matches of the World Championship are broadcast by the “Suspilne Sport” TV channel and are also available online on the “Suspilne Sport” and “Suspilne Kyiv” websites.
Earlier we wrote about ukrainian Vitalii Mandzyn nominated as Biathlon World Cup Rookie of the season.