The Ukrainian national ice hockey team is ready to compete in the IIHF World Championship Division IB
The Ukrainian national ice hockey team is set to start their campaign in the IIHF World Championship Division IB in Vilnius on April 27th. The team will face off against Lithuania, China, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Spain. Only one team will earn the right to be promoted to the higher division after the round-robin tournament.
The goals for the Ukrainian team in this tournament are quite serious. Last year, they finished in second place in their group, losing only to Japan, and missing out on the opportunity to move up to a higher division. They managed to win three games (against Serbia, Estonia, the Netherlands) and secured a victory in one game after overtime (against China), suffering only one loss in regulation. The Ukrainian team was the highest-scoring team in the group, scoring 35 goals (compared to Japan’s 29).
The second-place finish at the 2023 World Championship was an improvement compared to the previous tournament in 2022, where Ukraine finished third. The Ukrainian team will look to accomplish the goal of moving up to a higher division in Lithuania. It is worth noting that the last time Ukraine played in the top division of world hockey was in 2007.
