The Ukraine men's national ice hockey team has returned to the elite division of the World Championship, taking 2nd place in Group A of Division I. This is reported by UNN.
Details
On the final matchday, the "blue-and-yellows" had to win their match against the Japanese and hope that the Lithuanian team would take points from the tournament hosts, the Poles.
In the end, Dmytro Khrystych's men completed their part of the job (3:0, with goals scored by Peresunko, Dakhnovskyi, and Trakt). In turn, the Balts fought for a draw in regulation time (1:1) and, in addition to helping the Ukrainians, secured their own place in Division IA. Incidentally, Lithuania eventually secured a victory over the Poles in overtime.
It should be added that the last time Ukraine played in the elite division of the World Championship was in 2007. At that time, the "blue-and-yellows" finished in last place, 16th.
For Reference
In total, the Ukrainian national team spent nine seasons in the elite division (from 1999 to 2007). The best result for the "blue-and-yellows" in the elite was 9th place at the 2002 World Championship.
Since being relegated from the elite in 2007, Ukraine even dropped to Division IB. From there, the "blue-and-yellows" managed to rise to Group IA following the 2024 World Championship, and just two years later, they have returned to the elite.
As a reminder
The Ukraine national ice hockey team began its performance at the 2026 IIHF World Championship Division IA with a defeat. In the opening match, the "blue-and-yellows" lost to the tournament hosts—the Polish team.
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