Ukraine National Ice Hockey Team Wins World Championship Division 1B, Defeating Lithuania 4-1
The night before, the Ukrainian national ice hockey team won the 2024 IIHF World Championship for the third time in history. In the last round, Ukraine defeated Lithuania 4-1 to win a promotion to Division 1A.
This year's World Championship was the fourth in a row for Ukraine in the 1B division. In the previous matches, the Ukrainian team won four matches with a total score of 27:1 and became the table leader before the final round.
In the last match of the 2024 World Championship, Ukraine met Lithuania, the host of the competition, which also scored 12 points in four matches.
In the Lithuania-Ukraine match, the winner of the game was promoted to the next level, and the fate of the only ticket to Division 1A was decided.
Division 1B is the third-highest ranked division in world hockey. Ukraine previously won the championships in 2013 and 2016.
After the promotion, the Ukrainian national team will play at the 2025 World Championship in Division 1A.
Ukraine was eliminated from this division in 2017.
Ukraine's rivals at the 2025 World Cup will be determined after the 2024 World Cup in Division 1A, which is currently underway and will last until 4 May.
Slovenia, Romania, Hungary, Italy, Japan and South Korea are also playing in this division, with the top 2 teams reaching the elite, while the Koreans left the 1A division ahead of schedule.