In the 2009 IIHF World Championship Division IIA, the unlikely happened that the underdog, Serbia, gained promotion at the expense of the strong favourites of Estonia. While the Serbian fans still celebrate, this article analyses how it happened by reviewing the performance of each team.

   SERBIA

Serbia has been stuck in Division II ever since the country re-entered the IIHF World Championships as Yugoslavia in 2001. (The country changed its name to Serbia & Montenegro in 2003, and with the independence of Montenegro to Serbia in 2008). Though Serbia has always been close to the top of division II, the team has never won the division and gained promotion as this would require a victory over the nation that was relegated from Division I. It is a well-known fact that there is little team mobility inbetween the lower IIHF divisions. Thus year, Serbia faced a particularly serious hurdle, namely Estonia-- a team that has been sitting comfortable in Division I for years and that very few expected to be relegated.

At a first glance it appears odd that the two teams that would decide promotion faced each other on the very first day of the tournament. But it wasn't a plot targetted at Estonia. The IIHF’s pairings of the lower divisions, and the schedule of these divisions, are governed by the position of the teams in last years World Championship. The rules are transparent and predictable, and as the bronze winner of Division IIB in 2008, Serbia in their first game was destined to face Estonia, the relegated team of Division IB – just as Belgium, the bronze winner of Division IIA in 2008, played Korea, the relegated team of Division IA, in the opening round of the 2009 Division IIB.

Estonia only played the second best ranked team, China, in their final game. Normally, this game final game is decisive for promotion. This was certainly also the case in the parallel Division IIB tournament in Sofia, where the promotion was left undecided until Korea beat Belgium 5-2 in the last round.

The tournament in Novi Sad, however, was a rare exception to this historic pattern as Serbia is arguably a stronger opponent than China, especially if they have the home advantage.

And the fact that Serbia took on Estonia in the opening round of the tournament is indeed a very important key understanding why Serbia was promoted.

In the beginning, everything went according to plan as Estonia took a 4-1 lead after two periods. But in the 3rd period, Estonia suddenly started to look very tired. It appeared that the very long bus trip from Narva in the north-eastern corner of Estonia to Novi Sad had taken its toll on the players. Roared by their enthusiastic fans, the Serbia players took maximum advantage and managed to tie the game. In the shootout, Serbia had the luck they needed and won the game 5-4. In Serbia's other four games, they team dominated their opponents and promotion was never in doubt.

Though Estonia was the overall team of the tournament, Serbia's promotion to Division I not only injects new life to a IIHF division system that suffers from entrophy, the promotion was also well-deserved. Serbia's "Canadian trio" (Marc Fournier, Daniel Jakob and Fred Perowne, all HK Vojvodina) obviously played a big role in the team's success.
Marc Fournier, a poisonous sniper, scored the shootout goal that proved decisive in the tournament. Daniel Jakob is Serbia’s leading defenseman. He has a powerful shot from the blue line and also function as a mentor for the team’s younger defensemen, such as Ivan Tumbas and Filip Markovic; they can learn a lot from Jakob. Fredrick Perowne (HK Vojvodina) is both the engine and the fuel of team, a real leader on and off ice, respected by teammates, staff and fans.

Among the rest of the players, the young Marko Kovacevic (McGill University, CAN), also made a true impact. Kovacevic, an excellent skater with a nice vision and good shot, was often a dominant player on the ice and a key playmaker of this team. If Kovacevic continues to work hard and improve his game, he could be destined for a great professional career.

Another key player was the goaltender, Milan Lukovic (HK Novi Sad). In European hockey circles, Lukovic is already wellknown for his strong goaltending in the 2008 Continental Cup. In Novi Sad, he followed this performance up, minding the cage in all Serbia’s game. He played a particular decisive role in the shootout vs. Estonia.

   ESTONIA
To start with the conclusion: Estonia was the best team in Novi Sad.

With the exception of Serbia, they outmatched their opponents and they don’t belong in Division II. As mentioned, the Estonian federation’s unwise decision to transport the team some 1,000 miles by bus shortly before the tournament was a key to Estonia’s failure, another was the classical David and Goliath story: Estonia simply underestimated the strength of Serbia, and they didn’t factor the impact of the Serbian fans whose home support for their national teams are feared and revered in other sports as well.

Despite the absence of their star player, Toivo Suursoo. Estonia had plenty of skilled players, and its difficult to emphasize any of them without doing injustice to others. Aleksandr Petrov (Valpellice Bulldogs - ITA), the top scorer of the tournament, redeemed himself from anotherwise negative season with his Italian club. The defensive pair, Dmitri Suur (HK Csikszereda - ROM) and Lauri Lahesalu (Angers - FRA) constituted an unbreakable wall in front of the experienced goaltender, Aleksei Terentjev (ASK Ogre - LAT). The young backup goaltender, Villem-Henrik Koitmaa (Kiekko Heinola – Division 1, Finland) furthermore proved to be a promising substitute. Among the forwards, Maksim Ivanov (Tallinn Stars) deserves special mentioning – clearly the best technical player of the tournament.

  CHINA
30 years ago, leading international hockey experts predicted that China would become the next big hockey nation. Instead, the reverse happened. In the 80s, Chinese hockey failed to develop and in the 90s it declined dramatically. In the years to come, the participation of Chinese club teams in the Asian league as well of the support of NHL franchises (San Jose Sharks and NY Islanders) should help to put Chinese hockey back on its feet. But promotion to the top division is still a long shot, and it won’t happen until hockey receives more attention in the political circles.

In Novi Sad, China gained the bronze medal but the level of the team’s play was far below that of Serbia and Estonia. Though the Chinese players had a decent technique (all considered relatively), they didn’t skate fast enough, and they showed a disturbing lack of tactical sense. Given their relative level with the other teams, China furthermore didn’t play consistently enough. They were the only team that conceded 5 goals to North Korea, newly promoted from Division III, but the true low point for China was their second period in the 1:9 loss to Estonia. In this period, Chinas conceded no less than 4 shorthanded goals! As an illustration of the team’s inconsistency, against Serbia, China had a very strong first period which they won 2-1. Notable Chinese players on an otherwise bleak team were China Shark’s defencemen, Weiyang Wang and Henan Liu and forward Bingyu Lang (Qiqihar).

  ICELAND
In addition to the low number of players, hockey in Iceland particularly suffers from the fact that the country only has three hockey clubs. This makes the league schedule is too short. The schedule could of course easily be extended, but the games would quickly become trivial if the teams were to play each other 10-15 times a year. Given this, Iceland can be pleased with their performance in this tournament. They appear to have managed to get a foothold in Division II. Head coach, Richard Tahtinen has assembled young and balanced team with a few good individuals: Forward Emil Alengaard (Gislaved, Div. 1 – Swedish tier III) is their most talented player and will certainly be the leader of team, goaltender Dennis Hedstrom (Bjorninn) guarantees assurance, 18 years old forward Egill Thormodsson (Skautafelag Reykjavikur) has great potential if is developed abroad.

  ISRAEL
Though Israel arrived at Novi Sad with a deflated roster, they were the biggest disappointment in the tournament. The team was simply too soft and unexperienced, and they can only thank their bigger size and physique that they weren’t relegated instead of North Korea. A few years ago, Israel was promoted to Division I, in Novi Sad they risked being relegated to Division III.

Israel’s national team is built around a few core players (in particular, the Eizenman brothers, Alon and Oren). If these players are available, Israel is a candidate for promotion, are they not available, the team risk being relegated to Division III. To end the story on Israel on a more positive note, the team seems to have found a goaltender for the future: Avihu Sorotzki (HC Metulla) was outstanding in game vs China and he also showed charisma leading the team on ice. Israel also have some other reusable material, namely experienced defender Daniel Spivak (Haifa Hawks) and the talented forward Tal Avneri (HC Mercaz). Sergei Frenkel (Bat Yam), the best player out of Sorotzki, did play for Israel in Novi Sad, and in the absence the Eizenman brothers it was not surprising that he was the team’s scoring leader.

  PR KOREA
Though North Korea lost all their games, they weren’t the worst team in Novi Sad. Last year, the Koreans dominated Division III in Luxembourg, and they had some hope they could take advantage of their speed against the tougher opponents of Division II. As often the case with the Asian teams, eventually, North Korea failed on their lack of size and physique. With a little more height and weight, they would beaten Israel and avoided relegation. As in Luxembourg last year, North Korea’s best player was Chol Min Ri (Taesongsan) – a player that not only has speed but also the skills to compete at this level.

Editor, Karsten Skjalm contributed to this article with background notes and remarks on the IIHF division system.

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STATS AND GAME SUMMARIES

FINAL STANDINGS

			GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF:GA	P
1		Serbia	5	4	1	0	0	40:11	14
2		Estonia	5	4	0	1	0	68:12	13
3		China	5	2	1	0	2	21:29	8
4		Iceland	5	2	0	1	2	11:30	7
5		Israel	5	1	0	0	4	9:38	3
6		PR Korea	5	0	0	0	5	11:40	0

BEST PLAYERS CHOSEN BY THE IIHF DIRECTORATE:

Best goaltender: Milan Lukovic, Serbia
Best Defenseman: Dmitri Suur, Estonia
Best Forward: Aleksandr Petrov, Estonia

BEST PLAYERS CHOSEN BY THE COACHES:

Serbia: Marko Kovacevic
Estonia: Dmitri Suur
China: Du Chao
Iceland: Ingvar Jonsson
Israel: Sergei Frenkel
PR Korea: Jang Myong Jin

SCORING LEADERS

			Team	GP	G	A	P
1		Aleksandr Petrov	Estonia	5	9	10	19
2		Aleksei Sibirtsev	Estonia	5	5	12	17
3		Maksim Ivanov	Estonia	5	5	10	15
4		Marko Kovacevic	Serbia	5	8	6	14
5		Vassilli Titarenko	Estonia	5	9	4	13
6		Olle Sildre	Estonia	5	5	8	13
7		Dmitri Suur	Estonia	5	3	10	13
8		Fred Perowne	Serbia	5	5	7	12
9		Marc Fournier	Serbia	5	4	8	12
10		Aleksandr Kuznetsov	Estonia	5	5	6	11

GOALTENDER STATS

			Team	GPI	GAA	SVS%	SO
1		Dennis Hedström	Iceland	4	3.44	91.30	0
2		Villem-Henrik Koitmaa	Estonia	4	1.98	89.55	0
3		Milan Lukovic	Serbia	5	2.16	89.11	0
4		Avihu Sorotzki	Israel	5	5.73	87.50	0
5		Ming Xie	China	5	4.80	86.98	0
6		Kun Hyok Pak	PR Korea	5	8.00	81.74	0

GAME SUMMARIES

Day #1 - 07 april

China - Iceland 3-2ot (1-1,0-0,1-1,1-0)
10:50 0:1 G.Thormodsson (E.Alengaard,I.Jonsson)PP
17:49 1:1 N.Fu (L.Dong,D.Wang)PP
42:45 2:1 C.Du (D.Wang,X.N.Wang)PP2
58:17 2:2 E.Thormodsson (I.Jonsson)PP2
64:30 3:2 W.Zhang PS
PIM: 13x2 - 12x2+1x10(Magnusson) SOG: 35-35 Att: 100
MVP: Ming Xie - Emil Alengaard
Ref: Benny Haxelmans (BEL) Linesmen: Tibor Fazekas (SRB),Laszlo Wolf (HUN)
CHN: 1 Ming Xie;7 D WANG Dahai 10 D ZHAO Xing 4 F MENG Qingyuan 5 F WANG Xiao Nan 9 F Du Chao;18 D LIU Henan 24 D SUN Chao 14 F CHEN Lei 16 F DONG Liang 22 F FU Nan;2 D LIU Liang 3 F ZHANG Weiyang 8 F CUI Zhinan 12 F LIU Yingkui 21 F QU Yi Dong;13 D GUAN Jian 6 F JIANG Jun 11 F LANG Bingyu 15 F WU Qiong 17 F XUE Tao
ICE: 20 Dennis Hedstrom;6 D AEDEL Daniel 25 D JONSSON Ingvar 11 F THORMODSSON Egill 16 F THORMODSSON Gauti 21 F ALENGAARD Emil;3 D SIGURBJORNSSON Snorri 8 D PALSSON Robert 7 F MAGNUSSON Jonas 17 F GISLASON Jon 18 F HEDSTROM Robin 10 D BLONDAL Orri 24 D JAKOBSSON Bjorn 12 F HRAFNSSON Stefan 13 F SIGURDSSON Sigurdur 15 F MAACK Petur;2 D GUDJONSSON Kopur 5 F MIKAELSSON Andri 14 F GRETTISSON Steinar 19 F GUDMUNDSSON Gunnar

DPR Korea - Israel 1-2 (1-1,0-1,0-0)
01:55 0:1 D.Spivak (D.Bochner)PP
03:33 1:1 M.C.Kim (P.I.Ri,M.J.Jang)PP
22:32 1:2 S.Frenkel
PIM: 10x2 - 8x2 SOG: 32-19 Att: 40
MVP: Song Il Jong - Avihu Sorotzki
Ref: Vladimir Nalivaiko (BLR) Linesmen: Ramon Sterkens (NED),Jeroen de Schrijver (BEL)
DPR K: 1 Hyok Kun Pak;3 D KIM Jin Hyok 6 D RI Sun Il 14 F MUN Chol 16 F RI Kum Song 17 F RI Chol Min;7 D KU Song Min 10 D RI Pong Il 15 D JANG Myong Jin 21 F KIM Myong Chol 23 F KIM Kwang Ho;8 D OM Sung Chol 25 D YUN Pong Chol 9 F RI Se Gwang 19 F JU Sung Hyok 24 F JONG Song Il;22 D PAK Song Jin 12 F KIM Chol Bom
ISR: 1 Avihu Sorotzki;2 D SPIVAK Daniel 18 D SOREANU Ron 10 F FRENKEL Sergei 16 F GELLER Avishai 24 F REVNIAGA Eduardo;5 D REBIBO Jonathan 15 D BOCHNER Daniel 8 F LEVY Itzhak 19 F OOSTERHUIS Ely 23 F BELO Sergei;6 D KANTOR Navot 13 D LEVY Shlomo 17 D HOROWITZ Mikhael 9 F KNITER Evgeni 14 F AVNERI Tal;3 D BUTBULL Nisan 7 F HAROSH Harel

Serbia - Estonia 5-4so (1-0,1-4,2-0,0-0,1-0)
08:48 1:0 B.Jankovic (M.Sretovic)
21:02 1:1 O.Sildre (L.Lahesalu,M.Semjonov)PP
32:41 1:2 M.Semjonov (O.Sildre,A.Ossipov)
35:11 1:3 M.Semjonov (L.Lahesalu)
36:10 1:4 A.Kuznetsov (A.Sibirtsev,K.Kaljuste)PP
39:42 2:4 M.Kovacevic (G.Ristic)
42:55 3:4 B.Jankovic (A.Kosic)PP
51:34 4:4 M.Kovacevic
65:00 5:4 M.Fournier SO
PIM: 9x2+1x10(Babic) - 6x2 SOG: 32-34 Att: 1.000
MVP: Milan Lukovic - Olle Sildre
Ref: Jacob Grumsen (DEN) Linesmen: James Ashton (GBR),Nikita Zalipyatskikh (KAZ)
SRB: 1 Milan Lukovic;2 D JACOB Daniel 12 D TUMBAS Ivan 19 D KOVACEVIC Marko 9 F FOURNIER Marc 18 F PEROWNE Frederick;7 D RISTIC Goran 24 D MAMIC Branko 11 F PROKEC Csaba 14 F GABRIC Boris 22 F KOSIC Aleksandar;6 D MIRKOVIC Filip 3 F JANKOVIC Bojan 4 F JANKOVIC Bogdan 10 F PROKIC MARKO 13 F BRESTOVAC Uros;16 D ILIC Stefan 5 F BABIC Milos 17 F SRETOVIC Marko 21 F PAJIC Dejan 23 F MILOVANOVIC Marko
EST: 20 Aleksei Terentjev;6 D SUUR Dmitri 25 D KOLPAKOV Kirill 8 F SIBIRTSEV Aleksei 10 F IVANOV Maksim 12 F PETROV Aleksandr;4 D OSSIPOV Aleksandr 5 D LAHESALU Lauri 16 F SEMJONOV Maksim 18 F KONOSHEV Deniss 21 F SILDRE Olle;2 D SILDRE Pelle 19 D KALJUSTE Kaupo 9 F TITARENKO Vassili 11 F KUZNETSOV Aleksandr 23 F JASTREBOV Anton;3 D SAVVOV Igor 7 F PEROV Anton 13 F NEKRASSOV Anton 15 F KARIK Kaspar 22 F SMETANIN Aleksandr

Day #2 - 08 april

Iceland - DPR Korea 3-2 (1-2,1-0,1-0)
10:23 0:1 S.C.Om (P.C.Yun)
12:53 0:2 S.C.Om (S.G.Ri)
18:04 1:2 E.Alengaard (G.Thormodsson,I.Jonsson)PP
25:22 2:2 B.Jakobsson (A.Mikaelsson)
49:27 3:2 A.Mikaelsson (B.Jakobsson)
PIM: 7x2 - 8x2 SOG: 35-30 Att: 20
MVP: Andri Mikaelsson - Sung Chol Om
Ref: Jacob Grumsen (DEN) Linesmen: Rudy Meyer (SPA), Ramon Sterkens (NED)
ICE: 20 Dennis Hedstrom;8 D PALSSON Robert 25 D JONSSON Ingvar 11 F THORMODSSON Egill 16 F THORMODSSON Gauti 21 F ALENGAARD Emil;3 D SIGURBJORNSSON Snorri 24 D JAKOBSSON Bjorn 7 F MAGNUSSON Jonas 17 F GISLASON Jon 18 F HEDSTROM Robin;4 D ARNASON Sigurdur 6 D AEDEL Daniel 12 F HRAFNSSON Stefan 13 F SIGURDSSON Sigurdur 15 F MAACK Petur;2 D GUDJONSSON Kopur 10 D BLONDAL Orri 5 F MIKAELSSON Andri 14 F GRETTISSON Steinar 19 F GUDMUNDSSON Gunnar
PRK: 1 Hyok Kun Pak;3 D KIM Jin Hyok 6 D RI Sun Il 14 F MUN Chol 16 F RI Kum Song 17 F RI Chol Min;7 D KU Song Min 10 D RI Pong Il 15 D JANG Myong Jin 21 F KIM Myong Chol 23 F KIM Kwang Ho;8 D OM Sung Chol 25 D YUN Pong Chol 9 F RI Se Gwang 19 F JU Sung Hyok 24 F JONG Song Il;22 D PAK Song Jin 12 F KIM Chol Bom

Estonia - Israel 16-2 (6-1,7-1,3-0)
04:04 1:0 O.Sildre (L.Lahesalu)
07:17 2:0 M.Semjonov (D.Konoshev,O.Sildre)
07:47 3:0 M.Ivanov (A.Sibirtsev,D.Suur)PP
08:27 4:0 K.Kaljuste
09:47 4:1 S.Frenkel PP
12:22 5:1 V.Titarenko (A.Jastrebov)
14:03 6:1 A.Petrov (M.Ivanov,D.Suur)PP
23:10 7:1 A.Jastrebov (A.Kuznetsov)
25:10 8:1 A.Petrov (D.Konoshev,M.Ivanov)
25:47 9:1 A.Nekrassov (K.Kaljuste)
27:00 10:1 M.Semjonov (O.Sildre)SH
33:03 11:1 V.Titarenko (A.Jastrebov)
36:51 12:1 A.Petrov (A.Sibirtsev,M.Ivanov)
38:30 12:2 N.Butbull (T.Avneri)
39:50 13:2 D.Suur (A.Petrov,M.Ivanov)
49:25 14:2 M.Ivanov (A.Sibirtsev)
50:08 15:2 A.Petrov (A.Sibirtsev,D.Suur)
59:52 16:2 A.Sibirtsev (D.Suur,I.Savvov)PP
PIM: 6x2 - 6x2 SOG: 70-12 Att: 100
MVP: Maksim Semjonov - Sergei Belo
Ref: Przemyslav Kepa (POL) Linesmen: James Ashton (GBR),Nikita Zalipyatskikh (KAZ)
EST: 1 Villem-Henrik Koitmaa; 4 D OSSIPOV Aleksandr 5 D LAHESALU Lauri 16 F SEMJONOV Maksim 18 F KONOSHEV Deniss 21 F SILDRE Olle;6 D SUUR Dmitri 25 D KOLPAKOV Kirill 8 F SIBIRTSEV Aleksei 10 F IVANOV Maksim 12 F PETROV Aleksandr;2 D SILDRE Pelle 19 D KALJUSTE Kaupo 7 F PEROV Anton 13 F NEKRASSOV Anton 22 F SMETANIN Aleksandr;3 D SAVVOV Igor 9 F TITARENKO Vassili 11 F KUZNETSOV Aleksandr 15 F KARIK Kaspar 23 F JASTREBOV Anton
ISR: 25 Boris Amromin (40:00 1 Avihu Sorotzki);2 D SPIVAK Daniel 5 D REBIBO Jonathan 10 F FRENKEL Sergei 16 F GELLER Avishai 19 F OOSTERHUIS Ely;6 D KANTOR Navot 15 D BOCHNER Daniel 8 F LEVY Itzhak 9 F KNITER Evgeni 23 F BELO Sergei;13 D LEVY Shlomo 17 D HOROWITZ Mikhael 18 D SOREANU Ron 7 F HAROSH Harel 14 F AVNERI Tal;3 D BUTBULL Nisan

China - Serbia 3-5 (2-1,1-3,0-1)
05:07 1:0 D.Wang (X.Zhao,Q.Meng)PP
05:43 1:1 M.Kovacevic (D.Jacob)PP
12:42 2:1 N.Fu (L.Dong,L.Chen)PP
21:14 2:2 B.Gabric (M.Fournier)
23:58 3:2 C.Du (X.Zhao)
26:45 3:3 M.Kovacevic (F.Perowne)
30:23 3:4 C.Prokec (A.Kosic,B.Gabric)PP
57:06 3:5 F.Perowne (B.Gabric)
PIM: 7x2 - 5x2 SOG: 15-59 Att: 450
MVP: Chao Du - Bojan Jankovic
Ref: Vladimir Nalivaiko (BLR) Linesmen: Laszlo Wolf (HUN),Jeroen de Schrijver (BEL)
CHN: 1 Ming Xie; 2 D LIU Liang 3 F ZHANG Weiyang 8 F CUI Zhinan 12 F LIU Yingkui 21 F QU Yi Dong;18 D LIU Henan 24 D SUN Chao 14 F CHEN Lei 16 F DONG Liang 22 F FU Nan;7 D WANG Dahai 10 D ZHAO Xing 4 F MENG Qingyuan 5 F WANG Xiao Nan 9 F Du Chao;13 D GUAN Jian 6 F JIANG Jun 11 F LANG Bingyu 15 F WU Qiong 17 F XUE Tao
SRB: 1 Milan Lukovic;2 D JACOB Daniel 12 D TUMBAS Ivan 19 D KOVACEVIC Marko 9 F FOURNIER Marc 18 F PEROWNE Frederick;7 D RISTIC Goran 24 D MAMIC Branko 11 F PROKEC Csaba 14 F GABRIC Boris 22 F KOSIC Aleksandar;6 D MIRKOVIC Filip 3 F JANKOVIC Bojan 4 F JANKOVIC Bogdan 10 F PROKIC MARKO 13 F BRESTOVAC Uros;16 D ILIC Stefan 5 F BABIC Milos 17 F SRETOVIC Marko 21 F PAJIC Dejan 23 F MILOVANOVIC Marko

Day #3 - 10 april

China - DPR Korea 7-5 (2-1,4-1,1-3)
07:06 1-0 B.Lang (N.Fu,D.Wang)PP
08:04 1-1 S.G.Ri PS
10:50 2-1 H.Liu (L.Dong,B.Lang)PP
21:14 3-1 N.Fu (L.Dong)
28:03 4-1 L.Dong (H.Liu)PP
33:57 5-1 N.Fu (B.Lang,L.Dong)
34:42 5-2 C.M.Ri (K.S.Ri)
37:04 6-2 Q.Meng (D.Wang)PP
42:18 6-3 M.C.Ri (K.S.Ri,C.Mun)
46:40 6-4 S.M.Ku SH
47:14 6-5 K.H.Kim (P.I.Ri)
52:04 7-5 H.Liu (N.Fu)PP
PIM: 5x2 - 10x2 SOG: 49-22 Att: 20
MVP: Henan Liu - Min Chol Ri
Ref: Vladimir Nalivaiko (BLR) Linesmen: James Ashton (GBR),Nikita Zalipyatskikh (KAZ)
CHN: 1 Ming Xie; 2 D LIU Liang 3 F ZHANG Weiyang 8 F CUI Zhinan 12 F LIU Yingkui 21 F QU Yi Dong;18 D LIU Henan 24 D SUN Chao 11 F LANG Bingyu 16 F DONG Liang 22 F FU Nan;7 D WANG Dahai 10 D ZHAO Xing 4 F MENG Qingyuan 5 F WANG Xiao Nan 9 F Du Chao;13 D GUAN Jian 6 F JIANG Jun 14 F CHEN Lei 15 F WU Qiong 17 F XUE Tao
DPR K: 1 Hyok Kun Pak;6 D RI Sun Il 25 D YUN Pong Chol 14 F MUN Chol 16 F RI Kum Song 17 F RI Chol Min;7 D KU Song Min 10 D RI Pong Il 15 D JANG Myong Jin 21 F KIM Myong Chol 23 F KIM Kwang Ho;8 D OM Sung Chol 22 D PAK Song Jin 9 F RI Se Gwang 19 F JU Sung Hyok 24 F JONG Song Il;12 F KIM Chol Bom

Estonia - Iceland 16-1 (4-1,5-0,7-0)
04:46 0-1 S.Grettisson (G.Gudmundsson)
06:57 1-1 A.Sibirtsev (M.Ivanov)
09:43 2-1 V.Titarenko
13:22 3-1 K.Kolpakov (M.Ivanov,A.Petrov)PP
14:39 4-1 V.Titarenko (A.Kuznetsov,A.Jastrebov)
21:39 5-1 A.Jastrebov (A.Kuznetsov)
26:38 6-1 A.Sibirtsev (D.Suur,A.Petrov)
35:04 7-1 V.Titarenko (A.Kuznetsov)
37:42 8-1 M.Ivanov (A.Petrov)SH
39:00 9-1 V.Titarenko (P.Sildre)
41:06 10-1 A.Sibirtsev (D.Suur)PP
44:12 11-1 A.Ossipov (O.Sildre,M.Semjonov)
45:54 12-1 D.Konoshev (A.Smetanin,P.Sildre)
47:57 13-1 A.Petrov (A.Sibirtsev,D.Suur)
51:31 14-1 A.Smetanin (A.Nekrassov)
57:16 15-1 A.Petrov (O.Sildre,A.Ossipov)
58:08 16-1 A.Petrov (D.Suur,A.Sibirtsev)
PIM: 9x2 - 11x2 SOG: 50-13 Att: 25
MVP: Maksim Ivanov - Ingvar Jonsson
Ref: Benny Haxelmans (BEL) Linesmen: Tibor Fazekas (SRB),Jeroen de Schrijver (BEL)
EST: 1 Villem-Henrik Koitmaa; 4 D OSSIPOV Aleksandr 5 D LAHESALU Lauri 16 F SEMJONOV Maksim 18 F KONOSHEV Deniss 21 F SILDRE Olle;6 D SUUR Dmitri 25 D KOLPAKOV Kirill 8 F SIBIRTSEV Aleksei 10 F IVANOV Maksim 12 F PETROV Aleksandr;2 D SILDRE Pelle 19 D KALJUSTE Kaupo 7 F PEROV Anton 15 F KARIK Kaspar 22 F SMETANIN Aleksandr;3 D SAVVOV Igor 9 F TITARENKO Vassili 11 F KUZNETSOV Aleksandr 13 F NEKRASSOV Anton 23 F JASTREBOV Anton
ICE: 1 Aevar Bjornsson;3 D SIGURBJORNSSON Snorri 6 D AEDEL Daniel 11 F THORMODSSON Egill 16 F THORMODSSON Gauti 21 F ALENGAARD Emil;2 D GUDJONSSON Kopur 25 D JONSSON Ingvar 7 F MAGNUSSON Jonas 12 F HRAFNSSON Stefan 17 F GISLASON Jon;10 D BLONDAL Orri 24 D JAKOBSSON Bjorn 5 F MIKAELSSON Andri 15 F MAACK Petur 18 F HEDSTROM Robin;8 D PALSSON Robert 13 F SIGURDSSON Sigurdur 14 F GRETTISSON Steinar 19 F GUDMUNDSSON Gunnar

Serbia - Israel 12-1 (4-0,5-0,3-1)
04:49 1-0 M.Fournier (B.Gabric)
07:46 2-0 D.Jacob (A.Kosic)PP
11:15 3-0 B.Gabric (M.Kovacevic,F.Mirkovic)
15:38 4-0 B.Mamic (B.Jankovic,B.Gabric)PP
26:26 5-0 M.Babic (B.Jankovic)
28:09 6-0 F.Perowne
31:51 7-0 A.Kosic (B.Jankovic,F.Mirkovic)
36:50 8-0 B.Mamic (M.Sretovic)
39:22 9-0 M.Babic
46:10 10-0 B.Mamic (M.Fournier,M.Kovacevic)
47:56 10-1 A.Geller (D.Spivak,J.Rebibo)PP
55:30 11-1 M.Babic (M.Prokic,U.Brestovac)
57:08 12-1 M.Kovacevic (M.Fournier,F.Perowne)
PIM: 6x2 - 6x2 SOG: 52-12 Att: 1.000
MVP: Milos Babic - Avishai Geller
Ref: Przemyslav Kepa (POL) Linesmen: Rudy Meyer (SPA), Ramon Sterkens (NED)
SRB: 1 Milan Lukovic; 2 D JACOB Daniel 12 D TUMBAS Ivan 19 D KOVACEVIC Marko 9 F FOURNIER Marc 18 F PEROWNE Frederick;6 D MIRKOVIC Filip 24 D MAMIC Branko 3 F JANKOVIC Bojan 14 F GABRIC Boris 22 F KOSIC Aleksandar;7 D RISTIC Goran 10 F PROKIC MARKO 17 F SRETOVIC Marko 21 F PAJIC Dejan 23 F MILOVANOVIC Marko;16 D ILIC Stefan 4 F JANKOVIC Bogdan 5 F BABIC Milos 13 F BRESTOVAC Uros
ISR: 1 Avihu Sorotzki (20:00 25 Boris Amromin); 2 D SPIVAK Daniel 5 D REBIBO Jonathan 10 F FRENKEL Sergei 16 F GELLER Avishai 24 F REVNIAGA Eduardo;6 D KANTOR Navot 15 D BOCHNER Daniel 8 F LEVY Itzhak 19 F OOSTERHUIS Ely 23 F BELO Sergei;13 D LEVY Shlomo 17 D HOROWITZ Mikhael 18 D SOREANU Ron 9 F KNITER Evgeni 14 F AVNERI Tal;3 D BUTBULL Nisan 7 F HAROSH Harel

Day #4 - 11 april

DPR Korea - Estonia 1-16 (1-5,0-5,0-6)
03:49 0-1 D.Konoshev (A.Petrov,M.Ivanov)
04:32 0-2 A.Petrov (A.Sibirtsev)
11:38 0-3 O.Sildre (K.Karik)
12:24 1-3 S.H.Ju (S.I.Ri)
14:28 1-4 A.Nekrassov (A.Sibirtsev,D.Suur)
18:34 1-5 D.Konoshev (A.Nekrassov)
21:17 1-6 K.Kolpakov (M.Ivanov)PP
24:17 1-7 D.Suur (D.Konoshev)
28:12 1-8 D.Konoshev (A.Smetanin,L.Lahesalu)
34:23 1-9 K.Karik (K.Kaljuste)
38:00 1-10 A.Kuznetsov (A.Jastrebov,V.Titarenko)PP
42:22 1-11 K.Kaljuste (V.Titarenko)PP
44:44 1-12 O.Sildre (K.Karik)
45:12 1-13 V.Titarenko
51:29 1-14 M.Ivanov (A.Kuznetsov)
57:02 1-15 A.Petrov (A.Kuznetsov)
59:39 1-16 V.Titarenko (A.Sibirtsev)
PIM: 8x2 - 2x2 SOG: 19-70 Att: 20
MVP: Sung Hyok Ju - Aleksandr Petrov
Ref: Przemyslav Kepa (POL) Linesmen: Tibor Fazekas (SRB),Ramon Sterkens (NED)
DPR KOR: 1 Hyok Kun Pak;6 D RI Sun Il 25 D YUN Pong Chol 14 F MUN Chol 16 F RI Kum Song 17 F RI Chol Min;7 D KU Song Min 10 D RI Pong Il 15 D JANG Myong Jin 21 F KIM Myong Chol 23 F KIM Kwang Ho;8 D OM Sung Chol 22 D PAK Song Jin 9 F RI Se Gwang 19 F JU Sung Hyok 24 F JONG Song Il;12 F KIM Chol Bom
EST: 1 Villem-Henrik Koitmaa; 6 D SUUR Dmitri 25 D KOLPAKOV Kirill 8 F SIBIRTSEV Aleksei 10 F IVANOV Maksim 12 F PETROV Aleksandr;2 D SILDRE Pelle 4 D OSSIPOV Aleksandr 5 D LAHESALU Lauri 15 F KARIK Kaspar 21 F SILDRE Olle;3 D SAVVOV Igor 19 D KALJUSTE Kaupo 9 F TITARENKO Vassili 11 F KUZNETSOV Aleksandr 23 F JASTREBOV Anton;7 F PEROV Anton 13 F NEKRASSOV Anton 18 F KONOSHEV Deniss 22 F SMETANIN Aleksandr

Israel - China 1-5 (1-0,0-3,0-2)
04:47 1-0 S.Frenkel (S.Belo,D.Bochner)PP
27:27 1-1 L.Chen (C.Sun)PP
32:05 1-2 H.Liu (B.Lang,J.Jiang)
37:40 1-3 X.N.Wang (X.Zhao)
46:05 1-4 Nan Fu
47:15 1-5 X.Wang (W.Zhang
PIM: 8x2+4x10(Revniaga,Soreanu,Frenkel,Belo) - 7x2+1x25(D.Wang) SOG: 7-43 Att: 100
MVP: Navot Kantor - Xiao Nang Wang
Ref: Jacob Grumsen (DEN) Linesmen: Rudy Meyer (SPA), Laszlo Wolf (HUN)
ISR: 1 Avihu Sorotzki;2 D SPIVAK Daniel 15 D BOCHNER Daniel 18 D SOREANU Ron 10 F FRENKEL Sergei 23 F BELO Sergei;6 D KANTOR Navot 8 F LEVY Itzhak 14 F AVNERI Tal 16 F GELLER Avishai 24 F REVNIAGA Eduardo;5 D REBIBO Jonathan 13 D LEVY Shlomo 7 F HAROSH Harel 19 F OOSTERHUIS Ely;3 D BUTBULL Nisan 17 D HOROWITZ Mikhael 9 F KNITER Evgeni
CHN: 1 Ming Xie;2 D LIU Liang 3 F ZHANG Weiyang 8 F CUI Zhinan 12 F LIU Yingkui 21 F QU Yi Dong;18 D LIU Henan 24 D SUN Chao 14 F CHEN Lei 16 F DONG Liang 22 F FU Nan;7 D WANG Dahai 10 D ZHAO Xing 4 F MENG Qingyuan 5 F WANG Xiao Nan 9 F Du Chao13 D GUAN Jian 6 F JIANG Jun 11 F LANG Bingyu 15 F WU Qiong 17 F XUE Tao

Iceland - Serbia 1-6 (0-3,1-1,0-2)
15:00 0-1 M.Fournier (F.Perowne,M.Kovacevic)
18:56 0-2 M.Kovacevic (I.Tumbas,F.Perowne)
20:00 0-3 F.Perowne (M.Kovacevic,M.Fournier)
27:27 1-3 R.Hedstrom (E.Alengaard,G.Thormodsson)PP
27:42 1-4 M.Kovacevic (S.Ilic)
55:57 1-5 M.Fournier (F.Perowne)PP
57:19 1-6 B.Mamic (M.Kovacevic,M.Fournier)PP
PIM: 3x2 - 6x2SOG: 27-39 Att: 730
MVP: Dennis Hedstrom - Frederick Perowne
Ref: Benny Haxelmans (BEL) Linesmen: James Ashton (GBR),Jeroen de Schrijver (BEL)
ICE: 20 Dennis Hedstrom;2 D GUDJONSSON Kopur 25 D JONSSON Ingvar 16 F THORMODSSON Gauti 18 F HEDSTROM Robin 21 F ALENGAARD Emil;3 D SIGURBJORNSSON Snorri 10 D BLONDAL Orri 7 F MAGNUSSON Jonas 12 F HRAFNSSON Stefan 17 F GISLASON Jon;6 D AEDEL Daniel 24 D JAKOBSSON Bjorn 5 F MIKAELSSON Andri 11 F THORMODSSON Egill 15 F MAACK Petur;8 D PALSSON Robert 13 F SIGURDSSON Sigurdur 19 F GUDMUNDSSON Gunnar
SRB: 1 Milan Lukovic;2 D JACOB Daniel 12 D TUMBAS Ivan 19 D KOVACEVIC Marko 9 F FOURNIER Marc 18 F PEROWNE Frederick;7 D RISTIC Goran 24 D MAMIC Branko 3 F JANKOVIC Bojan 14 F GABRIC Boris 22 F KOSIC Aleksandar;6 D MIRKOVIC Filip 10 F PROKIC MARKO 17 F SRETOVIC Marko 21 F PAJIC Dejan 23 F MILOVANOVIC Marko;16 D ILIC Stefan 4 F JANKOVIC Bogdan 5 F BABIC Milos 13 F BRESTOVAC Uros

Day #5 - 12 april

Estonia - China 16-3 (2-0,9-1,5-2)
09:27 1-0 A.Jastrebov SH
18:56 2-0 K.Kaljuste (V.Titarenko,O.Sildre)PP2
25:03 3-0 O.Sildre (M.Semjonov)SH
25:51 4-0 D.Suur (A.Petrov)SH
26:03 5-0 M.Ivanov (A.Petrov,D.Suur)SH
26:21 6-0 A.Nekrassov SH
27:14 7-0 V.Titarenko (M.Semjonov,K.Kaljuste)
29:05 8-0 A.Kuznetsov (M.Ivanov,A.Petrov)PP2
29:22 8-1 Z.Cui (Y.D.Qu)SH
30:41 9-1 K.Kaljuste (O.Sildre)
31:34 10-1 A.Jastrebov (A.Sibirtsev,P.Sildre)
37:33 11-1 A.Nekrassov (A.Ossipov)
41:37 12-1 A.Sibirtsev (A.Nekrassov)SH
47:49 13-1 A.Kuznetsov (A.Sibirtsev)
48:17 14-1 A.Kuznetsov (M.Ivanov,A.Petrov)
50:07 15-1 K.Kaljuste (V.Titarenko,L.Lahesalu)
50:32 15-2 N.Fu (L.Chen)
53:02 16-2 A.Sibirtsev PP
59:36 16-3 H.Liu (L.Chen,N.Fu)PP
PIM: 8x2 - 11x2 SOG: 64-24 Att: 100
MVP: Lauri Lahesalu - Nan Fu
Ref: Przemyslav Kepa (POL) Linesmen: Tibor Fazekas (SRB),Jeroen de Schrijver (BEL)
EST: 20 Aleksei Terentjev (27:35 1 Villem-Henrik Koitmaa);6 D SUUR Dmitri 25 D KOLPAKOV Kirill 10 F IVANOV Maksim 11 F KUZNETSOV Aleksandr 12 F PETROV Aleksandr;5 D LAHESALU Lauri 19 D KALJUSTE Kaupo 9 F TITARENKO Vassili 16 F SEMJONOV Maksim 21 F SILDRE Olle;2 D SILDRE Pelle 3 D SAVVOV Igor 4 D OSSIPOV Aleksandr 8 F SIBIRTSEV Aleksei 23 F JASTREBOV Anton;7 F PEROV Anton 13 F NEKRASSOV Anton 15 F KARIK Kaspar 18 F KONOSHEV Deniss 22 F SMETANIN Aleksandr
CHN: 1 Ming Xie (30:41 20 Longhai Cao);18 D LIU Henan 24 D SUN Chao 11 F LANG Bingyu 14 F CHEN Lei 22 F FU Nan;10 D ZHAO Xing 13 D GUAN Jian 4 F MENG Qingyuan 5 F WANG Xiao Nan 9 F Du Chao;2 D LIU Liang 3 F ZHANG Weiyang 8 F CUI Zhinan 12 F LIU Yingkui 21 F QU Yi Dong;6 F JIANG Jun 15 F WU Qiong 16 F DONG Liang 17 F XUE Tao

Israel - Iceland 3-4 (0-2,1-1,2-1)
02:08 0-1 E.Alengaard
11:39 0-2 S.Hrafnsson (J.Magnusson)
22:04 0-3 E.Thormodsson (P.Maaack,J.Magnusson)PP2
35:00 1-3 E.Oosterhuis (H.Harosh)
46:41 1-4 J.Gislason PP
47:23 2-4 S.Frenkel (D.Bochner)
54:49 3-4 E.Ravniaga (D.Spivak)PP2
PIM: 14x2+2x10(Kantor,Bochner)+1x20(Bochner) - 9x2 SOG: 40-45 Att: 50
MVP: Daniel Spivak - Jon Gislason
Ref: Vladimir Nalivaiko (BLR) Linesmen: James Ashton (GBR),Rudy Meyer (SPA)
ISR: 1 Avihu Sorotzki; 2 D SPIVAK Daniel 6 D KANTOR Navot 15 D BOCHNER Daniel 8 F LEVY Itzhak 10 F FRENKEL Sergei;18 D SOREANU Ron 14 F AVNERI Tal 16 F GELLER Avishai 23 F BELO Sergei 24 F REVNIAGA Eduardo;3 D BUTBULL Nisan 5 D REBIBO Jonathan 13 D LEVY Shlomo 7 F HAROSH Harel 19 F OOSTERHUIS Ely 17 D HOROWITZ Mikhael 9 F KNITER Evgeni
ICE:25 Dennis Hedstrom;2 D GUDJONSSON Kopur 25 D JONSSON Ingvar 7 F MAGNUSSON Jonas 18 F HEDSTROM Robin 21 F ALENGAARD Emil;6 D AEDEL Daniel 24 D JAKOBSSON Bjorn 11 F THORMODSSON Egill 16 F THORMODSSON Gauti 17 F GISLASON Jon;4 D ARNASON Sigurdur 10 D BLONDAL Orri 5 F MIKAELSSON Andri 12 F HRAFNSSON Stefan 15 F MAACK Petur;3 D SIGURBJORNSSON Snorri 8 D PALSSON Robert 13 F SIGURDSSON Sigurdur 14 F GRETTISSON Steinar 19 F GUDMUNDSSON Gunnar

Serbia - DPR Korea 12-2 (8-0,2-2,2-0)
01:13 1-0 B.Jankovic (B.Mamic)
07:28 2-0 F.Perowne (B.Mamic)
08:19 3-0 M.Babic (B.Jankovic,B.Mamic)
11:01 4-0 B.Jankovic (B.Gabric,G.Ristic)
16:25 5-0 F.Perowne (M.Kovacevic,M.Fournier)
17:19 6-0 A.Kosic (M.Fournier,M.Kovacevic)
18:02 7-0 A.Kosic (B.Jankovic,B.Gabric)
19:06 8-0 M.Sretovic (M.Milovanovic)
20:16 8-1 C.Mun (C.M.Ri)
27:55 9-1 M.Kovacevic (M.Prokic)
32:21 10-1 B.Gabric (M.Fournier,A.Kosic)
34:59 10-2 C.Mun (K.S.Ri)
44:22 11-2 F.Mirkovic (M.Fournier,F.Perowne)
48:55 12-2 B.Gabric (B.Jankovic)
PIM: 1x2 - 3x2 SOG: 38-7 Att: 1.300
MVP: Marko Kovacevic - Kun Hyok Pak
Ref: Benny Haxelmans (BEL),Linesmen: Laszlo Wolf (HUN),Nikita Zalipyatskikh (KAZ)
SRB: 1 Milan Lukovic;2 D JACOB Daniel 12 D TUMBAS Ivan 9 F FOURNIER Marc 18 F PEROWNE Frederick 19 F KOVACEVIC Marko;7 D RISTIC Goran 24 D MAMIC Branko 3 F JANKOVIC Bojan 14 F GABRIC Boris 22 F KOSIC Aleksandar;6 D MIRKOVIC Filip 10 F PROKIC MARKO 17 F SRETOVIC Marko 21 F PAJIC Dejan 23 F MILOVANOVIC Marko;16 D ILIC Stefan 4 F JANKOVIC Bogdan 5 F BABIC Milos 11 F PROKEC Csaba 13 F BRESTOVAC Uros
DPR KOR: 1 Hyok Kun Pak;6 D RI Sun Il 25 D YUN Pong Chol 14 F MUN Chol 16 F RI Kum Song 17 F RI Chol Min;7 D KU Song Min 10 D RI Pong Il 15 D JANG Myong Jin 21 F KIM Myong Chol 23 F KIM Kwang Ho;8 D OM Sung Chol 22 D PAK Song Jin 9 F RI Se Gwang 19 F JU Sung Hyok 24 F JONG Song Il;12 F KIM Chol Bom