After a day off, the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A resumed on Tuesday in Sosnowiec, Poland, with each team playing its third game. All were big games and all three went right down to the wire, as the teams continue to jockey for positioning as they try to earn promotion or avoid relegation.
Results of Day 3:
- Japan over Lithuania 3-2 in OT,
- Ukraine over France 3-2, and
- Kazakhstan over Poland 3-2
Lithuania 2 – Japan 3 OT (0-1, 1-1, 1-0, 0-1)
In a battle between the last two teams still looking for their first point of the tournament, both got it as regulation time ended with the score tied 2-2. Then in overtime, Yu Sato scored his second of the game to give Japan its second point and a slim lead in the fight to avoid relegation.
“I was in a good shooting spot, and I saw the spot, shot it and scored,” described Sato, who also had an assist for a three-point game.
“We had the lead most of the game, but when they tied it, we talked to each other on the bench and supported each other on and off the ice,” said Sato. “I’m happy we won this game, but we still need to keep going in the next games and get some more points.”
“I think we were dominating them for most of it. We played pretty well defensively, but some of those penalties we took weren’t necessary,” said Lithuanian forward Dovydas Jukna. “It was a tough game, we tried hard but, unfortunately, luck was on Japan’s side.”
During regulation time, Japan took a 2-0 lead on two power-play goals and then Lithuania tied it on two power-play goals.
Two penalties called three seconds apart resulted in each team having a very brief power play early on, but on the first man advantage of any significance, Japan scored the lone goal of the first period. Shunta Kimura’s centring feed was redirected through the legs of Faustas Nauseda by Sato, stationed in front of the net.
“We had a good start in the first period but they started to forecheck, they kept coming, but we stayed focused on our game and that’s the result,” said Sato.
Japan went up 2-0 in the first minute of the second period on a shot by Koki Yoneyama that Faustas Nauseda appeared to stop, but slipped between his arm and body and rolled across the goal line.
The rest of the second period was dominated by Lithuania, who outshot Japan 18-8 in the middle frame, but scored only once. In the 26th minute, on the power play, Martinyus Grinius’ long-range shot beat a screened Yuta Narisawa. Lithuania then tied it in the first minute of the third period on a one-timer from Ugnius Cizas.
France 2 – Ukraine 3 (0-2, 2-1, 0-0)
In a game that could go a long way to deciding who gets promoted, Ukraine started quickly to build a 2-0 lead, France battled back to tie it, but Ukraine regained the lead late in the second period, then parked the bus in the third to preserve the victory.
“In every game, we try to get better and better, and we fight together because we’re playing like a team,” said Ukrainian forward Olexi Vorona. “That was the key to our success today.”
“I think we had one good period,” said French coach Yorick Treille. “We had an awful start to the game. Ukraine deserves their win, 100 percent. They were ready to play and compete right from the start and we weren’t. They grabbed the lead, and then it’s really hard to play from behind.”
Ukraine struck twice in the first period on two shots from the point. Artem Hrebenyk’s fluttering shot fooled Quentin Papillon, who missed it with his glove, at 5:43. Then just past the period’s midpoint, captain Igor Merezhko let go a wrister on the power play that beat a screened Papillon to the blocker side.
For the rest of the first period and most of the second, the French held the edge in play and scored twice to tie it. Early in the middle frame, Baptiste Bruche got the French on the board after beating a defenceman wide and then firing up high from a sharp angle, off the near-side shoulder of Bohdan Diachenko and in. Just past the game’s midpoint, France went to the power play and had several great chances to tie it but Diachenko was strong. Just seconds after Ukraine returned to full strength, a shot by Jules Boscq went off the skate of Merezhko and right on the stick of Louis Boudon, who made no mistake from the slot.
Momentum was on France’s side, but Ukraine regained the lead with 1:45 left in the second. Vorona circled the net and found Danil Trakht at the far post – he corralled the puck and slid it in.
“I think it was hard because we had that one penalty where they had good pressure on us,” Vorona explained. “But then, we were able to get that goal, which set us up nicely for the third period. I play with Danil Trakht and he’s always waiting for this pass – a lot of players don’t play until the moment ends, they just go behind the net – but he believed in me that I could make that pass, and I think it was a pretty nice play from us.”
After getting slashed on a breakaway, Olexander Peresunko had a chance to restore Ukraine’s two-goal lead on a penalty shot. He tried to fool Papillon with a very slow approach, but the French goalie was patient and denied the five-hole attempt.
Kazakhstan 3 – Poland 2 (0-1, 0-0, 3-1)
Kazakhstan remains perfect and in first place following another third-period comeback and a 3-2 win over host Poland.
“The game was tough but we pulled through in the third period,” said Kazakh defenceman Andrej Breus. “In the next two games, if we show better hockey in the first period, maybe it will be better and easier.”
“It’s a disappointment but we played a really good game,” said Poland’s coach, Pekka Tirkkonen. “We stuck to our tactics very well but then committed a couple of mistakes – fell asleep on defence – in the third period and the Kazakh team used them today. That’s why it feels really bad right now to lose.”
Energized by another full house in Sosnowiec, the Poles exploded out of the gate and scored 1:09 in. Patryk Wronka’s shot from the slot went over the net and off the end glass, then bounced off the top of the net, hit Andrey Shutov and fell across the goal line and was quickly swept out. Video replay was needed to confirm the goal, which caused the arena to erupt again.
However, that was one of only two shots for Poland in the opening 20 minutes. As the first period wore on, Kazakhstan began to push, especially on a power play halfway through. Kazakh pressure continued into the early stages of the second period but Poland responded with their best sustained offence of the game in the last few minutes of the period.
With 11:59 to play, Kazakhstan tied it. Eduard Mikhailov shot from the boards and it ended up in front on the stick of Batyrian Muratov, who flicked it under the crossbar.
The Kazakhs kept pushing and finally, with just 2:07 remaining, they took their first lead of the game on Vsevolod Logvin’s centring pass from down low to Semyon Simonov, who made no mistake from the edge of the crease. The Polish crowd that had been boisterous all game was quickly silenced.
Kirill Savitskiy’s empty-netter, exactly one minute later, turned out to be the game-winning goal. Patryk Krezolek got one back for Poland with 2.2 seconds remaining, but there was no time to get more.
Standings after Day 3:
1. Kazakhstan – 9 points
2. Ukraine – 6 points
3. France – 5 points
4. Poland – 4 points
5. Japan – 2 points
6. Lithuania – 1 point
After Wednesday off, Day 4 goes on Thursday:
12:30 – France vs Lithuania
16:00 – Ukraine vs Kazakhstan
19:30 – Japan vs Poland
All times listed in Central European Summer Time.