The Australian men’s national under-20 team have lost 2–4 to the Spanish men’s national under-20 team in their second game of the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Belgrade, Serbia. Australia’s two goals were scored by forward Ivan Kuleshov and as a result he was presented with the IIHF award for best Australian player of the match. The result is a marked improvement compared to the last meeting between the two teams in 2017 where Spain won 15–2.
In the other games of the day, Israel defeated Belgium 5–3 and Iceland beat Serbia 3–2. At the end of the second round, Australia remains at the bottom of the standings and Israel continues to lead with six points. Spain meanwhile moves up to second, pushing Belgium down to third, and Iceland moves up to fourth with Serbia dropping to fifth. The teams have a rest day today and return on 22 January where Australia will take on Iceland. The two teams last met at the 2024 World Championships where Iceland won 6–0.
Results
Spain
4–2
Australia
SOG: 28
(1–0, 0–1, 3–1)
SOG: 17
– Game details: 12:30, 20 January 2025, Pionir Ice Rink. Game card.
Belgium
3–5
Israel
SOG: 20
(2–2, 1–2, 0–1)
SOG: 43
– Game details: 16:00, 20 January 2025, Pionir Ice Rink. Game card.
Serbia
2–3
Iceland
SOG: 55
(1–1, 0–2, 1–0)
SOG: 13
– Game details: 19:30, 20 January 2025, Pionir Ice Rink. Game card.
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