The Australian men’s national under-20 team have defeated the Belgian men’s national under-20 team 8–1 in their final game of the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Belgrade, Serbia. Ivan Kuleshov led the scoring for Australia with three goals followed by Brayden Maybee and Lachlan Sucher with two each, and Thomas Garas with one. Garas’ goal was also his first in international competition. The IIHF award for best Australian player of the match was given to goaltender Thomas Forrest.
In the other games of the day, Israel defeated Iceland 3–2 and Serbia beat Spain 4–3 following a shootout. Australia finishes the tournament in fourth place with six points from five games. Spain finishes in first and earns promotion back to Division II Group A, while Belgium comes in last and is relegated to Division III Group A for next season. The IIHF award for best Australian player of the tournament was given to forward Julian Friederich.
Results
| Iceland | 2–3 | Israel |
| SOG: 27 | (1–1, 1–1, 0–1) | SOG: 35 |
| Australia | 8–1 | Belgium |
| SOG: 32 | (2–1, 4–0, 2–0) | SOG: 32 |
| Spain | 3–4 SO | Serbia |
| Shootout: XXXX SOG: 38 | (2–1, 1–0, 0–2, 0–0, 0–1) | Shootout: OXOX SOG: 36 |
Standings
| Pos | +/– | Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Spain | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2 | +2 | Israel | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | –1 | Serbia | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | +2 | Australia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6a |
| 5 | –2 | Iceland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6a |
| 6 | –1 | Belgium | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Further information
- Tournament page on IIHF.com
- Tournament schedule
- Australia’s team roster
- Livestream of the tournament via YouTube
Articles
- ‘Room for Improvement’ Australia finish 4th at Under 20 IIHF Worlds by Stephen White (AIHL, 4 February 2025)
- Spain’s Juniors Shine In Belgrade by Henrik Manninen (IIHF, 26 January 2025)
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