The Australian men’s national under-18 team have defeated the Chinese Taipei men’s national under-18 team 5–1 in their second game of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Belgrade, Serbia. Hugo Arps and Artem Astafiev led the scoring for Australia with two goals each, followed by Aiden Downie with one goal. The IIHF award for best Australian player of the match was given to goaltender Thomas Papas. The result is an improvement compared to the last meeting between the two teams in 2025, where Australia won won 4–3 in overtime.
In the other games of the day, the Netherlands defeated Belgium 6–2 and Mexico beat Serbia 4–2. At the end of the second round, Australia has moved up to fourth place on the standings while Mexico moves into first with five points. The teams have a rest day today and return on 8 April where Australia will take on Mexico for their third game of the tournament. The two teams last met at the 2016 World Championships where Australia won 5–4.
Results
Netherlands
6–2
Belgium
SOG: 48
(2–1, 1–0, 3–1)
SOG: 22
– Game details: 12:30, 6 April 2025, Pionir Ice Hall. Game card.
Australia
5–1
Chinese Taipei
SOG: 28
(2–1, 1–0, 2–0)
SOG: 39
– Game details: 16:00, 6 April 2025, Pionir Ice Hall. Game card.
Serbia
2–4
Mexico
SOG: 48
(1–1, 1–1, 0–2)
SOG: 30
– Game details: 19:30, 6 April 2025, Pionir Ice Hall. Game card.
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