Today, April 27, the World Division I Group B tournament starts at the "Twinsbet" Arena in Vilnius, where the Lithuanian national team will seek to enter the higher division and overtake the national teams of the Netherlands, China, Estonia, Spain and Ukraine.
The Lithuanian national team is returning to Vilnius for the 2024 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship, Division I, Group B, after a ten-year break. Then the Lithuanian national team led by Dainius Zubraus won the bronze medals of this division for the first time.
Ten years later, D. Zubrus is already the president of the "Hockey Lietuva" association, and Lithuanians return to the capital not only with a new generation of hockey players, but also with new heights. Back in 2022, the Lithuanian national team was one step away from playing in the elite division of the World Championship, when it took the highest place since the restoration of independence.
The Lithuanian national team returns to the "2024 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship Division I, Group B" stage after a 6-year break. It was in Lithuania that they won the competition of this division in 2018 and played one step higher - in the A division. True, the unsuccessful performance in Great Britain led to the fact that the last-placed Lithuanian national team was forced to return.
In this championship, Lithuanians will be waiting for well-known rivals, as well as national teams that are much less noticeable. In recent years, the national teams of Ukraine and Estonia have often met on Lithuanian roads. With Spain, after a break of more than 20 years, the Lithuanians have already tested their strength in the Olympic Games selection tournament, and the last time the Lithuanian national team played with the representatives of the Netherlands was 7 years ago.
The most exotic Lithuanian opponent is the Chinese national team. The last time these teams met was back in 2000, and currently the Chinese have big ambitions in this sport after the 2022 Olympic Games, where they competed as hosts.
The "2024 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship Division I, Group B" championship will start today. In the first match, the Lithuanian national team will face the Spanish national team. The match starts at 16:00.
Photo: Lukas Balandis/BNS
