The Turkmen juniors kicked off the 27th World U18 Championship in Group B, Division III, with a 4-3 (1-1, 1-2, 1-1) victory over South Africa. The tournament is being held at the Skenderija Arena in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, under the auspices of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), as reported by the turkmenistan.gov.tm.
Group B includes teams from Turkmenistan, Thailand, and Luxembourg. Group A includes Iceland, South Africa, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each team will play three matches against opponents from the opposite group. Based on the results of the group stage, the winners and runners-up advance to the semifinals.
In the opening match, the Turkmen hockey players took the lead in the 10th minute after a goal by Captain Dayanch Batyrov. South Africa tied the game 1-1 by the end of the first period. In the second period, Turkmenistan scored twice: Rovshen Archayev and Khezretali Mammedov. Before the final break, Duvan van der Merwe reduced the deficit to 2-3. Early in the third period, Joshua Anker tied the game, and with four minutes remaining, Batyrov scored twice to secure a 4-3 victory. Best players: defenseman Serdarmyrat Yollyev (Turkmenistan) and Riley Paulsen (South Africa).
Iceland, which beat Luxembourg 12-1 in its opening game, was the next team to face. Turkmenistan lost 5-1 (0-3, 1-2, 0-0). Rovshen Archayev scored the first goal for Turkmenistan. After two rounds, the team is second in Group B with three points, keeping its chances of reaching the semifinals. Thailand’s juniors lead the group with 6 points after two wins.
Iceland (6 points) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2 points) have already advanced to the semifinals in Group A. South Africa (0 points) and Luxembourg (1 point) are at the bottom of the standings.
The third round will open with South Africa and Luxembourg, followed by a match between the group leaders, Iceland and Thailand. The day will conclude with a match between Turkmenistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
