Ukraine triumphs in a Polish ice hockey Olympic pre-qualification match.
Feb. 11, WARSAW (Xinhua) — The men’s ice hockey team from Ukraine defeated Estonia 5-3 on Sunday in Sosnowiec, Poland, to advance to the Olympic qualifying round.
Dmitry Khrystych’s side was one win away from taking first place in the final classification after defeating Poland and South Korea. The favorites prevailed in Sosnowiec on Sunday, handling the pressure to win for the third time in a row.
Robert Arrak closed the score with 3:29 remaining as Estonia played with greater bravery after the intermission. At 4:33 in the second, though, Eugene Fadyeyev made it 4-1, demonstrating how well Khrystych’s teammates responded.
Estonia, led by Jussi Tupamaki, battled until the very end. Vadim Vasjonkin defeated Bogdan Dyachenko to keep his side in the match, and Mark Viitanen’s goal at 15:53 in the third period meant that Estonia only needed a goal to tie the score.
But as Alexander Peresunko made it 5-3 to advance Ukraine to the last round of the Olympic qualifiers, the leader of Group J had the last say.
With eight points, Ukraine went on to win the event in Sosnowiec, defeating Poland, South Korea, and Estonia. From August 29 to September 1, in Bratislava, it will compete for an Olympic ticket against Slovakia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, with the victor advancing to the Olympic Winter Games in 2026.
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