ASIAN ICE HOCKEY

From the opening faceoff, it was clear China came into the game believing they matched up best against South Korea. After a brief feeling-out stretch, though, the Koreans snapped them back to reality. At 7:36, Sangyeob Kim opened the scoring – his initial shot was blocked by D-man Yuhang Han, but he stayed with it and slammed home the rebound.

Less than a minute later, Korea struck again. Dong Hyun Shin unleashed a rocket so heavy that, for a moment, no one knew whether the puck had actually crossed the line or ricocheted off the crossbar. The goal judge eventually made the final call.

Stars Collide: Kobe Teammates Face Off Across the Ice

A spicy subplot surfaced in this matchup: five players from Japan’s Stars Kobe of the Asia League Ice Hockey found themselves on opposite sides. Korea iced Garam Jang, Min Jae Lee, and the aforementioned Dong Hyun Shin, while China countered with their familiar duo of Youyang Hou and Jing Wang.

Jang’s start in net was a mild surprise – but with Korea already out of gold-medal contention, head coach Woo Jae Kim evidently felt comfortable tossing the first-timer at a major tournament into the fire.

Korea Rolls to 3–0 Before China Finally Shows Some Bite

China barely had time to regroup before Korea made it 3–0. And of course it was Sangyeob Kim again, finishing off a crisp rush created by Hyeon Su Kwon and Seong Jae Kim.

The home team, eager to keep themselves in the bronze-medal hunt, obviously wasn’t thrilled. They pushed harder in the second period and started carving out chances – the best of them coming short-handed, when Youyang Hou stole the puck and raced in alone on his club teammate Jang, who turned him away.

China Melts Down, Korea Keeps the Door Shut

China then earned back-to-back power plays, but simply couldn’t get anything going and struggled to even set up in the offensive zone. On home ice and desperate for momentum, their frustration began to boil over. Sang Ho Bae became the casualty, taking a dangerous hit to the head from Zihao Liu. The Chinese forward was slapped with a 5-minute major and game misconduct, giving coach Perry Pearn an unwelcome headache.

Korea failed to convert during the extended man advantage, and the score stayed frozen even after Geon Woo Kim pulled off a flashy between-the-legs shot attempt that missed. The period ended with no further damage.

Zhang Rings Iron, Jang Stays Perfect

China’s best look in the third came from an excellent solo effort by the ever-energetic Zesen Zhang. The Beijing 2022 Olympian – who logged 71 KHL games (1 goal, 1 assist) – executed a slick deke in a 2-on-2 rush that sent a Korean defender sliding across the ice. His blistering shot, however, rang square off the post behind Jang.

China pressed late hoping to at least break the shutout, while Korea focused on helping their debuting goaltender preserve it. In the end, Jang kept the sheet clean, matching the more seasoned Yeon Seung Lee’s shutout from Korea’s earlier win over Japan.

Zhang, Kang Shine as Coaches Name Their MVPs

Shots finished 37–25 in Korea’s favor. Zesen Zhang and Min Wan Kang were named Players of the Game. Since this was the final matchup of the tournament, both teams also announced their top performers as selected by their coaches – a somewhat unexpected pick for Korea in young defenseman Yu Chan Kong, and for China, goaltender Shifeng Chen.

Korea Takes Silver, Equals Best-Ever Finish

Korea had every reason to walk away happy – the win lifted them into second place, earning a silver medal and surpassing last year’s result. In the broader history of Asia’s top tournaments (Asia Championship, Asian Winter Games, Asian Cup), they matched their best-ever finish: second place at the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, also behind Kazakhstan.

China Ends Empty-Handed

China, meanwhile, finished last for the second straight year. Unlike last year’s tournament in Almaty, though, they leave with mixed feelings – they never produced a standout performance comparable to last year’s overtime win over Korea.

📆 The Full Tournament Schedule with Results is Available HERE.