ISTANBUL - Today, March 10, the Men's U18 team played the fifth and final match of its World Championship campaign (DIV3A) in Istanbul, Turkey. The Belgians finished in style with five consecutive wins, the last one against Iceland. So, gold captured and a return to DIV2B next year!
The Belgians were already sure of gold, but a flawless championship was the input today against Iceland. That it would not be an easy task was evident at the beginning of the first period. Despite the numerical minority, Bjorgvinsson (#6/ISL) scored the first goal for Iceland. However, the counter-goal did not take long to come as two minutes later Blanchy (#2/BEL) put the situation straight through Delport (#22/BEL) and Berckx (#23/BEL). When the opponent again has a player on the penalty bench, the Belgians exploit the powerplay to the fullest. Van De Brande (#24/BEL) taps the puck into the Icelandic net, assisted by Geenen (#21/BEL) and Gommeren (#14/BEL). Barely three minutes later, Laeremans (#18/BEL) widens the gap through Delport (#22/BEL) and Willems (#7/BEL). In the seventeenth minute, Karvelsson (#22) gets a chance to close the gap via a penalty shot, but Scheyltjens (#1/BEL) delivers between the pipes.
In the second period, however, the opponent manages to get closer and score a second goal. In the last period, however, Schoovaerts (#12/BEL) via Laeremans (#18/BEL) seals Team Iceland's fate by putting the four on the scoreboard.
Gold thus for the Belgians, after being relegated from DIV2B last year, Team Belgium returns next year. Mission accomplished!
Final score: BEL vs. ISL: 4-2 (3-1; 0-1; 1-0)
MVP Team BEL: Toon Geenen (#21)
Game Schedule
04.03.2024 – 18:00 – TUR vs. BEL: 3-5
05.03.2024 – 14:30 – BEL vs. MEX: 8-0
07.03.2024 – 11:00 – BEL vs. BIH: 9-2
08.03.2024 – 11:00 – NZL vs. BEL: 4-7
10.03.2024 – 14:30 – BEL vs. ISL: 4-2