
New Zealand players celebrate victory at their world tournament in Turkey yesterday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
The Junior Ice Blacks wrapped up a faultless campaign at the division 3, group A world championships with a 4-1 win over closest rivals Chinese Taipei.
It gave them a five-from-five record at the tournament and earned them promotion to division 2, group B, next year.
The gold medal followed their silver last year, and it was the first gold for the under-20 men since 2008.
“I'm incredibly proud of this team and what we have achieved,'' head coach Justin Daigle said.
``Winning gold is a testament to the hard work, dedication and belief these players have shown throughout the tournament.
``Off the back of a silver medal last year, we knew we could achieve great things if we stayed focused, played our game, and trusted each other. To go undefeated and earn promotion is a huge accomplishment.”
New Zealand finished the tournament with a record of 32 goals for and just eight against.
Botany Swarm goalie Joel Gerard was named best goaltender at the tournament, and Canada-based Jacob Carey was named best forward.
Gerard had two shutouts and a save rate of 94.29%, while Carey, who was the New Zealand league's rookie of the year with the Red Devils in 2021, was third in points with six goals and nine assists.
Dunedin Thunder defenceman Ian Audas, who had two goals and six assists, was named New Zealand's best player by the coaching staff.
Jack Lewis, Morgan Blair and Will Bary were the other Dunedin players in the squad, while the Stampede and Queenstown were represented by Logan Campbell, Lachlan Boniface and Axel Ruski-Jones.
The last game was effectively a final as both New Zealand and Chinese Taipei ended up unbeaten.
Carey scored the opening goal in the seventh minute and then Chinese Taipei equalised through a penalty shot just minutes later.
Ruski-Jones (first period), Ivan Dalmatau (second period on the power play) and Carey (third period) scored the other goals for the young Kiwis, while Gerard saved 11 of the 12 shots on his goal.