Poland’s hockey team has had a great start to competition in the Division 1A World Championships. When the tournament opened at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, the Whites and Reds beat the Lithuanians 7-0. Patryk Wronka scored a natural hat-trick.

Six teams compete in the Division 1A World Championship in Nottingham, but only some of them have a real chance of challenging for the world’s elite. This group includes the Polish national team, which played against the lowest-ranked Lithuanian side in the tournament opener on Saturday. Our hockey players beat their rivals 7:0.

Polish quick goals

The Whites and Reds quickly got to work and took the lead on the ice. The result was two quick goals scored. Already in the 3rd minute, Kamil Wałęga shot under the blue line, which surprised Mantas Armalis. The puck lift was also changed by Paweł Zygmunt and it was he who was credited with the first goal. Another 83 seconds passed and it was 2-0. This time Maciej Kruczek showed an accurate shot from distance.

The advantage of the Poles was indisputable. They were in possession of the puck and were more often in the defensive third of the opponents. Our goalkeeper, John Murray, was unemployed at the start of the game. In such a situation, more goals seemed like a matter of time. Krystian Dziubiński made it 3-0 in the 8th minute. The Poles played in advantage at that time and played the castle well. Patryk Wronka spotted his captain behind the goal and he had no problem overcoming Armalis.

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The Poles were aiming for more goals, but the Lithuanian keeper was no longer surprised in the first. The Lithuanians defended when they played shorthanded again. Then they took the initiative in the final phase of the period and had their chances. ‘Jasiek Murarz’ had to show his skills and kept the Whites and Reds from losing the goal several times. Moreover, after Arkadiusz Kostek’s penalty, the rivals played in the final minutes in advantage, but failed to score a goal.

Wronka’s natural hat-trick

The picture of the game did not change in the second period. Our representatives had the advantage on the ice, the only thing missing was efficiency. First, Bartłomiej Jeziorski had a great chance, which hit the post, and his correction was saved by Armalis. Then Alan Łyszczarczyk tried unsuccessfully. Finally, at 4:0, in the 28th minute, Patryk Wronka scored after a superb puck play from his teammates. Later, Bartosz Fraszko was close to luck, but he missed the “rubber” with his backhand and spoiled the counter.

The second game definitely belonged to Patryk Wronka (voted as the best player of the match), and our representatives took advantage of their chances in the 5v4 match. wisely put the stick in the game of Grzegorz Pasiut. Then Wronka increased it to 6-0, packing the puck into the empty net after a bull shot. In this way, the 27-year-old scored a natural hat-trick.

In the third period, the Poles didn’t push the pace, but due to Lithuanians’ errors and penalties, they had an easier task of scoring more goals. Such an opportunity was used in the 49th minute. Krystian Dziubiński wanted to play against his partner, but poor intervenor Dovydas Laimutis put the puck in his own goal with a stick and it was 7:0. The goal was of course credited to the Polish national team captain’s account.

Until the end of the match, the result of the match did not change. John Murray made nine saves and kept a clean sheet. Mantas Armalis stepped in up to 34 times, but capitulated seven times. The White-Reds proved their superiority and won a well-deserved victory.

Time for serious testing

At the opening of the competition in Nottingham, the Polish team won 7:0 and took three points. The most important meetings are in front of the Whites-Reds. Already Sunday at 5:00 p.m. they will face the British, and Tuesday at the same time with Italy. These will be matches with the greatest, alongside the Poles, candidates for promotion.

On Saturday, the favorites did not disappoint. Italy beat Romania 6-2 with Thomas Larkin scoring a hat-trick. In the evening, the hosts intervened. The British scored South Korea with four goals. Ben Bowns made 17 saves and, like John Murray before him, kept a clean sheet. Great Britain started their game in Nottingham with a confident 4-0 win.

The top two teams from Division 1A will qualify for next year’s World Championships. The last team will be relegated to Division 1B.

Poland – Lithuania 7:0 (3:0, 3:0, 1:0)
1:0 – Zygmunt (Walęga, Pas) 3′
2:0 – Kruczek (Wajda, Fraszko) 4′
3:0 – Dziubiński (Wronka, Pasiut) 8′ (5 from 4)
4:0 – Wronka (Fraszko, Pasiut) 28′
5:0 – Wronka (Pasiut, Fraszko) 38′ (5 out of 4)
6:0 – Wronka (Dziubiński, Pasiut) 40′ (5 from 4)
7:0 – Dziubiński (Wronka, Dronia) 49′ (5 out of 4)

Poland: Murray – Wajda, Kruczek, Fraszko, Wronka, Pasiut – Ciura, Kolusz, Dziubiński, Łyszczarczyk, Jeziorski – Kostek, Dronia, Pas, Zygmunt, Wałęga – Górny, Jaśkiewicz, Starzyński, Galant, Michalski.

Lithuania: Armalis – Alisauskas, Jasinevicius, Gintautas, Cizas, Bosas – Gusevas, Protcenko, Noreika, Kaleinikovas, Grinius – Mikalauskas, Stankius, Cetvertak, Bendzius, Binkulis – Valivonis, Dumcius, Krasilnikovas, Laimutis, Krakauskas.

Results and standings of the Ice Hockey World Championship Division 1A:

Saturday April 29

Poland – Lithuania 7:0 (3:0, 3:0, 1:0)
Italy – Romania 6:2 (2:0, 2:1, 2:1)
Great Britain – South Korea 4-0 (2-0, 1-0, 1-0)

Sunday April 30

Lithuania – Romania 1:30 p.m.
Great Britain – Poland 5:00 p.m.
Italy – South Korea 8:30 p.m.

tuesday 2 may

Romania – South Korea 1:30 p.m.
Italy – Poland 5:00 p.m.
United Kingdom – Lithuania 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday May 3

South Korea – Poland 1:30 p.m.
Lithuania – Italy 5:00 p.m.
United Kingdom – Romania 8:30 p.m.

Friday May 5

Poland – Romania 1:30 p.m.
Lithuania – South Korea 5:00 p.m.
Italy – United Kingdom 8:30 p.m.

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