Host China edged Estonia 3-2 in a penalty shootout at the 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship Division I Group B on Tuesday to secure the silver medal, marking its best result since the IIHF introduced its current format in 2001.
Earlier in the day, Romania beat South Korea 4-1, briefly dropping China from third to fourth in the standings. China needed a win over already-crowned champion Estonia to secure a place on the podium.
China made a strong start. Forward Hou Yuyang opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Yu Jilong added another goal on a power play to give the host a 2-0 lead.
Just two minutes into the second period, Hou struck again to complete his brace. Estonia pulled one back before scoring twice in the third period to level the game and force an overtime.
Neither side scored in overtime, and China eventually prevailed 3-2 in the shootout to seal the victory.
In another match, Spain routed the Netherlands 4-0 to record its only win of the tournament. Romania got the bronze in the final standings.
At the award ceremony, China's Wang Haoxi was named Best Defenseman. The OHL player said it was a special experience to represent China at his first World Championship. "Playing at home and helping the team win silver and make history is something I am very proud of. I really cherish every opportunity on the ice," he said.
Hou, who finished with seven goals and five assists to lead the scoring chart, was named China's Best Player of the tournament.
China won the Division II Group A title in 2022 to secure promotion. The team then claimed bronze in Division I Group B in 2023 before finishing fourth in the following two seasons.
Duan Jufang, secretary general of the Chinese Ice Hockey Association, told Xinhua, "This silver medal has greatly boosted the team's confidence and shown the team's potential to compete at a higher level. This result will also strongly support the development of the sport in China," she noted.
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