The Australian U18 women’s team won gold at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) Division II-A World Championships in Dumfries, Great Britain last week.
The Junior Flyers clinched the top spot in the six-team round-robin tournament with a game to spare. The Australian U18 women’s success is impressive, considering most of their opponents have better facilities, more funding, and higher player registration numbers.
Australia began its tournament with a 3-1 win against Türkiye, followed by a 4-0 victory over the Netherlands. Next up, the team earned a 5-2 win against Mexico, allowing Australia to secure gold with their win against second-placed Latvia.
The Junior Flyers raced out to a 3-0 lead against Latvia, followed by two quick Latvia goals in the second period to make for a nervy finish. However, Australia shut out their rivals the rest of the way to secure a 3-2 victory.
Australia will be promoted to Division I-B for next year’s tournament and will face Norway, Poland, South Korea, and Spain. Being promoted to Division I means the Australian U18 women’s team is among the top-twenty U18 women’s teams in the world.
The team’s success is due in part to Australia’s premier women’s competition, the Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL), as most of the players selected for the national team came from the AWIHL.
