By Greg Pearson
New Zealand's Ice Blacks have recorded their best ever finish at an international ice hockey tournament.
The Ice Blacks went their final match of the division two World Championships against Mexico within reach of a medal, however the odds were against them.
The Kiwis had never beaten the higher ranked Mexicans at senior level, but that all changed as the Ice Blacks scored a brilliant shut out 5-nil.
"It was an awesome game," says Ice Blacks goalie Zak Nothling. "It's the first time that we've beaten Mexico in a lot of our whole playing careers, from when we played them in under-18s, under-20s, juniors and seniors. So to beat them is an amazing feeling."
It's the second big result for Ice Blacks after upsetting Belgium 5-nil, and narrowly falling to Australia 2-nil.
The Mexican win put the Ice Blacks in the medals, but they had to rely on Australia beating Serbia by at least two goals in the final match of the tournament to finish second - and they obliged.
"We're stoked," Nothling says. "To win a medal in division two is huge for us. We're two years out of division three, so to move up this fast and to get a medal is a massive achievement for New Zealand ice hockey as a whole, it just shows how much the sports improving in the country."
As well as scoring their best ever result in a world championship, the Ice Blacks added to their medal with the fair play award, with Nothling named best goalie of the tournament.
3 News
source: newshub archive
