New Zealand Wins Gold At World Championship

The New Zealand Under-20 Men’s ice hockey team has won gold at the 2025 IIHF Under-20 World Championship IIIA in Istanbul, Türkiye.

The gold medal earns the team a promotion to Division IIB for 2026.

Tied in first place with Chinese Taipei, their last game of the tournament against Chinese Taipei determined who would claim gold. Both teams entered the final matchup undefeated, with dominant performances over the tournament’s other teams.

The Kiwis came out strong, with an early goal scored by #14 Jacob Carey at 6:21 in the first period. Chinese Taipei levelled the scoring with a successful penalty shot a few minutes later. Further New Zealand goals were scored by #3 Axel Ruski-Jones (14:04 in the first period), #13 Ivan Dalmatau (35:57 in the second period on the power play), and #14 Jacob Carey (45:51 in the third period). The team held off any further scoring by Chinese Taipei to win the game 4-1 and remain undefeated at the tournament across all five of their games.

The gold medal follows impressive form at the 2024 IIHF Under-20 World Championship, where the team won silver. The team last won gold in 2008.

Head Coach Justin Daigle said, “I’m incredibly proud of this team and what we have achieved. 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 to Division IIB is a huge accomplishment.”

#20 Joel Gerard has been named Best Goaltender, and #14 Jacob Carey has been named Best Forward at the tournament, with #10 Ian Audas being named the team’s Best Player by the coaching staff.

Full tournament results: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2025/wm20iiia

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